# Dilbert The Complete Series How did it fail?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801 "2010-03-09T03:17:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/1 "2010-03-09T03:17:24Z")
I just found the box set of Dilbert. IIRC it only ran on television for three weeks. I never got to watch it due to having to be at work when it came on. The story I remember was it was canceled as a failure after two seasons. The animation is great, especially for the time it was released. The story lines don’t seem out of whack, The Simpsons had even wackier stories. It seems to me that of all the animated toons people watch Dilbert would have been a hit of some sort. So any ideas why Dilbert was canceled after only two seasons?? ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/2 "2010-03-09T03:34:04Z")
The GruntMaster 6000 pulled it into it’s event horizon Actually, let’s just blame it on Loud Howard… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/3 "2010-03-09T03:42:29Z")
IIRC it was nicely animated but it just didn’t click. It wasn’t as funny as the strip and the pacing was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/4 "2010-03-09T03:59:47Z")
> [@Qwakkeddup](#): > > I just found the box set of Dilbert. IIRC it only ran on television for three weeks. > > […] > > So any ideas why Dilbert was canceled after only two seasons?? ♪♫♪ One of these things is not like the other… ♫♪♫ Two seasons isn’t actually a bad run, especially for an adult-oriented cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![MitzeKatze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@MitzeKatze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MitzeKatze)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/5 "2010-03-09T04:20:34Z")
I think I remember when it originally aired and wanting to watch it because I was a fan of the strip. Wasn’t it one of those shows that they kept moving around time slots so that I could never know where or when to find it? I remember that I caught a random episode or two but for some reason it never made it to my regular viewing habits…the only reason I can think of is if it was moved around or constantly pre-empted (the way Fox used to love to do to force cancellation of shows that I liked!) ETA: from [Dilbert (TV series) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilbert_%28TV_series%29) > [@](#): > > Dilbert was an animated television series spin-off of the comic strip of the same name, produced by Columbia TriStar Television. The first episode was broadcast on January 25, 1999 and was UPN’s highest rated comedy series premiere to that point of the network’s history; it lasted two seasons on UPN and won a Golden Globe before its cancellation. Okay, so I guess not. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/6 "2010-03-09T06:13:08Z")
\ Let’s move this TV show question over to Cafe Society. IMHO \> CS \ ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/7 "2010-03-09T06:33:11Z")
I thought it was great, but then, I’ve \*lived \*the Dilbert life as a cubicle-bound engineer. My strongest memory was how GREAT the voice casting was. Larry Miller as the pointy-haired boss, Daniel Stern as Dilbert, and Chris Elliott as Dogbert. Somebody in that production company truly grokked the characters. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/8 "2010-03-09T14:15:10Z")
As I recall, it can out towards the end of a period when dozens of bad animation series had been made in an attempt to imitate the success of _The Simpsons_. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/9 "2010-03-09T14:24:55Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > ♪♫♪ One of these things is not like the other… ♫♪♫ > > Two seasons isn’t actually a bad run, especially for an adult-oriented cartoon. Opps, I mixed up what I was told with what I just read up on. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/10 "2010-03-09T14:25:03Z")
Also, I don’t think UPN had 100% clearance, plus they were just an “upstart” network, so that didn’t help either… ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/11 "2010-03-09T14:51:22Z")
I remember it being moved around a ton, too - I always wanted to watch it, but could never find it. Of course, that might be more a product of my faulty memory than UPN, but I remember it being difficult to find. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/12 "2010-03-09T14:53:15Z")
Netflix offers some (all?) of it on streaming. I watched a couple episodes a few weeks back. I thought it was dreadful. The pace was too slow, the jokes just weren’t funny, for the most part. It relied too heavily on the storyline of the absurd office to be funny, without adding enough to it. I remember tons of individual Simpsons gags – so do a lot of people of my generation – but nobody goes “Oh, remember when Homer became safety inspector?” They go, “Disco Stu does not advertise!” ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/13 "2010-03-09T15:26:56Z")
