Dilbert (TV series)

Last updated

Dilbert
Dilbert TV series title.jpeg
Title card
Based on Dilbert
by Scott Adams
Developed by
Voices of
Theme music composer Danny Elfman
(arranged by Steve Bartek)
Opening theme"The Dilbert Zone"
Composers
  • Adam Cohen
  • Ian Dye
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes30
Production
Executive producers
  • Scott Adams
  • Larry Charles
Producers
EditorMark Scheib
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network UPN
ReleaseJanuary 25, 1999 (1999-01-25) 
July 25, 2000 (2000-07-25)

Dilbert is an American adult animated sitcom produced by Adelaide Productions, Idbox and United Media, and distributed by Columbia TriStar Television. The series is an adaptation of the comic strip of the same name by Scott Adams, who also served as executive producer and showrunner for the series along with former Seinfeld writer Larry Charles. The first episode was broadcast on January 25, 1999, and was UPN's highest-rated comedy series premiere at that point in the network's history; it lasted two seasons with thirty episodes and won a Primetime Emmy Award for its title sequence. [1]

Contents

Synopsis

The series follows the adventures of a middle-aged white-collar office worker, named Dilbert, who is extremely intelligent in regards to all things that fall within the boundaries of electrical engineering. [2] Despite his intelligence he is unable to question certain processes that he believes to be inefficient, due to his lack of power within the organization. Thus, he is consistently found to be unsatisfied with the decisions that are made in his workplace, because he has many suggestions to improve the decision, yet is incapable of expressing them. Consequently, he is often found to show a pessimistic and frustrated attitude, which ultimately lands him in various comedic situations that revolve around concepts like leadership, teamwork, communication, and corporate culture.

History

The first season centers on the creation of a new product, the "Gruntmaster 6000". The first three episodes involve the idea process ("The Name", "The Prototype", and "The Competition" respectively); the fourth ("Testing") involves having it survive a malevolent company tester named "Bob Bastard", and the fifth ("Elbonian Trip") is about production in the famine-stricken fourth-world country of Elbonia. The prototype is delivered to an incredibly stupid family in Squiddler's Patch, Texas, during the thirteenth and final episode of the season, "Infomercial", even though it was not tested in a lab beforehand. The family's misuse of the prototype creates a black hole that sucks Dilbert in; he instantly wakes up in the meeting seen at the start of the episode, then locks his design lab to keep the prototype from being shipped out. [3]

The second season features seventeen episodes, bringing the total number of episodes to thirty. Unlike the first season, the episodes are not part of a larger story arc and have a different storyline for each of the episodes (with the exception of episodes 29 and 30, "Pregnancy" and "The Delivery"). Elbonia is revisited once more in "Hunger"; Dogbert still manages to scam people in "Art"; Dilbert is accused of mass murder in "The Trial"; and Wally gets his own disciples (the result of a complicated misunderstanding, the company launching a rocket for NASA, and a brainwashing seminar) in episode 16, "The Shroud of Wally". [4]

The theme music, "The Dilbert Zone", was written by Danny Elfman. It is an abbreviated instrumental rewrite of the theme from the film Forbidden Zone , originally performed by Elfman's band, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo.

Conception

Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, decided to create the series for UPN because the network promised 13 episodes on air, while other networks would only consider the series against other programming options. Adams added to that "If we had gone with NBC, they would have given Dilbert a love interest with sexual tension." UPN was the sixth-ranked network at the time and picked up the show in hopes of broadening their appeal and to prove they were committed to riskier alternative shows. Adams stated about turning Dilbert into a series "It's a very freeing experience because doing the comic strip limits me to three (picture) panels with four lines or less of dialogue per issue, in the TV series, I have 21 minutes per episode to be funny. I can follow a theme from beginning to end, which will add lots of richness to the characters." Adams wanted the series to be animated because the live action version shot previously for FOX didn't translate well. Adams added to that "If Dilbert's going to be at the top of the Alps, you just draw it that way and you don't have to build an Alps scene. You can also violate some laws of physics, and cause and effect. People forgive it very easily. So it's much more freeing creatively." [5] [6] [7] [8]

