Recess
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
The best pure comedy of the late Disney Afternoon and arguably its most adult. A whole school of archetypes, ringleader T.J. Detweiler’s crew, the infamous Ashleys, tomboy Spinelli, quiet Gus, nerd Randolf, governed by cafeteria politics and playground law, told with sharp comic timing.
What Recess understood is that a schoolyard is a society: the show runs plots about strikes, elections, trade embargoes and class conflict, and the kids talk like adults because, the show insists, that is exactly what kids do when adults are not listening. The field trip episodes and the Old Mikey ghost story are genuinely great television.
One hundred twenty seven episodes across six seasons, the later ones gentler but still funny. Our score: 8/10. The smartest kids show on this list, and still the funniest.
