Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide



A Nickelodeon post modern live-action series with No Fourth Wall and no Laugh Track set entirely in a Middle School full of Anime Tropes. Now that we have your attention...

Ned Bigby (Devon Werkheiser) is the clever but Book Dumb protagonist who is dedicated to completing an all-encompassing guide "to help you survive school," covering every issue from tests and dodgeball to puberty and relationships. Each episode is split into two parts with a "Guide to...[Topic]," that has Ned and his two best friends (Gadgeteer Genius Simon Nelson "Cookie" Cook (Daniel Curtis Lee) and tomboy Jennifer "Moze" Mosely (Lindsey Shaw)) each having their own storyline that requires his advice on the subject.

At least Once an Episode when the moment for giving tips comes: the theme music starts, Ned turns to the audience, and begins, "If you're [someone] who's confused about [something], check out these tips." Despite customary Genre Blindness and Moze being the voice of reason, Ned seems permanently aware of the Fourth Wall, with other characters occasionally acknowledging it, to some surprise. In solving the current dilemma and Tip Subject, Cookie tries outlandish theories, Moze goes for the more practical solution and Ned usually applies a scientific rigor.

Originally the primary emphasis was delivering the tips and focusing on school matters such as homework, lockers and school clubs. But soon the stories expanded to focus on the complex relationships between the maturing characters and the tips focused on how to deal with social situations. A brief synopsis of these relationships would be:
 * The nerd Lisa Zemo had a huge crush on Cookie, who accepted her as a friend but was oblivious to her affection. When she came back from summer break changed and stunningly beautiful, he found himself in competition with a fanclub of her new admirers. Meanwhile, he developed a rivalry and potential romance with loud, scary, and slightly-psycho Evelyn Kwong.
 * Ned pined after his lifelong crush Suzie and they soon became a couple. But within literally weeks, she moved out of state, leaving him at the mercy of his Stalker with a Crush, the beautiful, rich and popular but insane Missy.
 * Moze has several boys she is interested in as well as others who could be considered Stalker with a Crush. The third season she fell for the handsome foreign exchange student, Fayman, and they become a couple, but she can't understand why she doesn't feel the same spark she feels for Ned.

While Ned and Moze are trying to work out their feelings for each other and their other Love Interests (which they have plenty of), they're surrounded by a cast of quirky students and teachers who will always ensure that Hilarity Ensues.

Ran for three seasons and ended in 2007. Never quite as popular as its contemporaries on Nickelodeon (i.e. Drake and Josh) but often considered to be a prized gem of a show. The writing was crisp and the characters were very well fleshed out.

According to Devon Werkheiser, a pilot was shot in 2008 about a sequel series in High School. It wasn't greenlit, sadly, and the actors have since moved on from Nick. Given the series' Present Day setting with the characters' graduating middle school in 2007, they would've graduated high school in 2011.

