Disney’s Long-Lost Animated Series Is Back After Years in the Vault
Streaming cracked open the vault, and Disney+ packed it with animated icons like Gargoyles, DuckTales, and X-Men: The Animated Series—but some beloved classics are still missing, and the gaps are getting harder to ignore.
File this under: finally. After years of weird limbo and one very public promise that went nowhere, Disney is dusting off The Weekenders and actually putting it on Disney+.
Whats coming and when
The first two seasons of The Weekenders hit Disney+ on May 25. Not a full series drop, but it is movement on a show fans have been asking about since the platform launched.
A quick refresher on the show
The Weekenders debuted in 2000 on ABC and ran for four seasons, 39 episodes total. It is a slice-of-life comedy about four friends — Tino, Lor, Carver, and Tish — navigating the hyper-specific dramas of weekends. If you grew up with it, you remember the vibe. If you did not, think brisk, character-driven hangouts with a surprising amount of personality for a Saturday morning lineup.
Why this took forever
Back in 2019, Disney+ told fans the show was on the way. And then... silence. The post even name-checked the first two years and the full 39-episode count in one breath, which did not exactly line up cleanly with how the show was structured. Either way, nothing showed up. Here is what Disney+ said at the time:
"Amazing news!!! The Weekenders yr 1 and yr 2 (episodes 1-39) are scheduled to be added shortly. At the moment we don't have an exact date, but please stay posted as we continue to expand. As Fairy Godmother always says, 'Even miracles take a little time.'"
Cut to earlier this year: voice actors Jason Marsden, Phil LaMarr, and Grey DeLisle reunited at the Huntsville Comic & Pop Culture Expo and even joked about the show still not being on Disney+. So yes, fans have had receipts on this one for a while.
The road here, condensed
- 2000: The Weekenders premieres on ABC, eventually running four seasons for 39 episodes.
- Early 2000s: It hops networks — from ABC to UPN to the now-defunct Toon Disney — because kids TV scheduling loved chaos back then.
- 2019: Disney+ publicly says The Weekenders is coming "shortly." It does not arrive.
- Earlier this year: Cast reunion in Huntsville calls out the missing streaming presence.
- May 25: Seasons 1 and 2 finally land on Disney+.
Part of a bigger throwback push
Disney is packaging this under a 'Disney+ Throwbacks' banner. Alongside The Weekenders, the lineup includes The Brave Little Toaster, plus new entries tied to old favorites like Camp Rock 3 and a new season of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. So this is not a one-off nostalgia drop — it is a theme.
Bottom line: we are getting the first half of a cult-favorite series that should have been on Disney+ from day one. It is not the entire run yet, but it is a strong sign Disney finally remembered one of its better weekend shows. Now, about seasons 3 and 4...