Cancellation

On November 22, 2006, when Adams was asked why the show was canceled, he explained:

It was on UPN, a network that few people watch. And because of some management screw-ups between the first and second seasons the time slot kept changing and we lost our viewers. We were also scheduled to follow the worst TV show ever made: Shasta McNasty . On TV, your viewership is 75% determined by how many people watched the show before yours. That killed us. [9]

On June 28, 2020, Adams claimed on Twitter that the show was cancelled because he was white and UPN had decided to focus on an African-American audience, and that he had been discriminated against. [10]

Cast

Main

Griffin was starring in the NBC series Suddenly Susan during the time that Dilbert was in production. Under the terms of her contract with NBC, she could not receive on-screen credit for any roles in series that aired on other networks. [12]

Guest stars

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 13January 25, 1999 (1999-01-25)May 24, 1999 (1999-05-24)
2 17November 2, 1999 (1999-11-02)July 25, 2000 (2000-07-25)

Season 1 (1999)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
11"The Name"Seth Kearsley Larry Charles & Scott Adams January 25, 1999 (1999-01-25)101
Dilbert (Daniel Stern) is tasked with naming a product that hasn't even been designed yet, and the stress (brought on by a recurring nightmare) makes Dilbert think he's turning into a chicken.
22"The Prototype"Alfred Gimeno Jeff Kahn February 1, 1999 (1999-02-01)102
Dilbert and Alice (Kathy Griffin) must work together to stop a rival team led by the legendary "Lena" (Tress MacNeille) from stealing their ideas and presenting them to the Boss as her own.
33"The Competition"Seth Kearsley Ned Goldreyer February 8, 1999 (1999-02-08)103
Dilbert is fired from his job when he is suspected of being a spy for a rival company (which was a rumor cooked up by Dogbert's online newsletter) and gets hired at a company that actually treats their workers like people.
44"Testing"Chris DozoisDavid Silverman & Stephen SustarsicFebruary 22, 1999 (1999-02-22)104
The Gruntmaster 6000 prototype is put to the test by evil-masked test engineer Bob Bastard (Tom Kenny). Meanwhile, Dogbert (Chris Elliott) goes into space.
55"Elbonian Trip"Mike KimDavid Silverman & Stephen SustarsicMarch 1, 1999 (1999-03-01)105
Dilbert, Alice, Wally (Gordon Hunt), Dogbert, and the Pointy-Haired Boss (Larry Miller) take a business trip to Elbonia. Alice and Dilbert attempt to free the Elbonian people (Alice adopts an Elbonian baby while Dilbert introduces the workers to human rights) while Wally becomes a prophet, and Dogbert becomes a diplomat to Elbonia.
66"The Takeover"Andi KleinLarry Charles & Scott Adams and Ned GoldreyerFebruary 15, 1999 (1999-02-15)106
