Dilbert

Before the review, a brief plot summary: Dilbert is a skilled and somewhat slow-witted enguineer living in an insane world. Everyone is either a genious or a moron. He lives with Dilmom, who is more advanced in technology then he is, Ratbert, an optomist rodent who longs to be loved, and Dogbert, a cynical, arrogant canine with a dream of ruling the world. Every day is garbage day, and the garbage man is the world's smartest. At work, where the name constantly changes from Path-Way to E-Tech to Path-E-Tech (pathetic), he toils away in his cubicle under a clueless pointy-haired boss, accompanied by the rude and sarcastic Wally and quick-tempered and powerful Alice. Others include Catbert, the Evil Director of Human Resources, Asok, the mild-mannered Indian intern, and Loud Howard, the big mouth. With clever humour, the show tells zany stories about how Dilbert tackles stock market problems, corporate insanity, junkie dwarfs, and realligned satellites.

Scott Adams has been writing the "Dilbert" comic strip since 1989. He has since then added several colorful characters, and finally, with the help of Larry Miller, he brought it to the small screen. Unfortunatley, somehow it landed on one of the worst networks on TV: UPN. Not Comedy Central, not Fox Network, UPN. Adams and Miller provided it with it's only good series ever.

The animation is clever and looks exactly like it was lifted from the comic books, except now Dilbert has a mouth. Oh, but when any of the characters' mouths are closed, they vanish. ;-) It combined the humour of "The Simpsons" and "Futurama" with the hilarious insanity of "Monty Python". To me, this is better then either of Matt Groening's overrated series. Dilbert is not a beer-swilling overweight idiot. He is an ordinary person in a twisted world- something we can all relate to. Plus the jokes are funny. Throughout the entire episode the plot is strung with wit and charm.

Some of the jokes, in fact, aren't even funny. But it's just the way the characters say them that splits your sides. Daniel Stern (Marv in the first two "Home Alone" films) gives the title character a slightly nasal and questioning voice. Gordon Hunt (father of popular actress Helen Hunt) provides Wally with a thick nasal and sarcastic voice. Kathy Griffin ("Suddenly Susan") lends her voice to Alice, an angry, teeth-gritted voice. Chris Elliot ("Osmosis Jones") was originally to be thrown off the cast because his voice was so similair to Stern's, yet he does an awesome job at giving Dogbert an arrogant and calm demonaur. Maurice LaMarche (voice of another supersmart character, the Brain) and Jackie Hoffman (huh?) are also excellent at The Garbage Man and Dilmom. Tom Kenny (the mayor from "Powerpuff Girls") lends his voice to Ratbert and Asok, and Tress MacNeille is several supporting characters.

The guest appearances are great. Billy West, like Tress MacNeille, guests throughout, only as the same character, a marketing guy. Stephen Hawking plays himself in "The Informercial", in which the Gruntmaster 6000 (a product named, designed and manufactured throughout the first season) is tested in Texas and creates a black hole. Jason Alexander ("Bob Patterson") appears throughout as Catbert. Buck Henry suprises Dilbert fans as Dadbert, who has been at the "all-you-can-eat" cafe in a mall resteraunt since 1979, and Jeri Ryan cameos in that episode as a Seven of Nine Alarm Clock. Wayne Knight is a security guard. Gilbert Gottfried is a troll. Steve Austin, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld all guest, as well as several others.

Unfortunatley, UPN made yet another mistake. Instead of keeping their only good show, they moved it to a horrible time slot which soon got it cancelled. Some of the episode descriptions are hilarious. Dilbert fans will recognize the small, muddy country of Elbonia in "Elbonian Trip" and "Hunger". In another, the company is overrun by downsized (literally) employees hooked on dry erase markers. When he drinks from the boss' cup, Dilbert loses "the knack" and throws all the satellites out of orbit, throwing the world back into medevil times. And when Dilbert must prevent Y2K, he learns the company's fate is in Wally's hands (and Loud Howard cries, "THAT'S IT! WE'RE ALL FARMERS!")

Quotable, hilarious, and recommended. Adams, don't let it get to you. Just take the show to Comedy or Fox. Then it'll soar.

Stars: Daniel Stern as Dilbert. Chris Elliot as Dogbert. Kathy Griffin as Alice. Gordon Hunt as Wally. Larry Miller as the Boss. Jackie Hoffman as Dilmom. Tom Kenny as Ratbert and Ashook. Jim Wise as Loud Howard. Jason Alexander as Catbert. Maurice La Marche as the Trash Man.

This was one of those gem shows that for some reason only picked up a select cult audience. Because of that it was canceled, even though it was a great show. It was about workaholic Dilbert and his life in his cubicle. His closest friends are Dogbert, his talking pet dog that's smarter than him, Alice and Wally, his buddies from work and the mysterious trashman who always disappears after giving advice. I highly recommend you buy the DVD because this was a great show, and its a shame only 2 seasons were produced.

My rating: 9 out of 10. 30 episodes. TV PG.

The attractiveness and charm of the Dilbert comic lies in the ability of the white collar masses to relate to everything that goes on. As absurd as Dilbert's life at work is, it's often not far from the truth.

That said, it made a very amusing and underrated animated TV show. The people chosen to do voice overs for the characters were absolutely perfect: I can think of nobody better to voice the pointy haired boss than Larry Miller.

It seems that most people have a love/hate relationship with this series. I suspect that there is something lost between the comic strip and the show: most of the fans of the comic strip like it because they can relate to it, not because it's universally entertaining, like Popeye or Peanuts. That said, the movie is almost never as good as the book, so many people may feel the same in this case. For years, I hated the Dilbert comic strip. But after I finished college and got a white collar job very much like Dilbert's, in an office very much like the one on the comic, I finally "got it" and haven't stopped laughing.

The show was perhaps meant to be a bit more mainstream? Who knows. I thought it was very entertaining and deserved a longer life than it got.

I once said that Futurama is my favourite cartoon. I stand by that, but Dilbert comes a very close second. The eclectic range of characters, from Dilbert himself, to his Machiavellian roommate Dogbert, to Wally, a leech disguised as a human being, to Asok, the put upon intern, to Alice, the feminist engineer with no feminism about her to Loud Howard, the man with the mouth. Above all this you have the wisdom of the Pointy-Haired Boss, and the truly evil whims of Catbert.

I cannot insist how good this show is, only that every time the Boss says something, or Asok is placed in a position of misfortune or Loud Howard claims to know something, you find your find yourself laughing. Take a look for yourself.

A clever and imaginative cartoon based on the popular comic strip, Dilbert was aimed at an educated adult audience. That's why it failed: Most people who would have enjoyed it probably never saw it. After all it's ratings, not quality which keep a show running. Unfortunately so, because Dilbert is not your mindless everyday sitcom stultification.