T. J. Detweiler (Characters)

T.J. is short and chubby (this is more pronounced in the show's earlier episodes). He has light brown hair, wide eyes, and freckles on his cheeks. He usually wears a red baseball hat facing backwards, a white t-shirt, a green jacket, baggy jeans, and sneakers.
T.J. with a kickball in the Recess Opening Theme.
In the original version of The Break In, which was the series' pilot, he was tall and skinny with messy reddish-brown hair, wide green eyes, freckles on his cheeks, and larger ears. His outfit consisted of a white, green, and red T-shirt with "T.J." written on the side, jeans, and sneakers.

 

Personality

T.J. is the leader of the main six kids in the show, and has been best friends with them since kindergarten (except Gus, who moved to town in the first episode, however he has also been shown in kindergarten with the rest of the kids). He is outgoing, kindhearted, and friendly, and takes having fun very seriously. He is also very dumb, one time he got a 10% on a test. While he is somewhat ditzy, ignorant, and lazy, he's a genius when it comes to pulling schemes on the playground.
Despite being more heavy-set than the other five members of the gang (except for Mikey of couse), he is capable of pulling a few stunts, such as escaping detention by climbing either out the window or from the roof of the school a few times. In second grade, he invented the word "whomps", which is what the kids of the playground use instead of "stinks" or "sucks" to describe an unpleasant situation or person. Aside from "whomp", he also uses the word "frooping" a number of times (to replace the 'f' word), though it's unknown whether he created the word or not. He also commonly uses the the word "tender" when he feels good about himself. T.J. often roots for the underdog and cares about every kid on the playground, including his enemies. Thus causing most of the school to like him, with the exception of Gordy, as seen in the episode, "Nobody Doesn't Like TJ". He is hardly ever seen without his red baseball hat.
His best friend, Ashley Spinelli, has a crush on him, as revealed in the episode "Parents Night". In the episode "The Experiment", they kiss each other to experiment on the effects kissing has on the opposite genders, with them seeming to not enjoy it. However, when they are left by themselves afterwards, they both seem to act a little shy about it, hinting that T.J. has a crush on her as well. He is often seen wrapping his arm around her shoulders for no apparent reason, which also hints this. T.J is also kind of stupid as he went from being a C+ student to an F he even once got a 10.1% on a test.

Relationships

 FamilyT.J.'s Parents His parents are very loving and supportive. They don't always appreciate the full extent of T.J's high spirits, but they love him just the same.
Becky Detweiler T.J.'s relationship with his sister Becky is on much shakier ground, but underneath all her objections she does love him too, even coming to his rescue in Recess: School's Out.
Friends Mikey Blumberg T.J. is good friends with Mikey. In "The Break-Up", T.J. says he "appreciates his insane (innate) spiritual gifts". However he is sometimes embarassed by Mikey's behavior. In "Tucked In Mikey", after Mikey read a poem inspired by Menlo, T.J. claimed "for once, it didn't embarass me". He also was a little embarassed at Mikey's comment that the 5th and 6th grader's club was a "rainbow hug of togetherness". But, T.J. respects Mikey despite his behavior, as seen in the end of "Rumor Mill".
Gretchen Grundler T.J. surprisingly doesn't say much about Gretchen. She has, apparently, tutored him in Grammar. The two don't always see eye-to-eye on things. T.J. supported her in her math club with Hank "A Genius Among Us", but soon stopped going since it put the gang to sleep. In "Outcast Ashley", Gretchen didn't consider T.J. a friend for a while since he didn't share her interest in science and astronomy, or helped make her pinhole projector. At the end, they apologize for taking each other for granted. T.J. respects her for being the smartest kid in school, and Gretchen says T.J. is a good friend.
Vince LaSalle Many have speculated Vince and T.J. to be best friends. In "The Barnaby Boys", Vince and T.J. act as characters from their favorite book. They are seen doing a lot of things together back in second grade, such as being in the same Boy Scout troop or making up the word "Whomps". However, in "The Break-up", T.J. can't bring himself to say Vince is his best friend. Vince is also occasionally ambivalent to T.J.'s plans, especially in the beginning of the show. It is thought T.J. shares the most interests with Vince, but he is an equal friend in T.J.'s sight.
Kiss T.J. and Spinelli conduct The Experiment. Ashley Spinelli Main Article: T.J. and Spinelli's relationship Throughout the course of the series, T.J. has been shown to have a crush on Spinelli, and vice versa. Many episodes have moments where he wraps his arms around her shoulders for usually no reason at all, showing his affection. In More Like Gretchen, he even tells Spinelli, "My heart goes out to you", which semi-confirms his affections. On many occasions, Spinelli has returned these affections.
Gus Griswald T.J. is a sort of older brother figure to Gus. He is usually the first to stand up for Gus against bullies or teachers. He also gives him advice in "Gus and Misdemeanors". Gus, on the other hand, usually follows whatever T.J. says, and is used to taking orders from him. T.J. has said Gus inspires him in "The Break-up".