Dilbert and Wally become majority shareholders of their company after Dogbert manipulates the stock market.
77"Little People"Barry VodosDavid Silverman & Stephen Sustarsic
and Scott Adams & Larry Charles
April 5, 1999 (1999-04-05)107
Dilbert discovers that the office is inhabited by a race of former employees who have been "downsized" (literally shrunken down to size after they've been laid off) after finding all of his belongings used, the dry-erase markers disappearing, and X-rated websites on his computer.
88"Tower of Babel"Gloria JenkinsDavid Silverman & Stephen SustarsicMarch 22, 1999 (1999-03-22)108
The repetitive passing-on of the same cold strain in Dilbert's office causes it to mutate and turns the coworkers into monsters. Rather than eliminate the virus, the company decides to start fresh by moving everyone to a new office, which Dilbert is tasked with designing in exchange for a new office.
99"Y2K"Jennifer Graves, Bob Hathcock, and Andi TomAndrew Borakove, Rachel Powell,
and Scott Adams & Larry Charles
May 3, 1999 (1999-05-03)109
On the eve of the new millennium, everyone—except Dilbert—is making New Year's plans. While assuring everyone that the company is prepared for Y2K, Dilbert discovers that the computer mainframe's main processor isn't Y2K-compatible and all the company's systems will crash if it isn't fixed. Dilbert is rewarded for discovering this by being assigned to fix it, and he discovers that the system's original programmer was Wally. But have years of drudge work dulled his brain too much to be able to tackle this crucial task?
1010"The Knack"Michael GoguenNed Goldreyer and Scott Adams & Larry CharlesApril 26, 1999 (1999-04-26)110
Dilbert loses "the knack" for technology when he gets management DNA from accidentally drinking from the Boss's cup. His resulting missteps send the world back to the Dark Ages.
1111"Charity"Chris DozoisStephen Sustarsic & David Silverman
and Scott Adams & Larry Charles
May 10, 1999 (1999-05-10)111
Dilbert questions the idea of charity and is forced to be the coordinator for the "Associated Way" charity drive. Later, at the company charity carnival, Dogbert hits children in the face with baseballs.
1212"Holiday"Andi KleinNed Goldreyer, Stephen Sustarsic &
David Silverman, and Scott Adams & Larry Charles
May 17, 1999 (1999-05-17)112
Dilbert thinks there are too many time-wasting holidays; Dogbert concurrently convinces Congress to abandon all holidays in favor of a National Dogbert Day.
1313"The Infomercial"Todd Frederiksen and Joe Vaux Ned Goldreyer and Scott Adams & Larry CharlesMay 24, 1999 (1999-05-24)113
The pre-production, non-lab-tested Gruntmaster 6000 is scheduled to be tested by a Texan family whose ill treatment of it threatens to destroy the world. Meanwhile, the Boss begins predicting the future while asleep after injuring his head while making a commercial for the Gruntmaster 6000.

