The Weekenders



"Lor It's the crazy backwards universe again-

Tino: Where cats chase dogs and sitcoms are funny?"

An animated series, aired in 2000, created by Doug Langdale, and ran for four seasons. It followed the lives of four friends: Deadpan Snarker Tino Tonitini, The Smart Girl Pteratishkovna "Tish" Katsufrakis, Tomboy Lor MacQuarrie, and not so cool Cool Loser Carver Descartes. Oddly enough despite having four school-age children in the main roles, the show hardly (if ever) touches on aspects of school life, since stories nearly always begin on Friday afternoon and end on Sunday evening.

Staying away from broad and cartoonish plots; the show is one of the subtler among animated comedies, with much of the humor deriving from its many one-liners (and Tino's screams, of course).

Noted for its surprisingly good writing, averting the Limited Wardrobe (unusual for an animated show) and for often breaking the fourth wall, with the audience being addressed directly by (usually) Tino, serving as a narrator of sorts; other characters have also taken this role, or even Lampshaded it on occasion. Also had quite a set of Once an Episode recurring gags, such as the seemingly indecisive pizza place (never having the same name or theme twice), Tino's Mom serving highly questionable food, and of course "Later Days!" One other reason this show stands out is the aversion of the Adults Are Useless trope - showing that adults can be useful and still have a good show.

This show provides examples of:
"Lor: (blandly, reading) "After all these years I finally feel truely alive."
 * Adorkable: Tino
 * Adults Are Useless: Averted for the most part. Tino's mom's advice is frequently what helps the kids get over the problem of the episode and the other parents, while not perfect, are usually shown being pretty reasonable and receptive to their kids.
 * Aesop Amnesia: More than one episode has Lor learning that she doesn't have to change herself to get the attention of her crush, Thompson. She never seems to fully pick it up despite going through the same plot two or three times.
 * Alliterative Name: Tino Tonatini.
 * As well as his near-clone, Tony Tordellaro.
 * Amicably Divorced: Tino's parents. While Tino's dad doesn't visit very often, his relationship with his mom still seems to be friendly enough that they can have a friendly dinner now and then with her new boyfriend.
 * Bad Bad Acting / Dull Surprise: Lor whenever she tries to act or lie.
 * Take this scene from "Radio Drama" for example:

Tish: Umm... that was great Lor, but do you think you could try reading it with some, you know, emotion?

Lor: OH, SURE, RIGHT, YEAH, I GOT IT, OKAY! (blandly, reading) "After all these years I finally feel truly alive."

Tish: Greeeeeaaaat. One more time.

Roughly four hours pass

Lor: (blandly, reading) "After all these years I finally feel truely alive."

Tish: Okay, we'll come back to this scene... maybe."

"Bluke: I think we won the best prize...I mean with a pizza, you can split it five ways, but how are you going to split a pool table?"
 * Bare Your Midriff: Lor has one outfit that follows this trope.
 * The B Grade: subverted in "Imperfection"
 * inverted in "Brain Dead". This trope usually entails the "nerd" overreacting to a low score, while his/her friends wonder what's so bad. In "Brain Dead", Tish tries to brush off her "B" grade, but her friends are hesitant to accept the fact that she didn't get an "A". This leads the group attempting to give Tish a new reputation, since she could no longer be the "nerd".
 * Big Eater: Carver. Tish's mother, when she hangs out with them she wins a chili dog eating contest.
 * Black Best Friend: Carver
 * Blonde Brunette Redhead: The group as a whole is a mixed example: Lor, Tish, Tino, and Carver.
 * The Cameo: Jennifer Love Hewitt in "My Punky Valentine."
 * Catch Phrase: "Later days!"
 * Also, Tish's Mother frequently exclaims "Is what I say!" after her English is corrected.
 * Parodied with DJ Jan "The Man" Testeverde's super-annoying catchphrase "Hey, yowza, dudes!", that he ends almost every sentence with. Carver was actually amazed when Jan went a whole minute without saying it.
 * Channel Hop: The show started out on ABC. Then One Saturday Morning went defunct and the remaining episodes aired on Toon Disney in 2003.
 * Continuity Nod: There are quite a few mentions of Chum Bukkit song "suffused elephant quaff winces exasperating" throughout the series. The name came from an early Season One episode when Carver tried to write a message to the band and, because of his bad handwriting, that's what they thought it said.
 * Crack Defeat: "Talent Show" again: Lor plays guitar. Bluke throws hams into the air. Bluke wins the ribbon. Go figure.
 * Creepy Child: Never put Carver's brother Todd and his friend Quinty together.
 * Also Francis, the girl who's always saying that she likes pointy things and giggling.
 * The Celebrity Lie: "Band"
 * Darkskinned Blonde: Tino
 * Deadpan Snarker When Tino isn't being a total coward, he definitely falls under this, as mentioned above. He even wins "Most Sarcastic" in the Yearbook Awards.
 * Of course, he gets it from his mother. Leading to at least one incredibly snarky catty dinner scene between them per episode.
 * Actually, all the main characters have shades of this. The Tonitinis definitely win first prize, but Lor isn't far behind. And Carver has his moments.
 * Let's not forget the perpetually deadpan woman who runs the Foods of the Worlds exhibit.
 * Department of Redundancy Department: The charity organization, Helpers Helping the Helpless.
 * Different in Every Episode: The pizza restaurant has a different theme and the museum offers a sample of a different exotic food in each episode.
 * The Ditz: Lor...kind of. In one episode she takes it to the extreme when shes acting like a teen in a TV show when the gang are being filmed by a documentarist. It Makes Sense in Context.
 * Bluke isn't the brightest bulb in the knife drawer either.
 * "The Tao of Bluke" reveals that he's really just simple, rather than stupid as revealed at the episode's end when they won pizzas instead of the pool table.

