Occasionally, a strong TV show debuts, accompanied by a lot of hype. You're excited, and maybe you watch the first episode, or even the second, but after that, you quickly forget it even exists. But it's not that it sucks; in fact, it's rather great all around. It's just not enough of a draw to make you set your VCR or abandon another favorite program to tune in.

That's the case with "Dilbert," the animated version of the comic strip of the same name. Dilbert the strip wallpapers cubicles, fills book after bestselling book, and even cuts into employee productivity online. UPN and fans of the disaffected office drone both made a huge deal out of the show, but it debuted at the tail end of the Dilbert craze, and has wandered off the cultural — and Nielsen — radar screen since then.

Still, while it's not exactly appointment television, "Dilbert" remains one of UPN's brightest points. Okay, with peers like "Shasta McNasty" and a meandering "Voyager," "Dilbert" is the brightest point.

In bringing "Dilbert" to the small screen, Dilbert creator Scott Adams and Larry Charles (an executive producer for "Mad About You") retained as much of the strip's spirit as possible; undoubtedly, Adams involvement helped that significantly. Like the ubiquitous Dilbert merchandise, it's ironic that the icon for disaffected workers would become a product himself. But in Adams' hands, Dilbert doesn't totally sell out.

In animating and adding audio to a static and silent comic strip, some potentially audience-alienating choices have to be made. There are hundreds of ways to screw up — by making the live characters incongruent with their static counterparts, by creating contrived story lines untrue to the original material, or by casting the wrong voice talent.

But "Dilbert"'s creators got it right. After you get over hearing Kevin Arnold's voice coming out of Dilbert's mouth, you realize that Daniel Stern isn't just providing Dilbert's voice, he is Dilbert; this is exactly how you imagine Dilbert talking in the comic strip. The rest of the voice casting is on-target, too: Jason Alexander as Catbert, the evil director of human resources; Kathy Griffin as Dilbert's coworker Alice; Larry Miller as the pointy-haired boss; Chris Elliot as Dilbert's super-intelligent companion Dogbert.

Each scene plays like a three-paneled cartoon in motion. For example: Dilbert and Wally, one of his co-workers, are talking in monotones about a product launch. Wally: "I think that there's a problem with the new herbal throat lozenges." Dilbert: "I told them that anthrax was a virus and not a herb." Wally: "No you didn't." Dilbert: "Well, I was thinking it really hard." The humor isn't always that biting, or as clever as it is in the strip, but there are definite moments.

The themes play out just as satisfyingly as they do on newsprint. The characters thankfully never wander from their pre-set molds; there's just more exploration of those casts. And unlike NBC's wretched Fred Savage vehicle "Working," which was wishfully billed as a live-action Dilbert, "Dilbert" perfectly captures satirizes corporate life, from office politics to stupid bosses to ignorant coworkers.

With tough competition — "Buffy"'s second half plows through "Dilbert"'s half-hour — "Dilbert" will never be a ratings darling. But while "The Simpsons" and its descendant "Futurama" still reign as the royalty of network animated television, "Dilbert," a witty satire of the too-long eight hour days most of us spend to pay the rent, is a close third — especially when "Buffy"'s in reruns.

What else is on?
TV recommendations for the coming week...Guest Stars Aplenty
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Wednesday, Nov. 10

Aided by some guest stars from "Whose Line Is It, Anyway?", Drew Carey and the gang perform live tonight, and — get this — they'll actually do a different show for each time zone. It's just too bad that we won't be able to see each one...Stockard Channing appears as the First Lady on The West Wing, which is growing into an ensemble show that rivals the once-unparalleled "Practice" on all levels. It's a shame Rob Lowe has reportedly been bitching about his lack of screen time. Dude, the show's called "The West Wing," not "The Deputy Communications Director" or "This Show Saved My Once-Dead Career"...Carey Lowell returns to Law & Order, this time on the opposite side of the courtroom. The former ADA will face down Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) during a murder trial.

Thursday, Nov. 11

Elle Macpherson is the woman of the half-hour on Friends, as she becomes Joey's new roommate. Yeah, like that'd happen in real life...Former Designing Woman Delta Burke guest stars as an overbearing mother trying to get her daughter elected homecoming queen on Popular. Hey, how about a time-warp crossover between the "Wonder Years"-inspired "Popular" and "Freaks and Geeks"?...Maria Shriver's husband is making an appearance on WWF Smackdown. Yep, Arnold Schwarzenegger, promoting his upcoming apocalypse flick "End Of Days," will enter the ring. And something tells me he'll fit right in (head injury)...On ER, Martha Plimpton squeezes into the cast for the night as a pregnant woman, joining repeat guest star Alan Alda in the morphine-dripping, blood-splashed hospital ward.

Friday, Nov. 12

For those who haven't seen the movie, the identity of the killer won't be a big surprise, since Fox has been showing him in the previews for this airing of Se7en. Still, it's a killer, if disturbing, flick, and it made more than a guest appearance at the box office four years ago...On Boy Meets World, Topanga and Cory honeymoon in Hawaii. Will the episode guest star Hawaii "Real World" stud Colin as the pool boy? Nope, but he will be back on TV next spring on "M.Y.O.B.", an NBC midseason-replacement sitcom, playing (and I quote) a "dim-witted office assistant." Big stretch, eh?

Saturday, Nov. 13

Aching to see "The Messenger"? Learn about Joan of Arc as A&E's Biography examines the brief but influential life of France's unwelcome guest in Joan of Arc: Virgin Warrior...Garth Brooks hosts Saturday Night Live; the musical guest is Chris Gaines, who's actually Garth Brooks. Really. To become the fictional Gaines, Garth lost a bunch of weight, dyed his hair, recorded a CD of vaguely non-country music (the soundtrack to an upcoming movie, "The Lamb") and even taped an ersatz "Behind The Music."

Sunday, Nov. 14

Rebecca ("Sports Night"'s Teri Polo) is back on the well-lit Felicity as the bitchy caterer who's yanking Ben around. But this week, the yanking isn't all fun and games...Apparently someone realized that New York hasn't been destroyed in a movie lately, so CBS does the honors tonight with Aftershock: Earthquake In New York. The all sorta-star cast includes Tom Skerritt, Sharon Lawrence, and Lisa Nicole Carson. (Part Two airs Tuesday)...If earthquakes aren't your thing, there's Mary, Mother of Jesus. Although the film focuses on his mother, Christian Bale plays Jesus, giving him the distinction of playing the two most opposite roles possible in one year: next spring, he's Patrick Bateman in the movie version of Bret Easton Ellis' controversial, blood-spattered critique of '80s self-absorption and greed, "American Psycho."...Mimi Rogers returns to The X-Files for the conclusion of last season's "Sixth Extinction" story arc.

Monday, Nov. 15

It's a flood of washed-up guest stars on NBC when Tara Lipinski, Pete Rose, Tom Arnold, Brad Johnson and Marsha Warfield, er, come out of Veronica's Closet...Stephen Bogardus, who has guest-starred on "Law & Order," heads to Monday night to play a child-murder suspect on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit...The New York Jets are the guests of the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.

Tuesday, Nov. 16

Everyone's favorite evil vampire is back on Buffy as Spike (James Marsters) returns to wreak more havoc. But this time, it's Spike who's in trouble...There's more of Finch's supermodel wife, guest body — er, star — Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, on Just Shoot Me...With "The Real World" finally over and the Tuesday 10-spot clear, we can turn our attention back, to, uh, Tom Green repeats? Dateline? Oh, never mind.