Season 2 (1999–2000)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
141"The Gift"Gloria Jenkins Ned Goldreyer November 2, 1999 (1999-11-02)201
Dilbert's mother's birthday is coming up, and in search of the perfect gift, he returns to the mall where he was abandoned by his father (voiced by Buck Henry) years ago. 7 of 9 alarm clock voiced by Jeri Ryan.
152"The Trial"Chris DozoisJoe Wiseman & Joe PortNovember 23, 1999 (1999-11-23)202
Dilbert is arrested and sent to jail after the boss frames him for a fatal traffic accident that kills multiple nobel prize winners. Once inside, he applies his knowledge of mathematics and engineering to prison life and takes over his cell block.
163"The Shroud of Wally"Andi Klein Scott Adams November 9, 1999 (1999-11-09)203
Dilbert has a near-death experience at a gas station, and finds that the afterlife is exactly like the office. Meanwhile, a group listening to a multi-level marketing speech become hypnotized, and through a bizarre accident caused by a crashing space shuttle and the birthday kit create a religion based on Wally. Dilbert and Dogbert manage to cover up the crash, while Wally turns away his followers with his odd habits.
174"The Dupey"Michael Goguen Larry Charles & Scott AdamsDecember 7, 1999 (1999-12-07)204
Dilbert's attempts to design a Furby-style children's toy go horribly awry when the toys gain sentience and mutate into hideous but benevolent creatures that want independence.
185"Art"Linda MillerNed Goldreyer and Scott Adams & Larry CharlesNovember 16, 1999 (1999-11-16)205
Dilbert is assigned to create a digital work of art. The result, the Blue Duck, ends up appealing to the lowest common denominator of society and destroys the value and popularity of classic artworks.
196"Hunger"Craig R. MarasScott Adams & Larry CharlesFebruary 1, 2000 (2000-02-01)206
Dilbert tries to end world hunger by creating a new, safe, artificial food, but it tastes so bad that even people dying of starvation refuse to eat it—until his mother (Jackie Hoffman) gets involved.
207"The Security Guard"Rick Del CarmenScott AdamsJanuary 18, 2000 (2000-01-18)207
After a heated debate, Dilbert and the building's security guard (voiced by Wayne Knight) trade jobs to see who can do the other's job better. Dilbert quickly finds himself in over his head when he discovers an illegal casino being run underneath the building.
218"The Merger"Jim HullStory by: David Silverman & Stephen Sustarsic
Teleplay by: Larry Charles & Scott Adams
January 25, 2000 (2000-01-25)208
The Boss decides that the company needs to merge with another, and chooses a company of brain-sucking extraterrestrials.
229"The Off-Site Meeting"Seth KearsleyRon Nelson, Mark Steen, and Scott AdamsFebruary 8, 2000 (2000-02-08)209
Dilbert's home is chosen as the location for an off-site meeting when a dendrophile sues his company because of their deforestation policies.
2310"The Assistant"Gloria Jenkins and Declan M. MoranMark Steen, Ron Nelson, and
Larry Charles & Scott Adams
February 15, 2000 (2000-02-15)210
To hide that there are engineering jobs elsewhere, Dilbert is unwillingly promoted to management and given an assistant (Andy Dick), sparking a showdown with the other engineers.
2411"Company Picnic"Chris DozoisDavid Silverman & Stephen Sustarsic and Scott AdamsJuly 11, 2000 (2000-07-11)211
The annual company picnic comes around and so does the softball game between Marketing and Engineering. This episode is based on Romeo and Juliet .
2512"The Virtual Employee"Perry ZombalasNed Goldreyer and Larry Charles & Scott AdamsMay 30, 2000 (2000-05-30)212
Dilbert and his co-workers find an empty cubicle and start dumping their obsolete computer equipment into it. To keep the marketing department from claiming the cubicle, they hack into the human resources database and create a profile for a fake engineer named Todd. The plan backfires when Todd is named project leader and develops a messianic reputation.
2613"The Return" Mike Kunkel Ned Goldreyer and Larry Charles & Scott AdamsFebruary 22, 2000 (2000-02-22)213
Dilbert tries to buy a computer online but gets the wrong model, leading to an unpleasant surprise when he tries to return it to the company warehouse. Jerry Seinfeld and Eugene Levy guest-star as Comp-U-Comp and the plug guard, respectively; Jon Favreau guest-stars as Holden Callfielder.
2714"Ethics"Michael GoguenLarry Charles & Scott AdamsJuly 25, 2000 (2000-07-25)214
After the company employees are forced to take ethical-training classes, Dilbert is put in charge of designing a nationwide Internet voting network. His scruples are put to the test when an attractive female representative of a tobacco special-interest group tries to seduce him.
2815"The Fact"Linda MillerRon Nelson, Mark Steen, and
Larry Charles & Scott Adams
July 18, 2000 (2000-07-18)215
Dogbert becomes rich and famous by writing a best-selling book about an imaginary disease, 'Chronic Cubicle Syndrome', and Dilbert finds himself saddled with the job of devising a cure.
2916"Pregnancy"Andi KleinLarry Charles & Scott AdamsJune 6, 2000 (2000-06-06)216
Ratbert accidentally sends Dilbert's model rocket into space. When it returns with samples of DNA from aliens, cows, hillbillies, engineers, and robots, it rectally impales Dilbert, impregnating him.
3017"The Delivery"Craig R. MarasLarry Charles & Scott AdamsJune 13, 2000 (2000-06-13)217
Dilbert's pregnancy turns into a media circus as the various "parents" of his baby sue for custody, with Steve Austin presiding over the hearing. Austin guest-stars as himself.