"Ned: Wow. Nice Sweeny is scarier than regular Sweeny."
 * Abhorrent Admirer: Subverted with Missy. She's pretty, but totally nuts, prompting Ned to avoid her with his life.
 * Accidental Kiss: Running Gag between Ned and Moze. Also how we learn Evelyn is interested in Cookie.
 * Adult Child: Gordy the Janitor
 * Air Vent Passageway: Used for sneaking around in several episodes.
 * Almighty Janitor: Gordy. As incompetent as he is, he tends to get a lot accomplished when he works with Ned and company.
 * Alpha Bitch: Missy
 * Ambiguously Gay: Mr. Monroe, which isn't helped by the fact that he's played by IRL openly gay actor Jim J. Bullock.
 * Animal Nemesis: Gordy vs. the Weasel; the madness has spread by the Grand Finale to the point where most of the school staff joins the hunt, which culminates in practically tearing the school down.
 * The Artifact: Ironically the Guide itself. With the second season the focus on the show shifted more to the relationships of the characters instead of "Helpful Guides" for fellow middle school students. The actual guide was seen and updated as the tips were added, while it was rarely seen later on. Seemingly Lampshaded in "Boys," where Ned is so hung about Suzie moving away that he gets tips writing block.
 * Cookie's glasses as well. Originally, Cookie was supposed to be a cyborg, with quite a few early episodes even referring to him as such. However, as time went on, this aspect of his character was dropped, and his glasses (with what appears to be a full working operating system installed in them) were the only remnant of this.
 * Asian and Nerdy: Evelyn. But the trope is played with since she is also scarily insane.
 * Aside Glance
 * As Long as It Sounds Foreign: Moze trash-talking in "Dutch" in "Guide to: Bad Habits." The referee is then revealed to be Dutch and picks up on it anyway.
 * An unintentional funny moment in the Dutch dub, where the obvious Dutch stereotype referee becomes German.
 * Awesome Yet Practical: All of the tips, despite how goofy the show can be, have real value.
 * Aside from the Halloween episode ones involving ghosts, vampires and werewolves.
 * Bathroom Stall Graffiti: The "Hottie List"
 * Beautiful All Along: Lisa Zemo
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Inverted with Mr. Sweeny in "Gross Biology Dissections." After his frogs are stolen, he goes into his usual angry mode to scare Ned, Cookie and Gordy into giving them back. When that doesn't work, he does "something different": politely asking them, which has this effect:

""NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO--*to the camera* This may take a while.--OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.""
 * Big No: Lampshaded.

""I swear I had my hall pass... but I think I ate it.""
 * Then there's the episode where they're all trying to break bad habits. Ned finally learns to say no to people, and unfortunately unintentionally denies a chance to go on a study date with Suzie. After being informed of this, he does the standard "drop to knees Skyward Scream" version.
 * Billy Elliot Plot: The episode where Cookie joins the cheer squad.
 * Bishie Sparkle
 * Black and Nerdy: Cookie
 * Also Backpack Boy, to some degree.
 * Book Dumb: Ned.
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: Most of the segments where tips are given break the fourth wall, as they directly address the audience.
 * Brilliant but Lazy: Ned
 * Brick Joke: In episode 3 of season 1, someone carries an ICBM Missile past Mr. Sweeney. In episode 13 of the same season, Gordy has an ICBM Missile in his closet.
 * Broke Episode: There's one where Ned, Cookie and Moze need money to go to a concert.
 * Butt Monkey: Coconut Head, Lisa Zemo (before her Beautiful All Along reveal), Martin Qwerly, and Backpack Boy. Cookie and Ned as well, later on, as well as the Night Guy.
 * Cash Lure: Gordy plays this prank on Mr. Sweeney to cheer Ned up. It doesn't work.
 * Catch Phrase: "I'll let the night guy get it."
 * Chekhov's Gag: In "Guide to Crushes," Cookie's computer identifies Lisa as his perfect match. Cookie and Lisa get together in the grand finale.
 * Not to mention the number of times that Moze or Ned are mistaken to have done something to get the other one jealous.
 * Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Bitsy from season one, Suzie Crabgrass's best friend.
 * Shandra Taylor, one of Moze's few female friends who disappears without a word before season two.
 * Also Mr. Munroe, who was listed in the opening credits in season one and appeared in every episode; he made only a few token appearances in season two, and vanished without a trace in season three. This is very glaring because Munroe was originally intended as the mentor figure for the protagonists; on the other hand, as his prominence decreased, the other teachers became more developed.
 * A bit of Truth in Television; this happens all the time in large schools when teachers only teach grade-level subjects
 * Clingy Jealous Girl: Missy
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Many characters, but Seth in particular.

"Ned: Don't you know how a credit card works? You get a bill at the end of the month for all the stuff on it. How are you going to pay for that? Cookie: DUH! I'LL JUST PUT IT ON THE CARD!"
 * Compressed Vice: Setting tables to collapse, "a Ned Bigby classic", seen only in the Guide to Records.
 * Continuity Nod: In "Math," Ned tries to help a classmate, but wrongly answers that two negatives multiplied together make another negative. This ends up coming back to help him in "Positives and Negatives" in an unexpected way when he cheers up two emo teens by introducing them to each other.
 * Credit Card Plot: In "Extra Credit," Cookie's B-story involves him running up a massive debt on his "emergency" card, buying everything from pizza to a pony from an instant-delivery company.