"Tino: "How do you know something's up?"
 * Drowning My Sorrows/G Rated Drug: In the "Celebrity" episode in which Tish becomes a Local Celebrity, she can be seen drowning her sorrows in Chug-A-Freezes when she realizes she's not famous anymore. She even asks for another, but the man at the counter tells her he thinks she's had enough.
 * Dysfunctional Family: Lor's family doesn't have many personal problems or anything like that. But Lor has so many brothers that it reaches the double digits, and quite frankly she admits that she does not know how many brothers she has. That has to count for something. She has somewhere between thirteen and sixteen.
 * Feud Episode: "Taking Sides"
 * Free Range Children: They're allowed to go everywhere in Bahia Bay on the weekends it seems. They never run into any issues where their parents specifically forbid them from going somewhere. It's possible that since they're in middle school and they rarely travel alone that their parents will think they're okay.
 * Flowers for Algernon Syndrome: "Sense and Sensitivity"
 * Five Token Band: Black Carver, Scottish-American Lor, Eastern European Jewish Tish, and Italian-American Tino (whose family is apparently also pagan)
 * Flat Joy: One of the problems with Lor's Bad Bad Acting. Tish fixes it later by having Tino say shes still under the zombie curse.
 * Funny Foreigner: Tish's mother, whose main purpose was to mangle "kiss and make up" into "kitchen my cup".
 * Genre Savvy: Tino's mom.

Tino's Mom: "Oh, it just seems like you always have some kind of problem by Saturday night.""

""It's like a cloning experiment Gone Horribly Right.""
 * Get Out: Tino combines this with Laughing Mad in "Croquembouche." When the others vote for Carver to be their spokesperson in the Foods of the World competition, Tino gets extremely jealous, and when Carver asks him if he's angry, Tino throws them all out of the house in between bouts of hysterical laughter.
 * The Ghost: The frequent mentions of Chloe Montez, who we never do get to meet.
 * Gone Horribly Right: Quite possibly the Trope Namer despite not applying in any sense except Ms. Tonitini's sarcastic remark.
 * Greek Chorus: Tino. He actually pauses the show at several points to provide commentary.
 * Hide and No Seek: In one episode, Tino's divorced parents need to discuss him. Tino obligingly goes upstairs. "I'll just go organize my collection of Things That Aren't My Parents Having A Private Conversation."
 * How We Got Here: "The Most Awful Weekend"
 * Hyperventilation Bag: Carver does this once.
 * Unsurprisingly, so does Tino. According to Lor, he does it for at least 20 minutes.
 * I Ate What: Occasionally one of the characters will eat something from the Foods of the World exhibit at the museum before it's revealed that it was made from something gross or unusual. Also, when Carver ate that 40 year old pickle which was in Lor's savings in "Lor's Will", which became a Running Gag for that episode.
 * Not to mention Tino's mom's exotic dinners, which is another Running Gag for the series.
 * Informed Judaism: Tino is an Informed Pagan; aside from a Solstice celebration in lieu of Christmas, we don't hear anything about it.
 * Although it is mentioned in two separate episodes; his mother celebrates both Solstices. And the Vernal Equinox.
 * Tish is a straightforward example. In the Holiday special, it's mentioned that she celebrates Hanukkah, but there are no other indications throughout the series of her family's religion.
 * In With the In Crowd: "The Lone Wolves Club"
 * Inept Aptitude Test: "Careers"
 * Ironic Inversion: "Talent Show". Lor is a finalist, while Tish is conspicuously absent.
 * I Need to Go Iron My Dog: In "Lor's Will", Tish uses the excuse "I have to go paint... my... lawn," after thinking Lor 'betrayed' her.
 * "Look... up in the sky! It's the Lor signal! The President needs me!"
 * "And she'll need her trusty sidekick, Carver Lad!"
 * Keep Circulating the Tapes: It was a popular subtle animated show on Disney that didn't involve singing, so of course it has no DVDs to speak of and is completely forgotten by their company.
 * It has no VHS's either. It aired on television, randomly, up until 2008 or 2009 too.
 * Knife Nut: Frances likes pointy things.
 * The Ladette: Lor is about as close to this trope as a 12 year old girl can get on a kid's show.
 * Left Hanging: "Croquembouche": so, who won the food contest anyway?
 * Lethal Chef: Tino's mom, though where she gets the ingredients and how she prepares them are extremely questionable, the result is at least edible, most of the time. This overlaps with the I Ate What Running Gag, also.
 * Like Father Like Son: Tino's dad shares his son's looks and neurotic obsessions. And his Girly Scream. As Tino's mother observes:

"Mr. Katsufrakis: One time, mishkin tubelhauser goes just little bit wrong. Is reason we had to leave Old Country."
 * Limited Wardrobe: Amazingly, this is averted. Notable for a Western Animation cartoon. Throughout an episode, their clothes change after each day begins, similar to Real Life. They avoid Unlimited Wardrobe, because they each have the same four or five outfits that they continue to wear throughout the show's run.
 * Despite having a full wardrobe of different clothes for each character, each had their own color scheme. Tish usually wore purple, Carver wore yellow, Lor usually wore grey, and Tino wore blue. Truth in Television, as lots of people have a favorite color that they genuinely wear a lot.
 * Local Hangout: The pizza place with the ever-changing name.
 * Malaproper: Tish's mom. "Now why don' you kitchen my cup?" "You mean 'kiss and make up'?" "Is what I say!"
 * The Makeover: Tish in the episode where she become a local celebrity.
 * Massive Numbered Siblings: Lor has something like fourteen brothers. Even she can't track of them, in part because her parents apparently repeated some of their names two or three times.
 * Meaningful Name: When Tish is having an identity crisis after getting a B, she goes to get help from her parents, who reveal that every person in The Old Country receives a Meaningful Name at birth. They re-name her to Petratishkova so she wouldn't be saddled with an identity due to her name.
 * It turns out her name means "girl with one nose."
 * Meganekko: Tish.
 * Men Don't Cry: Tino is mocked in one episode for crying while watching Romeo and Juliet in school. Taken to ludicrous extremes when he has an Imagine Spot of himself as a girl.
 * Miniature Senior Citizens: Lor's grandma. Mr. Mc Quarrie can carry her around on his shoulders.
 * Museum of Boredom: The aforementioned "Foods of the World" exhibit.
 * No Fourth Wall: One of the four main characters, usually Tino, will regularly pause the action to explain or comment on events to the audience.
 * No Really Its Okay: "Tish's Hair"
 * Noodle Incident: There is a pool trick Ms. Katsufrakis does called mishkin tubelhauser that involves: "six cats, one pair flame-proof pants and a piano filled with sausages."

