Firstly, I just want to set the record straight that this is NOT a "ripoff" of Disney's Recess. For the past two decades, it's been the main thing Detention has been known for, but really, apart from being two 90s cartoons with a mean teacher and a rebellious group of kids as the protagonists, they're nothing alike. The characters are completely different, Detention's characters are more one-dimensional, and Detention's episodes don't rely on the school as much as Recess does.
That being said, I'm not necessarily trying to defend Detention. The series revolves around a group of seventh graders who struggle to keep their rebellious acts in check, and whenever they let loose, they end up in detention, which is supervised by the former military sergeant, Miss Kisskillya. These children are Shareena Wickett, the sarcastic goth; Jim Kim, the comic book addict; Emmitt Roswell, the superstitious. Theory obsessed with outer space; Gug Gugliamo, the short-tempered Hispanic with a knack for fighting; Duncan Bubble, the silent kid who communicates with a yo-yo; Shelley Kelly, the goody two-shoes who is Kisskillya's assistant; and Lemonjella & Orangejella, the genius identical twins.
So how come I gave it a rating of 6 stars? Firstly, there was a reason I said Detention's characters are more one-dimensional than Recess', and that would be how you can't define almost any of them beyond stereotypes. All of Jim Kim's lines have something to do with comic book superheroes. A majority of Emmitt's lines have something to do with aliens and conspiracy theories. Shelley's entire character is blindly worshipping Kisskillya and wanting to be part of the group. Gug is just a short-tempered brute with an ego and a Napoleon complex.
This show was really not built to run for 22 minutes per episode. You may come across repetitive gags that do nothing more than try to fill up the runtime, such as Shareena's water balloon constantly crying throughout "Boyz n the Parenthood", or Shareena and Kelly hiding from Kisskillya while skipping school in "Too Good to Be Truant".
With that being said though, you actually can't blame the writers. In a 2014 interview, Bob Doucette stated Warner Bros. Was very difficult to work with, as they had bad blood with most of Detention's staff team. He fought to keep them from getting fired, but alas, nobody could agree on what Detention would be about.
On that note, when Detention cracks a joke that isn't just something like "Haha Jim Kim is obsessed with comics" or "Haha Emmitt believes in aliens", they can land. Shareena has a very deadpan, sarcastic nature that balances her out within the group, and Kisskillya's over-the-top, sergeant behavior is funny as well.
It's a shame Detention only lasted one season. More seasons would've been a benefit, because considering what happened behind the scenes, the show could've proved itself to be a unique addition to the Kids' WB catalog. Considering how animation studios have been tossing out revivals in recent times and how Bob Doucette said he'd love to revisit the characters, perhaps we could see something new one day.