"Gordy: You see, Ned, fighting against a girl is a lose-lose situation. Ned: What do you mean? Gordy: Well, if you lose, *starts laughing* then you got beat up by a girl! But if you win, *sounds horrified* then, dude, you just beat up a girl!"
 * Cross Dresser: At different times, both Ned and Cookie dress up as girls. Cookie specifically employs Gender Bender Friendship to learn what Lisa looks for in a guy. Both also have a bit of Attractive Bent Gender, especially when Loomer falls for Cookie's alter-ego.
 * Dawson Casting: The characters are supposed to be 13 (7th grade) and for the most part they aimed to get actors in the realm of 12-15 to play those kids (at the start Devon Werkheiser was 13, Lindsay Shaw was 15). But the series progressed slower than real life and the actors ended up pushing 17-18 when they were supposed to still be 14.
 * A Day At the Bizarro: The Halloween special.
 * A Day in the Limelight: Ned was stumped for tips on dealing with girls, the best he could come up with is that they like shoes and they smell nice. When Moze harrassed him with "Is that the best you can do?" he pulled out a boombox, turned on the theme music, pointed Mozes' head to the camera and had her deliver the tips.
 * Deadpan Snarker: The Genre Savvy Moze
 * The Ditz: Seth Powers
 * Dodgeball Is Hell: But Moze is good enough to nearly single-handedly beat Loomer's team after Coming Back Strong.
 * Double Standard: Lampshaded when Ned loses to Moze in martial arts:

"Mr. Monroe: You can be the alternative family!"
 * Elaborate University High: They seem to have a lot of free time for middle school kids, although the short episode lengths mean that "today"'s action can easily take place within not much more than 10 minutes' worth of real time.
 * Emo Teen: "Mark Downer", who was so emo that flowers wilted in his presence.
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Coconut Head and Backpack Boy
 * Everybody Hates Mathematics: Averted. While Ned hates math, Moze and Cookie both love it.
 * The European Carry All: Ned's experimental "School Survival Cushion Protector" (an ordinary bedroom pillow). Also the "Guide to Volunteering", which is about community service as a school requirement, not actual volunteering.
 * Evil Twin: Ned planned on using this trope to explain away him kissing Moze.
 * Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Backpack Boy, Crony, Lunchlady and several other minor characters.
 * Extraverted Nerd: Cookie
 * Failure Is the Only Option: Gordy's eternal pursuit of The Weasel.
 * Finger in the Mail: Parodied. School bully, Loomer, takes the title character's Life Science baby care project doll and sends it back to them piece by piece. The horrified Cookie exclaims, "What do we do now?" to which Ned smiles and replies, "Nothing." Backfires when the day before the babies are to be inspected the teacher suddenly moves up the deadline they still don't have the head.
 * First-Name Basis
 * Free the Frogs
 * Gasshole: "Timmy Toot-Toot;" his incredible flatulence is always accompanied by a betrayingly tiny "Toot toot!" sound effect.
 * He even "passes on" the fame to Ned at one point.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: In a fake parenthood class experiment, Ned and Cookie are partnered together. Mr. Monroe even pushes two male dolls together to represent the relationship.

"Cookie: Do you think that Lisa Zemo is hot? Gordy: Ummm, I can't answer that, due to the fact that I'm 40."
 * This gets even more evident when, a year latter, Loomer, his posse and Martin Qwerly join the class and become other two "alternative couples".
 * There is also a rather interesting moment during the first episode of season 3:

"Cookie's Thoughts: mmmhhh... I'm Happy!"
 * There is Suzie's habit of wanting to share lockers with whoever her current boyfriend is, which is treated akin to moving in together as adults.
 * No mention of that Seven Minutes In Heaven scene in Valentines day? It certainly looked like the Huge Crew were having fun...
 * In Guide to Dismissal at the beginning of the episode:

