Monday, Aug. 30, 2004 | 8:15 a.m.
Since the early 1960s there have been 35 or so animated shows to air during prime time on network television.
While a few series, such as "The Flintstones," "King of the Hill" and "The Simpsons," became widely popular, most shows tended to bomb, often sensationally, as was the case with "Fish Police" and "Capitol Critters."
As "Father of the Pride" is set to premiere Tuesday at 9 p.m. on KVBC Channel 3, following is a look at some recent prime-time series that didn't fare well:
"Capitol Critters" (1992, ABC) -- Wacky animated animals commenting on politics? Renowned TV producer Steven Bochco, less than two years removed from another colossal bomb, "Cop Rock," thought he'd try something different again. It failed ... again. "Capitol Critters" was canceled after three months -- equaling the same run as "Cop Rock."
"Clerks" (2000, ABC) -- An animated series based on the rude and crude cult film by Kevin Smith? ABC was desperate even then. Never mind that Smith served as an executive producer, his R-rated humor still didn't translate to a PG-13 format, much like "Jersey Girl." ABC revoked the series after two episodes.
"Dilbert" (1999-2000, UPN) -- In the funny pages, "Dilbert" is usually worth a chuckle or two, especially given the sad state of today's comic strips. As an animated show, however, "Dilbert" seemed to lose much of its stick-it-to-the-management charm, even with veteran "Seinfeld" scribe Larry Charles as executive producer. The cast included the mixed bag of Chris Elliot, Daniel Stern, Larry Miller and Kathy Griffin. UPN shuffled "Dilbert" through different dates and times for two seasons, with no success, before sacking the series.
"Family Dog" (1993, CBS) -- With Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton as executive producers, this show had the pedigree to be a hit. It wasn't. The concept of "Family Dog" was to show life from a dog's perspective -- namely, the dysfunctional Binsford family. The show was produced in 1990 but sat on the shelf two years while Spielberg, who was unhappy with the series, tried to salvage it. He couldn't, and the show finally aired as a summer-replacement series, lasting four episodes before being put to sleep.
"Fish Police" (1992, CBS) -- Featuring the voices of John Ritter, Ed Asner, Tim Curry, Robert Guillaume, Buddy Hackett and Jonathan Winters, certainly "Fish Police" had plenty of star power. But what it didn't have, apparently, were funny scripts. The show was actually based on a comic book -- but how often has network TV ported a comic book into a successful television show? They certainly didn't with this. After three weeks, "Fish Police" was flushed.
"Game Over" (2004, UPN) -- Say it with me: Video games do not make good movies or TV shows. Nevertheless, UPN thought a "Sims"-style TV show about a fictional video-game family, the Smashenburns, would be the exception. Set in an alternate video-game universe, a lot of money went into making this series -- the first CGI-animated series in prime time. The network should have spent the money on real games instead. After less than a month, the series' title proved prophetic. Of course, when you name your show "Game Over," you're pretty much inviting cancellation.
"God, the Devil and Bob" (2000, NBC) -- It's strange to think of this as a controversial series. Still, "God, the Devil and Bob" irked many theologians when it aired. A loose, modern-day take on the story of Job, the Devil made a wager with God that if he could corrupt 32-year-old auto worker Bob, the Almighty would have to give up on the human race and destroy Earth. While morally challenged, Bob never did stray far enough from the path of righteousness so that God lost the bet and had to destroy Bob and his world. Instead, that honor went to NBC, which terminated the show in less than a month.
"The Oblongs" (2001, WB) -- A blue-collar family suffering the ill effects of toxic waste? Now that's comedy. Mix in social statements about classism and overcoming disabilities, and the WB almost certainly had its "All in the Family." Only "The Oblongs" wasn't on long enough to produce an "Oblongs' Place." The show, adapted from the book, "Creepy Susie," premiered on April 1, 2001. The joke, however, was on the network, which put the series -- and viewers -- out of misery a month and a half later.
"Sammy" (2000, NBC) -- On TV and while doing stand-up, David Spade is funny. In movies ... well, think "Joe Dirt." Still, NBC must've thought it had a sure-fire hit with Spade, creating an animated series based on stand-up material about his wayward father. Then the network brass watched "Sammy" shortly before it premiered.
The network quickly yanked the show off its fall schedule and opted not to air it until nearly a year later, as a summer-replacement series. Always a ringing endorsement. After two shows, "Sammy" was given last rites.
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