"Tino: "You knocked a lamp over and set fire to the stage."
 * Overly Narrow Superlative: In one episode, one of the yearbook superlatives is "Best Tino." The main character didn't even win it.
 * Pac Man Fever: Averted. In the episode "Shoes of Destiny" Lor and Tino are playing a game involving space robots fighting. The sounds match up to the movements, and when Carver shows up, the Konami pause sound even plays as the screen goes blank!
 * Not to mention, anyone with a keen ear can recognize the sound effects - plenty of which actually come from Super Mario Bos.
 * Parental Bonus: As with almost every cartoon, references most kid won't get show up in the dialogue. For example, in one episode when Tish was babysitting Carver's brother, Todd, she tries to read Oedipus Rex to him (she even described it as a story for kids of all ages).
 * Parent With New Paramour: Tino's Mom dates Dixon, who often gets along with the gang. And in a rare instance for cartoons, not only did he appear in future episodes instead of just being a oneshot character, they also didn't immediately jump to the two of them going straight to marriage.
 * Perfume Commercial
 * Person As Verb: "To Tish"
 * Put Me in Coach: Many episodes, but often subverted.
 * Running Gag: Many, including the aforementioned pizza place, Carver's terrible penmanship, Tish's mom's broken English, Tino's Moms cooking, and Lor's sibling amount, among others.
 * Also, the exotic food exhibit at the Anthropology Museum. They usually are completely irrelevant to the plot.
 * With the completely apathetic server. "Couscous - the food so nice, they named it twice."
 * Ruritania: Tish's family may be from here.
 * Show Within a Show: Teen Canyon
 * Self Deprecating Humor: Every now and then characters lampshade how their character designs are fairly odd looking. With Tino's head being compared to a pumpkin, and Carver pointing out he resembles a pineapple.
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Tish, to the extent that in the episode "To Tish", her name literally becomes synonymous with this trope.
 * Shout Out: Somewhat randomly, many to famous French writers & thinkers. Obviously, one of the main characters is named Carver 'Rene' Descartes; more subtle are the girl named Cheri Montaigne, and the discussion of François Rabelais in the episode where Tish tries to be more mature (which is even thematically relevant!).
 * Show Stopper: Parodied.

Carver: "Which stopped the show!""

"Lor: "Question 1, are you happy with your appearance?"
 * Snap Back: "To Tish": So... why is no one mentioning the titular verb again?
 * Sniff Sniff Nom: Every time Tino's mom ever cooks anything.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Lor is interviewing the "Strings N Things" store owner

Owner: "I never had plastic surgery!"

Lor: "Question 2, do you enjoy travel?"

Owner: "I do not travel! Who told you I visited former Soviet Unions?"

Lor: "Question 3, what would you do if you had a million dollars?"

Owner: "I have never been paid for espionage! You can prove nothing! Go away! We are closed!""

"Ms. Tonitini: Hi, hon, Dixon and I are heading out to the movies and there's a seaweed casserole in the oven.
 * Take Five: "Tino's Dad": Tino's mom wished to speak with her ex and tells Tino to do "that thing upstairs." Tino's reply? "Subtle as a train wreck, mom."
 * Team Mom: Tino's mother whose advice is pretty much there to solve their problems every episode. Tish's mom also hangs out with the kids in one episode.
 * Team Spirit: Parodied in "Sitters"
 * Teen Genius: Tish.
 * Theme Tune Cameo: In one episode, Tish's dad plays an instrumental version of the theme on his cello. In another, Carver can be heard singing "I'm living for the weekend" under his breath.
 * The Tape Knew You Would Say That: In "Follow the Leader," Tino checks an answering machine. His Mom left him this message:

Tino: Drat, I wanted to ask her about --

Ms. Tonitini: -- Oh, by the way, don't worry. The power will go to Lor's head and the guys will realize that it's better to think for yourself. {Tino starts picking his ear} Please get you finger out of your ear.

Tino: She is freaking me out.

Ms. Tonitini: Don't get freaked out. Kiss kiss."

"Documentary Narrator: Tish's parents, a university professor and a roller derby star, emigrated to the US from a country which our research staff was unable to determine how to pronounce. Or even locate on a map."
 * The Un Reveal: The Katsufrakis family's "Old Country" in "Celebrity".


 * Tomboy: Lor, obviously.
 * Verbal Tic: Tony Tordellaro only says "sure".
 * Vindicated By History: A rare in-universe example of this trope. The characters visit an amusement park named for Nikola Tesla, who is explicitly described as a pioneer of alternating current and the inventor of radio (his rival to the claim, Marconi, is explicitly dismissed). This was one of the earliest pop culture references to Tesla, and the beginning of his Vindication, which continues to the present day.
 * Visit By Divorced Dad: Series finale "Tino's Dad".
 * We Want Our Jerk Back: "Sense and Sensitivity"
 * Why Did It Have To Be Clowns? (Tino has a severe fear of clowns.)
 * Why Do You Keep Changing Themes?: They occasionally acknowledge that the pizza place had a different theme the previous week.
 * Wrench Wench: Tino's mom would sometimes be shown working on her car.
 * X Meets Y: Saved By the Bell meets Recess.
 * more like Saved By the Bell meets All Grown Up it's more akin to a young tween comedy than it is an out right kids show. Helps that they are actually in middle school.
 * Vocal Evolution: Lor's voice is higher in season 4.