"Coach Stax: "You mean, all this is over a girl flipping you? You sound like a flipping fool!""
 * In "Guide to Crushes" Ned not only pretends to be so enamored with Susie that he pours fruit juice on her shirt while they work together on decorating for the school dance, he then tries to get a bottle glue open which sprays all over her.
 * One episode that talks about how to ask someone out has Ned unintentionally get a date with Seth while he's trying to tell him that Moze wants to ask him out.
 * From "Guide to Gym":

"Moze: Guys! Don’t be jealous over me! And where are you getting the white gloves?"
 * An entire episode was spent around Ned painting a picture of an orange naked lady.
 * And yet another entire episode was focused on Ned trying not to scratch his pubes in public. We're never outright told where the "embarrassing itch" is, but the placement of Ned's hands (and the massive amounts of itch-relief powder that eventually resolves the issue) make it pretty clear.
 * In one of the first episodes, mention is made of a "Hottie List" in the girl's bathroom. We get a brief view of some of the names on the list, one of which is Greg Secsay.
 * In the last episode, Ned has a lot of...issues with his clothes. In the last maybe 15 minutes, he's pretty much running around in just a hula skirt.
 * Girlfriend in Canada: In one episode, Cookie pretends he has a girlfriend to make Lisa jealous. Unfortunately, the only person he makes jealous is Evelyn...
 * Glove Slap: Leads to a duel over Moze between Faymen (who she was currently going out with) and Seth (who had broken up with her in the previous season). Lampshaded by Moze:

"Moze: I didn’t want to put my lips on that thing. Mr. Monroe: Yeah, he was really disgusting. Gordy: I just did it for the fun of it."
 * Goggles Do Something Unusual: Cookie's glasses have something very much like a full-function Windows PC built into them. He seems to see perfectly well without them, and Ned doesn't seem to suffer any ill effects while wearing them for a full episode.
 * Gossip Evolution: " 'Moze' is a great nickname! I like 'Moze' " turns into "Ned is in love with Moze and he wants to ask her out" in "Guide to: Rumors."
 * Grand Finale, including:
 * Class Trip
 * Shirtless Scene
 * Special Edition Title
 * Trash the Set
 * Headphones Equal Isolation: In the study hall episode, one of Ned's tips is that a good way to prevent people from distracting you is to wear headphones. You don't even have to plug then into anything.
 * Held Gaze: In the episode "Guide to: Positives and Negatives", Sarah Gothman and Mark Downing have this before they kiss.
 * Happily Ever After: A running gag, usually used at the conclusion of the explanation of whatever scheme's been cooked up this time. Also, the final words of the series, as everything's tied up once and for all with more-or-less everybody being satisified with what they end up with.
 * High Hopes, Zero Talent: Cookie's attempts to get on the cheer squad.
 * Hollywood Dress Code: Gordy's jumpsuit, Loomer's leather jacket, Seth's ever-present warmups and so on...
 * Hopeless Suitor: Loomer might had have a chance with Moze but she knew better then to trust him in a relationship. It didn't stop his scheming.
