The Weekenders
From left to right: Tino, Tish, Carver, and Lor
Format	Animated series
Created by	Doug Langdale
Starring	Jason Marsden Grey DeLisle Phil LaMarr Kath Soucie Lisa Kaplan
Country of origin	USA
No. of episodes	39 (78 episodes including each 15-minute segment)
Production
Running time	30 minutes with commercials (mostly two 15-minute segments, with some double-length 22-minute segments)
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	February 26, 2000 – February 29, 2004

The Weekenders is a Disney animated series about the weekend life of four 7th graders: Tino Tonitini (Jason Marsden), Lor McQuarrie (Grey DeLisle), Carver Descartes (Phil LaMarr), and Petra Tishkovna "Tish" Katsufrakis (Kath Soucie) in Bahia Bay, California. The theme song was written and sung by Wayne Brady.

[edit] Premise

Despite having four seventh grade children in the main roles, the show rarely touches on aspects of school life (as Recess does), as stories nearly always begin on Friday afternoon and end on Sunday evening. The few exceptions cover the aftermath on Monday morning, usually only if the plot relates to homework or other school activities. Tino is the main character, and most episodes are told from his point of view. Tino often breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the viewer about what's going on à la Greek chorus.

[edit] Production

The series, created by Doug Langdale, made its debut in 2000 as a part of Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC and later on Disney's One Too on Sunday Mornings and Weekday Afternoons. Later it moved to cable channel Toon Disney and aired on The Disney Channel for a short time. In Canada, it was shown on the Family Channel three times a day on weekdays.^[1] In the UK, Disney Channel began airing the show exclusively on Friday Afternoons, Saturdays and Sunday Mornings to fit in with the basic premise (the Latin American version of Disney Channel did the same when airing the show).

The show's title theme was written by Roger Neill and Wayne Brady and performed by Wayne Brady.

TV Guide dubbed The Weekenders as "the show that killed Pokémon," because ABC stole the ratings when they aired it at 10:00 am - the same time Pokémon aired on Kids' WB.

The Weekenders last aired on Toon Disney on 2008 .

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Cast

• Jason Marsden - Tino Tonitini, Colby, Tony Tortellero
• Grey DeLisle - Lor McQuarrie
• Phil LaMarr - Carver Descartes, Bluke, Coach Colson, Mr. Higginbottom, Mr. Descartes
• Kath Soucie - Tish Katsufrackis, Ruby
• Lisa Kaplan - Mrs. Tonitini, Foods of the World Lady
• Jeff Bennett - Mr. Katsufrakis, Pizza Guy, Percy, Mr. MacQuarrie
• Ashley Kenney - Mrs. Katsufrakis
• Julianne Burschner - Bree, Frances
• Peter Rist - Thompson Oberman
• Lauren Layla - Pru, Candace
• Ian Razowsky - Dixon
• Cree Summer - Penny Descartes, Todd Descartes, Mrs. Descartes

[edit] Main characters

[edit] Tino Tonitini

Tino, twelve years old, is the lead character and narrator in the series. He usually goes to his mom for advice, but she is able to read his mind before he even expresses his problems. He finds his mom's odd organic dishes barf-worthy and his mom usually shrugs off his complaints with further advice. Although Tino is sort of the leader of the four, he exhibits the most fear, most distinctly of clowns. His fear of clowns is magnified in the episode when the four decide to try new things at the local circus. Tino works with clowns and is extremely fearful at first, until he realizes that clowns are just regular people in disguise. In the end, he still does not like clowns, but he learns that he can tolerate them. Sarcasm and witty remarks are Tino's trademark. Since he acts as the narrator, he sets up the story for the episode and ends the episode with a usually moral closing remark. He also has a notable high-pitched scream when he is scared, which serves as easy joking material to his friends.

[edit] Carver René Descartes

Carver, twelve years old, is the fashionista of the group. He has a great care in fashion, most notably, shoes, to the point that his obsession could be considered sexual in nature. His shoe fetish is exemplified in the episode when the four try to enjoy each other's activities in one weekend. Carver's activity involves the four visiting a shoe fashion show. He even gets backstage passes for the four to "meet the shoes in person". Carver usually seeks advice from his three friends, but during rare moments, he also goes to his older sister for advice. Asides from being into shoes and having three close friends, Carver also wishes he was the third member of Bahia Bay's Popular Kids. In his closet, he is able to open up the wall panel and reveal a Popular Kids sanctuary. It consists of candles, pictures of the two popular kids, and incense. His older sister, Penny, has caught him praying to them at the Popular Kids altar. Carver also has a toddler-aged brother named Toddy.

[edit] Lor MacQuarrie

Lor, twelve years old, takes on a more boyish character than her female parallel, Tish. She has Scottish heritage, which results in her enjoying Scottish games. In different episodes, she is said to have 13 to 16 brothers, but it is never known exactly how many she has in total. She is usually the most confident except for one instance when she is a contestant on a school talent show, which requires her to sing "Home on the Range". She becomes nervous and begins to panic about her performance until Tish helps her out. Lor is not the smartest of the bunch academically. In one episode, she must get a "B" grade, or passing, on her American Civil War test, in order for her not to be sent to military school by her father. She studies with extreme difficulty in the beginning, but after playing a war-themed video game about the American Civil War, brought in by Carver, she gets a good mark on her test.