Too me a little Dilbert goes a long way. I love the comic strip, but like _Peanuts_, it seems too forced to carry it over a half hour show. How many comic strips really do a good job when going to TV? \*Hazel \* was probably the most successful of the lot and in that program Hazel was toned down a lot from her character. _Dennis the Menace_, was so bland. Jay North, TV’s Dennis, was not even close to being a menace but really just a inquisitive kid. So I agree pacing is hard to do with comics. They’re set up for a one-two-three-punchline for the most part The biggest thing is Dilbert has no mouth in the comic strip. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/14 "2010-03-09T15:54:31Z")
The biggest problem (or so said Scott Adams) was that it initially ran against _Buffy_, and there was an amazing overlap of fans. The network moved it to a later time slot, but that put it up against _Angel_. Yeah, not a big help, there. I suspect if it had run on any night but Tuesday, it would have done much, much better. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/15 "2010-03-09T16:23:18Z")
Considering how Adams chaffed under the PacBell yoke, I wonder what how long he could have survived working in the world of television writing/production? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/16 "2010-03-09T17:51:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > As I recall, it can out towards the end of a period when dozens of bad animation series had been made in an attempt to imitate the success of _The Simpsons_. I dunno – _The Simpsons_ were on the air for 10 years when _Dilbert_ made its debut. The ripoffs came out quickly – ones like _Fish Police_, _Capitol Critters_ and _Family Dog_ which all came and went from '91-'93. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/17 "2010-03-09T18:41:41Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > I dunno – _The Simpsons_ were on the air for 10 years when _Dilbert_ made its debut. > > The ripoffs came out quickly – ones like _Fish Police_, _Capitol Critters_ and _Family Dog_ which all came and went from '91-'93. Family Guy came out a week later, Futurama two months later. King of the Hill and South Park were already around for 2 years. I think there might have been a saturation of adult cartoons at the time. I am not sure that is was an accepted fact that, outside of the Simpsons, a cartoon comedy could be as popular as a sitcom. I also think times have changed a lot since then. Many of these cartoons have proven themselves, CN runs Adult Swim, and audiences have grown up with cartoons aimed at adults. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/18 "2010-03-09T21:25:18Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > How many comic strips really do a good job when going to TV? \*Hazel \* was probably the most successful of the lot and in that program Hazel was toned down a lot from her character. “Garfield and Friends” would like a word with you. It was even better than the “Garfield” comic strip. Interesting trivia: The voice actor for Garfield was Lorenzo Music. Lorenzo Music also played Peter Venckman in “The Real Ghostbusters” cartoon. Both the characters of Garfield and Peter Venckman were played by Bill Murray on the big screen. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/19 "2010-03-09T21:55:07Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > “Garfield and Friends” would like a word with you. It was even better than the “Garfield” comic strip. Perhaps, but Garfield wasn’t a 30 minute show was it? Wasn’t it just two smaller segments of a 30 minute show? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801/20 "2010-03-10T03:17:15Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > “Garfield and Friends” would like a word with you. It was even better than the “Garfield” comic strip. > > Interesting trivia: The voice actor for Garfield was Lorenzo Music. Lorenzo Music also played Peter Venckman in “The Real Ghostbusters” cartoon. Both the characters of Garfield and Peter Venckman were played by Bill Murray on the big screen. Murray reportedly caught a few episodes of the “Real Ghostbusters” and wanted to know why his character sounded like Garfield. The producers of the cartoon apparently took this as criticism by Murray (“Oh my gosh, one of our stars isn’t happy.”), when that wasn’t actually the case, and replaced Music as the voice of Venckman with Dave Coulier after season 2. So, Murray was indirectly responsible for Music losing a role he played in 65 episodes, although I’m sure that was not his intention. [Quick Stop interview with Maurice LaMarche](http://www.asitecalledfred.com/2006/08/14/quick-stop-interview-maurice-lamarche/2/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dilbert-the-complete-series-how-did-it-fail/531801.md?page=2)