The Weekenders, also known as Disney's The Weekenders, is an American animated television series created by Doug Langdale that ran on February 26, 2000, with the last episode airing on February 29, 2004, spanning four seasons. It centers on the weekend life of four 12-year-old 7th graders: Tino, Lor, Carver, and Tish. The series originally aired on ABC (Disney's One Saturday Morning) and UPN (Disney's One Too), but was later moved to Toon Disney.[1]
Premise
The Weekenders details the weekends of four best friends: Tino Tonitini (voiced by Jason Marsden), a friendly and ambitious Italian-American boy; Lorraine "Lor" MacQuarrie (voiced by Grey DeLisle), a hyperactive and dull-witted Scottish-American girl; Carver René Descartes (voiced by Phil LaMarr), a vain and materialisticAfrican-American boy who is of Haitian descent; and Petratishkovna "Tish" Katsufrakis (voiced by Kath Soucie), a highly intelligent and bibliophilicJewish-American girl of Eastern European descent (the fictional country where she was born is identified throughout the series simply as "the Old Country"). Every episode is set over the course of a weekend, with little to no mentions of school life. Friday sets up the adventure of the episode, Saturday escalates/develops it, and the climatic third act happens on Sunday. The implied "ticking clock" is used to signify the characters running out of time and the problem must be solved before going back to school Monday.
Tino serves as a narrator of each episode, providing his own insight into what he's experiencing as well as his friends, and will sum up the moral of the story at the end, always ending with a sign off of, "Later days".
A running gag in most episodes is that when the group goes out for pizza, the restaurant they go to has a different theme each time, such as a prison, where each table is its own cell, or the American Revolution, where the waiters look like the Founding Fathers and give rousing speeches about the pizzas.
Production
The show was known for its distinctive animation style, similar to Nickelodeon's shows produced by Klasky-Csupo such as Rocket Power and As Told by Ginger, and also for being one of the few animated series where characters' outfits change from episode to episode. The series takes place in the fictional city of Bahia Bay, California ("Bahia" is Spanish for "bay"), which is based on San Diego, California where the creator lived.[2]
Lor is in love with Thompson, and Carver thinks that she's talking about him.
When Tino is caught bouncing on a bouncy house, he becomes determined to be older and mature. Trouble ensues when Carver and Lor get annoyed with his new maturity (minus an easily impressed Tish).
Carver wants to stand beside the cool kids on picture day and his new shoes help him be "C.A.R.P.".
When Lor disappoints her friends, she tries to be nice to make up for it.
3
3
"The Perfect Weekend""Throwing Carver"
Steven Lyons
Evan Gore & Heather LombardLarry Spencer
March 11, 2000 (2000-03-11)
Tino plans out the perfect weekend, but his friends bail out.
Tish takes an art class at the museum and makes an ugly statue of Carver. Carver himself, and the others try to keep their mediocre reviews to themselves.
4
4
"Home@work""To Be or Not to Be"
Steven Lyons
David Warick & Amy DeBartolomeisJonathan Rosenthal
March 18, 2000 (2000-03-18)
Lor needs her friends to help her pass an upcoming test or face going to military school.
When Tish's friends make fun of Shakespeare, she stops hanging out with them.
5
5
"Sitters""Band"
Steven Lyons
Rachel PowellSteve Atinsky & Dan O'Connor
March 25, 2000 (2000-03-25)
Carver's mom and dad go to a conference, so Carver has to babysit his little brother, Todd.
Carver lies that Chum Bukket will dedicate the show to him and his friends.
6
6
"Makeover""The New Girl"
Steven Lyons
Sharon Lee WatsonSam Kass
April 1, 2000 (2000-04-01)
Lor gets asked out by Thompson and gets a whole new makeover by two girly girls.
Tish's mom tries to become Americanized by hanging out with her friends.
7
7
"Party Planning""Pudding Ball"
Steven Lyons
Dan O'Connor & Steve AtinskyEvan Gore & Heather Lombard
April 22, 2000 (2000-04-22)
The gang gets invited to a party. It turns out to be clownless and they have to know each other's gender.