Syndication

Dilbert has aired on Fox Kids in different countries, and aired on Comedy Central from 2001 to 2005, and later IFC from 2012 to 2013.

Home media

The DVD cover for the complete series Cover of Dilbert DVD Boxset.jpg
The DVD cover for the complete series

Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 on January 27, 2004. The set included some special features including trailers and clip compilations with commentary by Scott Adams, executive producer Larry Charles, and voice actors Chris Elliott, Larry Miller, Kathy Griffin, and Gordon Hunt. [13] The DVDs can be played on some PCs and DVD players with Region 2.

The first disc contains seven episodes (1-7), the second disc contains six episodes (8-13), the third disc contains eight episodes (14-21), and the fourth disc contains nine episodes (22-30).

On November 8, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the home video rights to the series. They re-released the complete series on January 21, 2014. [14]

Reception

Ray Richmond of Variety.com liked the show stating "it's surely the wittiest thing the netlet has ever had the good fortune to schedule, and based on the opening two installments, it has the potential to score with the same upscale auds that flocked to "The Simpsons" and transformed Fox from a wannabe to a player a decade ago." [15] David Zurawik of The Baltimore Sun gave the show a positive review stating "sit down tonight in front of the tube with more reasonable expectations, and you will find yourself smiling, if not laughing out loud at least once or twice." [16] Terry Kelleher of People magazine picked Dilbert for "Show of the week" and said the show featured "smart, pointed humor aimed at corporate bureaucracy, mendacity and absurdity." [17] In 2017, James Charisma of Paste magazine ranked the show's opening sequence #13 on a list of The 75 Best TV Title Sequences of All Time. [18]

Ratings

Dilbert's premiere episode received a 7.3 rating from the nation's biggest 44 markets, the highest of the 1998–1999 season for UPN. [19] Across the whole country, the premiere episode received a 4.2 rating. [20]

Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Dilbert</i> American comic strip

Dilbert is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title character. It has led to dozens of books, an animated television series, a video game, and hundreds of themed merchandise items. Dilbert Future and The Joy of Work are among the best-selling books in the series. In 1997, Adams received the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award and the Newspaper Comic Strip Award for his work. Dilbert appears online and as of 2013 was published daily in 2,000 newspapers in 65 countries and 25 languages.

<i>The Ren & Stimpy Show</i> American animated television series (1991–1996)

The Ren & Stimpy Show, commonly referred to as simply Ren & Stimpy, is an American comedy animated television series created by John Kricfalusi and developed by Kricfalusi, Bob Camp, Jim Smith and Lynne Naylor for Nickelodeon. Originally produced by Spümcø, the series aired on Nickelodeon from August 11, 1991, to December 16, 1995, with its last episode airing on MTV on October 20, 1996, spanning for a total of five seasons and 52 episodes. The series follows the misadventures of Ren Höek, an emotionally unstable and psychotic chihuahua dog; and Stimpy, a good-natured and dimwitted Manx cat. It is the third to be aired of the original three Nickelodeon animated series known as "Nicktoons", alongside Doug and Rugrats, and is considered to be one of the progenitor series of the brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Adams</span> American cartoonist and author (born 1957)

Scott Raymond Adams is an American author and cartoonist. He is the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, and the author of several nonfiction works of business, commentary, and satire. Adams worked in various clerical roles before he became a full-time cartoonist in 1995. While working at Pacific Bell in 1989, Adams created Dilbert; by the mid-1990s the strip had gained national prominence in America and began to reach a worldwide audience. Dilbert remained popular throughout the following decades, spawning several books written by Adams.

<i>Duckman</i> American animated sitcom

Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man, commonly known simply as Duckman, is an American adult animated sitcom created and developed by Everett Peck, based on the characters he created in his 1990 one-shot comic book published by Dark Horse Comics. Duckman aired on the USA Network from March 5, 1994, through September 6, 1997, for 4 seasons and 70 episodes. It follows Eric Tiberius Duckman, a private detective who lives with his family.

Hey Arnold! is an American animated sitcom created by Craig Bartlett for Nickelodeon. It originally aired from October 7, 1996, to June 8, 2004. The show centers on fourth grader Arnold Shortman, who lives with his grandparents in an inner-city tenement in the fictional city of Hillwood. Episodes center on his experiences navigating urban life while dealing with the zany hijinks he and his friends encounter. Many episodes, however, focus on other characters, including major, secondary, supporting, and even minor characters.

<i>Futurama</i> 1999 American animated sci-fi sitcom

Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1,000 years and revived on December 31, 2999. Fry finds work at the interplanetary delivery company Planet Express, working alongside the one-eyed mutant Leela and the robot Bender. The series was envisioned by Groening in the mid-1990s while working on The Simpsons; he brought David X. Cohen aboard to develop storylines and characters to pitch the show to Fox.