 * Huge Schoolgirl: Moze. Lampshaded in an episode in which she is insecure about her height.
 * Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Every episode is "Guide To: something"
 * In a World: Parodied in "Guide To: Video Projects."
 * Insistent Terminology: Claire Sawyer, Future Lawyer.
 * Claire, we've known you since Pre-K!
 * Insufferable Genius: In addition to being bullies that are implied to be even worse than Loomer, the Killer Bee spelling team repeatedly mocks people while also showing off their spelling prowess.
 * The Jimmy Hart Version: The first chords of the tune that plays when Ned is explaining his tips to the audience sound a lot like the main riff of "I Can't Explain" by The Who.
 * Jumping the Shark: The Trope Namer was given a Shout-Out in "Guide to: Dares"
 * Laugh Track: Used in the Class Clown episode. Cookie creates himself a "Laugh Track Machine" to become the new class clown.
 * Last-Minute Hookup
 * Leitmotif: Martin Qwerly, of all characters, has one that always plays when his motor mouth gets going. Cookie has a rather odd-sounding sting that punctuates some of his more outlandish statements.
 * Limited Wardrobe: Crubbs, Seth and a few others always have the exact same outfit. Missy, despite being the Alpha Bitch, usually wears a yellow blouse if not her cheerleading outfit.
 * Les Yay: Between Moze and Suzie.
 * Love Triangle: In the first two seasons, Lisa has a crush on Cookie, who always overlooks her because she's Hollywood Homely. After her (unnecessary) makeover, their roles reverse- Cookie likes her back now that she's pretty, but after 2 years of unrequited love and a newfound Unwanted Harem, she doesn't really see him as anything more than a friend now.
 * To be entirely fair to the show, they lampshade the fact that Cookie's sudden interest in Lisa is purely superficial at several points after her makeover, especially with his insistence on calling her "new hot Lisa Zemo" or "the hot Lisa Zemo". I'm fairly certain Ned and Moze also point out he had no interest in her before her makeover and thus deserves being spurned by her now. This was even covered by an episode where Lisa had her allergies return for a while and Cookie realizes that no matter what she looks like, he still loves her.
 * Cookie FINALLY manages to get a date with Lisa in the Grande Finale however.
 * There is a portrayal of this in an early episode, where Ned stares lovingly at Suzie, Suzie stares lovingly to Loomer, and Loomer stares lovingly to Moze. She is the only one who finds the whole scene as strange as this troper did watching it.
 * Magic Countdown: On the "Dismissal" episode, there's a timer in the bottom left corner. While it never leaves the screen, the seconds slow down and go faster 10 "seconds" before the bus leaves.
 * Master of the Mixed Message: Suzie. Evident at very specific times (at other times almost a Tsundere), but not an overriding personality quirk.
 * And Moze, even despite the fact that she and Ned are the official couple.
 * Mistaken for Murderer: Cookie sees a body dressed in Faymen’s clothing fall past the window, and becomes convinced that Moze killed him because he’s a bad kisser. Eventually he starts to think that Ned, Mr. Monroe, and Gordy are in on it too. Naturally, it's just an old CPR dummy they want to get rid of.