The gang competes in a pudding throwing contest, but aggression and competing go near the heads of the gang.
Tino and Tish secretly get ready for a costume party, that Lor and Carver aren't invited to.
The group gets filmed for a movie and emulate TV characters when they think their normal selves are too boring.
12
4
"Super Kids""Crevasse of Dreams"
Steven Lyons
Sam KassJaphet Asher
November 4, 2000 (2000-11-04)
After a seminar, everyone tries to do something meaningful with their weekends.
Tino remembers a former hang-out spot and tries to convince the gang of its existence.
13
5
"Dixon"
Steven Lyons
Doug Langdale
November 11, 2000 (2000-11-11)
An amusement park is re-opening and the gang tries to earn tickets while Tino frets about his mom's upcoming date, but after finding out his mom's date, Dixon, is cool, Tino tries to make sure they get together.
14
6
"Taking Sides""To Tish"
Steven Lyons
Jonathan GoldsteinDoug Langdale
January 13, 2001 (2001-01-13)
Tino and Carver get into a fight which splits the group in two.
Tish's name becomes a slang term and it really bugs her to the max.
15
7
"Tickets""Vengeance"
Steven Lyons
Larry SpencerDoug Langdale
January 27, 2001 (2001-01-27)
Tino wins 2 tickets to a Chum Bukket concert and he has a tough time deciding which of his friends to take.
Carver seeks revenge, after being tricked by a girl at school.
16
8
"Murph""Uncool World"
Steven Lyons
Evan Gore & Heather LombardDoug Langdale
February 3, 2001 (2001-02-03)
Tino worries that people don't like him.
When one of the cool kids stops being cool, the gang helps her get accustomed to being uncool.
17
9
"My Punky Valentine""Brain Envy"
Steven Lyons
Doug LangdaleDavid Warick & Amy DeBartolomeis
February 10, 2001 (2001-02-10)
Tino has a crush on the punk girl and his friends try to "un-crush" him.
Lor is jealous when the boy she likes pays attention to Tish's academics.
After Tino cries during Romeo and Juliet in class and is made fun of, he decides to give up all his emotions. The lost emotions plan seems to backfire among the gang.
Carver gets jealous when Tino spends the weekend at his house, and his parents seem to like Tino better than him.
24
3
"Listen Up""Never Say Diorama"
Steven Lyons
Evan Gore & Heather LombardDavid Warick & Amy DeBartolomeis
September 23, 2001 (2001-09-23)
The gang becomes Preteen Pals courtesy of Helpers Helping the Helpless, to help kids get over middle school fears, but Carver has a tough time listening and being helpful.
Lor and Carver are suffering from "Homework Paralysis Syndrome", and Tish and Tino must help them complete their assignment.
25
4
"Secret Admirer""The Lone Wolves Club"
Steven Lyons
Larry SpencerPeter Gaffney
September 30, 2001 (2001-09-30)
Carver tries to discover who his secret admirer is, and becomes unhappy when he learns who it is.
Tino gets invited to join a super secret and coveted club.
26
5
"The Most Dangerous Weekend""Charity Case"
Steven Lyons
Evan Gore & Heather LombardDan O'Connor & Steve Atinsky
October 7, 2001 (2001-10-07)
Tino becomes paranoid and overcautious, after breaking his arm.
Tish decides that the gang should help a girl who seems to be an unpopular loser.
27
6
"Best""Broken"
Steven Lyons
David Warick & Amy DeBartolomeisEvan Gore & Heather Lombard
October 14, 2001 (2001-10-14)
Tino tries to get "Best" designation in the yearbook.
Tino lets Carver borrow the scooter Dixon made for him, but Carver breaks it. Carver promises to fix it, but forgets. Tino is reluctant to remind him, because he's worried Carver will accuse him of nagging.
28
7
"Father's Day""Follow the Leader"
Steven Lyons
Doug LangdalePeter Gaffney
October 21, 2001 (2001-10-21)
It's Father's Day this weekend but for Tino, what does Father's Day mean to him since his dad doesn't live with him?