<i>Doug</i> (TV series) American animated sitcom (1991–1999)

Doug is an American animated sitcom created by Jim Jinkins and produced by Jumbo Pictures. It originally aired on Nickelodeon from August 11, 1991, to January 2, 1994, and on ABC from September 7, 1996, to June 26, 1999. The show focuses on the early adolescent life and zany hijinks of its title character, Douglas "Doug" Funnie, who experiences common predicaments while attending school in his new hometown of Bluffington. Doug narrates each story in his journal, and the show incorporates many imagination sequences. The series addresses numerous topics, including trying to fit in, platonic and romantic relationships, self-esteem, bullying, and rumors. Many episodes center on Doug's attempts to impress his classmate and crush, Patti Mayonnaise.

<i>Home Movies</i> (TV series) American animated sitcom

Home Movies is an American animated sitcom created by Brendon Small and Loren Bouchard. The show centers on an eight-year-old aspiring filmmaker, also named Brendon Small, who makes homemade film productions in his spare time with his friends Melissa Robbins and Jason Penopolis. He lives with his divorced mother Paula and his adopted baby sister Josie. He develops a skewed father-son-like relationship with his alcoholic, short-tempered soccer coach, John McGuirk.

<i>Whats New, Scooby-Doo?</i> American animated television series

What's New, Scooby-Doo? is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Kids' WB. It is the ninth incarnation of the Scooby-Doo franchise that began with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and the first Scooby-Doo series in a decade, since A Pup Named Scooby-Doo ended in 1991 and the first since both the foreclosure of Hanna-Barbera, the first Scooby Doo series to be produced by Warner Bros. Animation and William Hanna's death in 2001

<i>Sabrina: The Animated Series</i> American animated television series

Sabrina: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the Archie Comics series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Produced by Savage Studios Ltd. and Hartbreak Films in association with DIC Productions, L.P., the series is an animated spin-off of the 1996–2003 live-action series Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

<i>Speed Buggy</i> American animated television series (1973)

Speed Buggy is an American animated television series, produced by Hanna-Barbera, which originally aired for one season on CBS from September 8, 1973, to December 22, 1973. With the voices of Mel Blanc, Michael Bell, Arlene Golonka, and Phil Luther Jr., the show follows an orange anthropomorphic dune buggy who alongside teenagers Debbie, Mark, and Tinker, solves mysteries while participating in racing competitions around the world. The series was produced by Iwao Takamoto, executive produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and directed by Charles A. Nichols.

<i>Clerks: The Animated Series</i> American animated sitcom

Clerks is an American adult animated sitcom created by Kevin Smith for ABC. Based on Smith's 1994 comedy film of the same name, it was developed for television by Smith, Smith's producing partner Scott Mosier and former Seinfeld writer David Mandel with character designs by Stephen Silver, known for character designs in Disney Channel's Kim Possible and Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom. It is the first television show to be set in Smith's View Askewniverse. It is Disney’s second adult animated television series after The PJs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dilbert (character)</span> Fictional character

Dilbert is a fictional character and the main character and protagonist of the comic strip of the same name, created by Scott Adams. The character has ideas which are typically sensible and occasionally even revolutionary, but they are rarely pursued because he is powerless. He is frustrated by the incompetence and malevolence of his co-workers and often is sarcastic and snide. He was voiced by Daniel Stern in the television show.

Asok is an Indian intern in the Dilbert comic strip. His first appearance was March 18, 1996. He is a brilliant graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology.

<i>The Burning Zone</i> American television series (1996–97 season)

The Burning Zone is an American science fiction drama television series created by Coleman Luck that originally aired for one season on United Paramount Network (UPN) from September 3, 1996 to May 20, 1997. The series follows a government task force assigned to investigate chemical and biological threats. Initially, the program focused on the virologist Edward Marcase and Dr. Kimberly Shiroma. In January 1997, after the 11th episode, and in response to the show's low ratings, the characters Marcase and Shiroma were dropped from the series. Dr. Daniel Cassian became the lead character, and a new character, Dr. Brian Taft, joined the task force. The Burning Zone initially incorporated supernatural and religious elements, but shifted towards more action-oriented storylines.

