TV Shows for Kids: Recess

Recess is an animated television series geared towards children. The show runs 30 minutes with commercials and is usually broken up into two 15 minute segments. The show was created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere. Some of the actors and actresses whose voice can be heard on the show include Ross Malinger, Pamela Adlon, Andrew Lawrence, Jason Davis, Ashley Johnson, and Courtland Mead.

Recess made its debut on ABC's One Saturday Morning block on September 13, 1997. The show immediately became very popular in the United States as well as in several other countries. The final episode of Recess aired on November 4, 2001. During the show's run, a total of 65 different episodes aired. Reruns continue to play in the United States on Toon Disney. The show also remains popular in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

Recess follows the adventures of a group of six friends during their days at school and especially during their recess, hence the title. The group of friends goes to Third Street Elementary School which appears to be a poorly ran school. Although the show never says in what city or state the school is located, clues seem to point that it is likely somewhere in the South.

The main characters on Recess are in the fourth grade, although students from other grades play roles in the show as well. The recess for the students takes place out on the playground where the sixth graders rule and the younger kids have to listen to them.

The main characters on Recess are:
T.J. Detweiler, Jr. - He is the leader of the main group of friends. He is the prankster of the group and plays lots of pranks on his teachers. He is noted by his red baseball cap.
Vince LaSalle - He is the athlete of the group and one of the few African American students at Third Street Elementary School.
Ashley Spinelli - She is a tomboy and doesn't mind picking fights with any of the boys.
Gretchen P. Grundler - She is the intelligent friend in the group and tries to think things through when they are in a predicament.
Mikey Blumberg - He is the fat friend in the group. He is also very artistic in terms of writing poetry and enjoying dance.
Gus Griswald - He is the new kid at school and is noted for being much shorter than the other characters.