[edit] Tish Katsufrakis

Tish, twelve years old, comes from a fictional country unknown to both viewers of the show and the characters on the show itself. She is the smartest of her friends and possesses a characteristic where she is picky with minor details. This is emphasized in the episode when the four friends create a seaweed sculpture for "Helper's Helping the Helpless' Kelp Day". Tish takes over the project and begins to change the sculpture, but ends up making it unfinished in the end. She is also known for getting straight A's, but her flawless streak is interrupted in the episode when she receives a "B" letter grade from one of her teachers. She is deeply affected by this, but learns that no one is perfect. Tish also loves William Shakespeare and enjoys pursuing artistic endeavours, such as painting and sculpting.

[edit] Secondary/Recurring Characters

Ms. Tonitini: Tino's mother, who usually gives him advice when he has problems. She has a very unpredictable cooking style, including tofu and ostrich and dogs.

Mr. Tonitini: Tino's father has a full-time job around the east coast. With Tino and his mother living in the west coast, he only has an opportunity to visit his son and ex-wife once a year. He only appears in one episode ("Tino's Dad"). In another episode ("Father's Day"), Tino is upset that his father couldn't come for Father's Day, but still enjoys it with his friends and their dads. He shares the same paranoid and timid nature as his son, claiming everything as a "breeding ground for bacteria", and was known in school as "Screamy Tonitini".

Dixon: Ms. Tonitini's boyfriend shares the interests of Tino and his friends (such as being a Captain Dreadnought fan, a Shakespeare reader, having a degree in literature, being a shoe fanatic, athletic, and a Scottish games champion) and has a childlike personality. Nevertheless, he is a responsible parental figure, especially when bringing up his 14-year-old daughter Moira. He has the tallest head of any of the characters.

Mrs. Katsufrakis: A former roller derby of her unnamed home country, Tish's mother has good advice for her daughter. She is known to have foreign pronunciation in English, as opposed to her husband. Usually when Mrs. Katufrakis says something, Tish and, rarely, her husband, pronounce it properly so Tish's friends, or even they themselves can understand. She is nicknamed "Berschtuki" meaning "She who loves soup".

Mr. Katsufrakis: A college professor, his English is a lot clearer than his wife's. He was nicknamed "The Brain" until he grew a beard and was thus nicknamed "Beardy-man".

Tony Tordellaro: A boy who bears a very strong resemblance to Tino, and in one episode becomes Tino's new friend. All he can say is "sure".

Dodie Weems: An elderly woman and regular around the town. She believes that all children are lazy and ungrateful, and unwilling to help others.

Bree and Colby: The two 'cool kids' usually seen hanging around Bahia Bay. Their hobbies include leaning against various things around town. They believe that any form of movement other than walking the way they do is uncool. They are so cool, that everybody else is invisible to them.

Bluke & Frances: Two social outcasts who become friends part way through the series. Bluke is a brainless oaf yet friendly and warm-hearted, while Frances (once a normal girl who was Tish's best friend and one day 'just changed') is an insane (yet harmless) little girl obsessed with "pointy things".

Mrs. Gloria Duwong: The coordinator of Helpers Helping the Helpless. She has an extremely hard time using words other than help, helpful, helping, etc. in phrases. Mrs. Duwong also is seen pregnant throughout the series and was in the same grade as Tino's father.

Tasha: A punk rock girl with purple and yellow hair. She is Tino's crush. She shares his love of Captain Dreadnought comics.

Jan The Man Local DJ and radio personality. Known for being extremely irritating and for his trademark catchphrase, "Hey, yowzaa!" Tish was once bumped as parade marshal for Jan's cat who could play fetch.

[edit] Running Gags

• The constantly changing themes of the pizza place (one weekend it's Pizzamergency, and another it's Pizzanaut).
• Carver's horrible penmanship.
• A reference to Lor's many brothers and Lor never being quite sure exactly how many there are.
• Lor's brothers' constant urge to dog-pile on someone.
• Tino's mom serving foods of highly questionable origin (Such as kelp ravioli and spinach Jell-O cones).
• Chloe Montez's unusual, and often embarrassing predicaments.
• Strange and exotic food exhibits at the anthropology museum (Including ants and putrid shark).
• Whenever Mrs. Katsufrakis says something, Tish says what she means, and Mrs. Katsufrakis then says: "is what I say (That's what I said)." (e.g.: In the episode To Tish, Mrs. Katsufrakis says "I leave you to kitchen my cup." when she really meant "I leave you to kiss and make up.")
• Tino's mom knowing everything about all of the predicaments he's ever gotten himself into. This usually leads to her finishing his sentence for him.
• Tish's obsession with having perfectly trimmed toenails.
• Tino (or someone else in the group) always summing things up and ends an episode with the statement "Later days".
• Frances constantly saying, "I like pointy things." e.g.: The Halloween episode shows her dressed as a pair of scissors.
• Jan "The Man" Testeverde constantly saying, "Hey yowza, dudes!"
• The kids' teacher, Mr. Hossinfeld, referring to something as "a kick in the pants".
• Tino having constant fears and obsessions.
• The charitable duties of Helpers Helping the Helpless, led by the perpetually pregnant Gloria Duong.
• Coach Colson answering the door in his robe (or worse).
• Tino becoming glued to various objects, such as beach towels and trees.
• Carver's obsession with shoes and being cool.
• Tino's fear and lack of coordination with anything sports related (except horseshoes).

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Weekenders at the Internet Movie Database
• The Weekenders at TV.com