Madeline is an animated preschool television series produced by DIC Entertainment, L.P., as part of the Madeline media franchise. It began as a series of six television specials from 1988 to 1991, and then continued as Madeline and The New Adventures of Madeline from 1993 to 2001. The show is narrated by Christopher Plummer.

<i>Home Movies</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the animated sitcom Home Movies originally began airing in the United States on the television network UPN from April 26 to May 24, 1999, and on Cartoon Network from September 2 to October 7, 2001. The pilot episode was titled, "Get Away From My Mom." Co-creators Brendon Small and Loren Bouchard, along with Tom Sydner, served as writers, executive producers, and directors for the season. The season utilized Sydner's signature "squigglevision" animation style, though it would change to a more "conventional" flash-animated style for the subsequent three seasons.

The Random Years is an American sitcom created by Michael Lisbe and Nate Reger that aired for four episodes on the United Paramount Network (UPN) in March 2002. The series centers on childhood friends Alex Barnes, Wiseman, and Todd Mitchell and their lives after graduating college while living in Chinatown, Manhattan. Storylines focus on the characters' jobs and romantic relationships, often including their neighbor Casey Parker and their building superintendent Steve.

In 1995, Viacom and Chris-Craft Industries' United Television launched United Paramount Network (UPN) with Star Trek: Voyager as its flagship series, fulfilling Barry Diller's plan for a Paramount network from 25 years earlier. In 1999, Viacom bought out United Television's interests, and handed responsibility for the start-up network to the newly acquired CBS unit, which Viacom bought in 1999 – an ironic confluence of events as Paramount had once invested in CBS, and Viacom had once been the syndication arm of CBS as well. During this period the studio acquired some 30 television stations to support the UPN network as well acquiring and merging in the assets of Republic Pictures, Spelling Television and Viacom Television, almost doubling the size of the studio's television library.

References

  1. "Dilbert Debut Sets Record For Upn". Chicago Tribune. February 2, 1999. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  2. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 249–251. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  3. "Dilbert: The Complete Series : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  4. "Dilbert: Complete Series : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  5. Knutzen, Eirik (January 24, 1999). "An Animated Cartoon 'Dilbert' Comes To The Tube On Upn". The Morning Call. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  6. Rubin, Sylvia (January 17, 1999). "Meeting of the Minds / 'Dilbert' creators slogged through corporate mire to bring lovable office dweeb to TV". SFGate. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  7. Rozansky, Michael. "'Dilbert' Is Serious Business From The Cubicle To ... Practically Everywhere". philly.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  8. Jicha, Tom. "Dilbert To Get A New Cubicle -- On Upn". SunSentinel. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  9. Foster, Darren (November 22, 2006). "Scott Adams interview". GroundReport.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  10. Sippell, Margareaux (June 29, 2020). "'Dilbert' Creator Scott Adams Says His UPN Show Was Canceled Because He Was White". TheWrap . Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  11. "Upn hopes ride on dilbert's white shirttails new animated series just doesn't do the job". The New York Daily News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  12. "Chatty Kathy's credit no good on UPN's 'Dilbert'". New York Post . February 3, 1999. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  13. "Dilbert - The Complete Series Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  14. Mill Creek to Re-Release 'The Complete Series' on DVD Archived 2013-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
  15. Richmond, Ray (January 25, 1999). "Review: 'Dilbert'". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  16. Zurawik, David (January 25, 1999). "UPN is counting on 'Dilbert'". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  17. Kelleher, Terry. "Picks and Pans Main: Tub". People Magazine. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  18. Charisma, James (January 4, 2017). "The 75 Best TV Title Sequences of All Time". Paste . Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  19. Carter, Bill (January 27, 1999). "TV NOTES". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  20. "TV Listings—January 25, 1999". TVTango.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  21. "Dilbert". The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved February 9, 2014.