Turning the insanely popular “Dilbert” comic strip
into an animated program seems like a no-brainer. Landing voice
talents Daniel Stern, Kathy Griffen and Chris Elliot helped to make
the show seem like it had a fighting chance. Creator Scott Adams
even had the assistance of veteran sitcom writer Larry Charles
(“Seinfeld”) to bring the world of
“Dilbert” to a fully animated life. So what went wrong?
Three awful letters ruined the chances of this series … UPN,
where good ideas go to die.

Fans of the original comic strip will see that, in the scant 30
episodes produced, the concepts and humor are retained. The
animation isn’t incredible but fits in with the style of the
source material. The storylines and comedy are evident, yet the
show is a step behind animated classics like “The
Simpsons” or “Family Guy.” Even though it’s
nothing that special, there is a lot to like about the acerbic
office comedy.

The DVD release allows the entire series to be seen again in
sequence. The picture transfer is mediocre, with occasional color
mistakes, and the sound follows in the same vein as other
television sitcoms by being broadcast out of a single, central
speaker, making it nothing out of the ordinary. Supplemental
features are also average in this release, containing a couple of
episode commentary tracks and a few featurettes, but nothing
more.

“Dilbert” is a DVD set that should appease fans of
not only the series, but also of the comic strip who may have never
seen this show. What seemed like a sure thing was squandered by
poor scheduling on a poor network. The show itself may have grown
into something great, but with not even two full seasons of
episodes, it only manages to be slightly better than the average
primetime cartoon.

Show: 3 stars out of 4

Picture/Sound: 2.5 stars out of 4

Features: 2 stars out of 4