UPN to Air Animated Prime-Time ‘Dilbert’

Viacom Inc. and Chris-Craft Industries Inc.’s United Paramount Network said it will air an animated prime-time TV program featuring Dilbert, the hapless hero of the comic strip that pokes fun at the corporate world. Dilbert creator Scott Adams and Larry Charles will be executive producers of the show for Columbia TriStar Television. Charles formerly produced “Seinfeld” and “Mad About You.” UPN may be trying to duplicate the success News Corp.’s Fox network has had with “The Simpsons.” That prime-time cartoon helped Fox gain viewers when the network was still in its infancy. UPN declined to give financial details for the half-hour program, which the network said probably will begin airing by January. The network signed up for 13 episodes. Fox had developed a live-action show based on “Dilbert” for the fall 1997 season, though it decided not to air the program.