"Moze: This is your worst idea ever. ...Wait, cheese pants was your worst idea ever. But this is close."
 * Monster Is a Mommy:
 * Motor Mouth: Martin Qwerly
 * His one-time character sister; it's also implied that his entire family are fast-talkers
 * Must Have Lots of Free Time: Gordy. He follows the kids around and doesn't do his job at all, saying that "the night guy will get it."
 * Never Trust a Trailer: In one commercial there was a scene where Moze collides with Ned and ends up on top (no this is not going into that). It was obviously trying to suggest the corridor scene would be a romantic moment for the both of them. But the episode was one of the few not involving the UST between them and the encounter was about as platonic as you could imagine... "Hey there."
 * No Name Given: Many people are only known by their nicknames: Coconut Head, Backpack Boy...
 * Noodle Implements: Subverted, along with Noodle Incident, in "Procrastination." Moze and Ned bet "the usual" over whether Ned will put off his social studies project and fail, and she gathers a ton of odd costume parts and props (clown shoes, a toilet plunger, fairy wings, etc.) throughout the episode for the bet itself. Ned passes and we get see what the bet entailed: dancing in a circle in the school's foyer, wearing all the costume parts and yodeling into the plunger while a whole crowd of students looks on.
 * Noodle Incident:

"Teacher: Please welcome... (is handed a piece of paper from Cook) ...Lord Simon Nelson-Cook, The Duke of Hazzard."
 * Not to mention the varying number of times Ned has been trapped in the girl's bathroom...
 * Not So Different: The "Guide to Stress" ends with the three protagonists' frightening realization how they're Not So Different from their Mentors: Ned and Gordy, Moze and iTeacher, and Cook and Mr. Wright. Their role models were also a little freaked out.
 * "Career Week" showed Ned why he would work best in an education-related career. Like Vice Principal Crubbs, he likes giving students advice and helping them to become better people.
 * Oral Fixation Fixation: In "Guide to: Bad Habits", Cookie goes through a cycle of chewing habits to get his mind off of being a packrat.
 * Painting the Fourth Wall: In "Guide to Girls", Ned reminds Moze after she finishes her tips to meeting girls to do one more thing: face the camera and explain to the viewers her tips while a boom box plays the theme.
 * Parental Bonus: Vice-Principal Crubbs. His name is a combination of Crockett and Tubbs from Miami Vice, he even dresses with a white jacket over a blue shirt. Originally he wanted to be a Vice Cop, but found the education system more rewarding and he still had "vice" in his title.
 * Phrase Catcher: "Claire, we've known you since Pre-K," in response to her Insistent Terminology above.
 * Playing Pictionary: In one episode, Ned tries to paint abstract art and the entire school thinks it's a naked lady. At the end of the episode, he tries again and people see it as a fire truck.
 * Queer People Are Funny: Ned and Cookie end up playing Romeo and Juliet, respectively, in the School Play and Hilarity Ensues as it's made clear that they're going to have to kiss onstage, even though the actual kiss is never shown onstage.
 * Real Men Wear Pink: Crony's sewing.
 * Refuge in Audacity: Everything that happens in the show is over-the-top and not just fueled by the Rule of Funny... It's fueled by the Rule Of Hilarious.
 * Romantic False Lead: Faymen and Suzie both play this role.
 * Rule of Funny: Quite a lot of it.
 * Sadist Teacher: Mr. Sweeney, parodied to some degree, as you do see him soften up towards the end, to the point where Ned explains that teachers like Sweeney may seem sadistic, but they ultimately judge themselves based on your performance. If you failed, then they failed as a teacher.
 * Somewhat similarly with Mr. Crubbs. Though quick to reprimand the students for breaking the rules (and even petty about it when really angry), he has his reasons. As he explained to Ned, Crubbs originally wanted to be a police officer (vice specifically), but he sensed a futility to simply punishing bad people. Wanting to be able to really help people while they could still be reached, he went into education.
 * School Newspaper Newshound: Ned, in one episode (again!)
 * Also, the often forgotten character of Scoop.
 * Script Wank: Ned will recap the lessons from the episode at the end.
 * Sdrawkcab Name: In "Survival Guide to Tests", when Ned decides that, to pass the three tests he will have on the same day, he will have to become "the opposite of Ned Bigby". Gordy then asks "Den Ybgib?", and he goes with it. When he passes, he gets a G.E.E.K. membership card with the backwards name on it.
 * Shout-Out: Several to The Fairly Odd Parents (Which is appropriate considering Daran Norris, the voice of quite a few characters on FOP, plays Gordy), many to (what else?) Star Wars in the "Guide to Dodgeball"
 * Two were made in "Guide to The New Kid". In the end, a new kid from Britain shows up with a Hogwarts Uniform and earlier than that:

"Crubs: *watches Ned run off* He's like a little mini-me! *puts his pinkie in his mouth, ala Dr. Evil.*"
 * Another episode has Ned's gross school lunch slowly moving off of the plate. It helps that both the film and the episode were directed by Savage Steve Holland.
 * Vice Principal Crubbs' whole character is a shout out to Miami Vice.
 * His character's motivation to being a vice principal is because it's the next best thing to being a "vice cop in Miami."
 * Many Star Wars examples as said before; some are a less obvious bonus ("I don't care if your locker is on the ice planet Hoth, you're still late!")
 * In the later half of Season 2, Episode 17 (Career Week), the show makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shout-out to Austin Powers.