The group can't decide what to do for the weekend, so they decide to make just one friend decide for the whole weekend.
29
8
"Careers""Tutor"
Steven Lyons
Peter GaffneyLarry Spencer
October 28, 2001 (2001-10-28)
The group puzzles over their career test results.
Once again, Lor's grades are slipping and she needs a tutor to help her.
30
9
"The Tao of Bluke""An Experimental Weekend"
Steven Lyons
Evan Gore & Heather LombardDavid Warick & Amy DeBartolomeis
November 4, 2001 (2001-11-04)
The group has a team challenge called "Bluke".
Tish has her mind set on winning a psychology prize.
31
10
"Celebrity"
Steven Lyons
Doug Langdale
November 11, 2001 (2001-11-11)
Tish stars in an episode of Teen Canyon and becomes a celebrity, so Carver tries to teach her how to behave like one, but she soon starts to act rude and superior.
Tino decides to test Dixon to see if he's stepfather material.
33
12
"Croquembouche""Imperfection"
Steven Lyons
Peter GaffneyDavid Warick & Amy DeBartolomeis
November 25, 2001 (2001-11-25)
The gang visit a food festival with presentations.
Tish tries to overcome her perfectionist ways.
34
13
"The Worst Holiday Ever"
Steven Lyons
Evan Gore & Heather Lombard
December 2, 2001 (2001-12-02)
The Christmas season approaches, but because each member of the gang celebrates different holidays – Lor celebrates Christmas, Tino celebrates Solstice, Tish celebrates Hanukkah, and Carver celebrates Kwanzaa – they all plan to spend the weekend at Lor's grandmother's farm, but her RV gets stuck in a blizzard.
Season 4 (2002–04)
No. overall
No. in season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original release date
35
1
"Nevermore"
Steven Lyons
Evan Gore & Heather Lombard
October 19, 2002 (2002-10-19)
Tino goes through a revenge rampage, when his friends won't go trick-or-treating with him and they think they're "too old".
36
2
"Brain Dead""Lor's Will"
Steven Lyons
Evan Gore & Heather LombardLarry Spencer
November 7, 2003 (2003-11-07)
Tish loses her title as "Brain" when she gets a B on a test.
Lor has an injury that she thinks may be fatal, so she writes a will for her friends and family, but Tish feels betrayed when she isn't mentioned.
37
3
"Radio Free Carver""Dinner Party"
Steven Lyons
David Warick & Amy DeBartolomeisLarry Spencer
November 14, 2003 (2003-11-14)
Carver becomes the new DJ of the Bahia Bay Middle School with disastrous results.
Tish hosts a salon party and "invites" Tino, Carver, Lor and Bluke.
Tino's dad is visiting for the first time in 8 years, and he must plan the perfect weekend to bond with his dad.
Broadcast and home media
The Weekenders premiered on February 26, 2000, as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC. From 2001 to 2002, it also aired as part of Disney's One Too on UPN on Sunday mornings.[3] In September 2002, the series moved to Toon Disney,[4] and new episodes began airing on October 19, 2002,[5] finishing on February 29, 2004.
Reruns of the series continued to air on Toon Disney from 2004 to 2006, and also on Disney Channel in 2003.
In the United States, the entire series is now available on DVD on two volume sets sold exclusively through the Disney Movie Club,[6] which makes The Weekenders the first Disney animated television show to have a full release on DVD.[7] Due to the first-sale doctrine in the United States, the discs can be legally resold and are regularly available from sellers on eBay and other similar sites.[8] As of January 2025, the series is not available for streaming on Disney+.
DVD name
Ep #
Release date
The Weekenders: Volume 1
20
March 5, 2013
The Weekenders: Volume 2
19
March 5, 2013
Reception
Critical reception
The Weekenders has received very positive reviews from critics and fans for its solid writing, upbeat energy and multi-dimensional characters.[9]
Ratings
TV Guide called 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. In addition, Variety reported that The Weekenders took the number one rating on Saturday morning television, which knocked off Pokémon from its 54 consecutive weeks as the top spot.[10]
References
^Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 271–272. ISBN978-1476665993.