"Crony: So that's what he sounds like! Loomer: Dude, you haven't said anything since we've known you. Rodriguez: Everything's been fine up to this point."
 * Single-Minded Twins: Nerdy oboe-playing Stacy and Tracy. Comically subverted/deconstructed in "Guide to: Shyness" in that Tracy is actually much more dependent than her sister and copies whoever she gets close to... leading to her taking on personas like "Troze," "Treth," "Trisa" and "Tred" throughout the episode.
 * Sliding Scale of Shiny Versus Gritty: Not quite as shiny as contemporary and subsequent Disney and Dan Schneider equivalents, but pretty darn close.
 * Spiritual Successor: Big Time Rush is produced by many of the same people and remains in a similar vein of comedy, particularly having no Laugh Track, Daran Norris as a janitor character, the rapid fire comedy and interweaving relationships.
 * Stock Sound Effects: and how.
 * Stuffed Into a Locker: Coconut Head, of course, in Guide to Vice Principals
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: The first season had the Alpha Bitch character as Bitsy for a few episodes. Later seasons she is nowhere to be seen and the character type was replaced by the similarly named Missy, complete with similar looking actresses.
 * That Poor Cat
 * This Is No Time for Knitting: In one episode, Ned has trouble concentrating on a project he has to complete in 3 days, and has a bet going on with Moze on whether or not he'll actually finish it. She catches him goofing off time and time again with such activites as constructing popsicle-stick ninjas, practicing origami and selling sushi from a booth. It turns out the subject he chose for the project was on Japanese culture, and (surprise, surprise), he wins the bet.
 * Theme Naming: Mr. Chopsaw the woodshop teacher, Billy Loomer the (looming) bully, Missy Meany the mean girl, Mr. Sweeney the Sadist Teacher, and iTeacher who teaches from a Mac computer.
 * There's also a The Faceless who is constantly surrounded by a swarm of admiring girls... named Doug Secksay. Could also count as a mild form of Getting Crap Past the Radar.
 * Three Amigos
 * Three Shorts: Two shorts, actually.
 * Token Minority Couple: Cookie's love interests were black, Hispanic and Asian.
 * Toyota Tripwire: Locker-door version.
 * Transfer Student Uniforms: Averted (a neat trick since the school doesn't have a uniform.) A girl from a rival school joins the volleyball team to sabotage it; she wears Polk team warm-ups throughout the episode.
 * Troperiffic: Playing with many School Tropes makes it interesting.
 * Two-Teacher School: Magnificently averted. There are almost as many teacher regulars as there are student regulars. And they all teach a particular class subject.
 * Uncanny Valley Girl: In "Guide to: Dares," Moze is being dared to wear a flowery dress for a day and meets three girls named May, June and Julie that look like Stepford Smilers, and she suspects they're actually robots. Subverted in that everything's a Contrived Coincidence — the three just don't like to swim, Julie is interested in electronics, June just has a facial tic and May happens to have a prosthetic arm.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: Ned is very slow to realize Moze fits the profile of his perfect girl despite the fact he's "known her forever."
 * Unwanted Harem: "The Huge Crew"
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension: Ned and Moze. About as blatant you can get on a Nickelodeon show. (of course they're middle schoolers so it wouldn't be sexual, but you get the idea).
 * Victorious Childhood Friend: Ned and Moze
 * The Voiceless: One of Loomer's sidekicks—except for one instance. Lampshaded when, in aforementioned instance, Moze said something along the lines of "You talk!?" when the sidekick spoke.

"Gordy: Because, this is more fun."
 * Voice with an Internet Connection: literally iTeacher
 * Weasel Mascot: Gordy's arch enemy—think Tom and Jerry.
 * Webcomic Time: Sort of; the show was retooled after the first nine episodes; after that (and a year-long hiatus), the "new" first and second seasons each covered one semester, while the third season covered all of eighth grade and first aired roughly concurrently with the 2006-07 school year.
 * Where's the Fun In That?: A variant of this became a Running Gag whenever Gordy does his Zany Scheme and someone (usually Ned) asked him the reason for it while Stating the Simple Solution:


 * A Worldwide Punomenon: Some of the B-stories (especially a number of Cookie's in Season 3) fall under this. For example, "Positives and Negatives" had Cookie trying to get back at Loomer after a static charge attack, and "Extra Credit" had him lampshade the pun when he showed Ned and Moze the credit card his dad lent him for the episode.
 * Yandere: Evelyn