Beware Of Dog aired on Animal Planet from August 13 until August 21, 2002.
This rather cliched sitcom was the first such series on Animal Planet, but it got a quick yank of the collar. Jack, an adorable shaggy bearded collie, didn't think much of human owners and said so in his sarcastic voice-over comments( leashes were "postdomestication tools of oppresion). But he needed to eat, so he insinuated himself into the sunny suburban home of The Pooles, a family consisting of one goofy Dad, Bill ( Richard Waugh), a civil war buff; Bill's smarter wife Mary ( Carolyn Dunn); one slightly snotty teen, Jessica ( Alex Appel), and a cheerful younger son Matt ( Gage Knox). Jack saved the day more than once-for example , phoning in an order for flowers when Bill forgot Mary's birthday-but he couldn't save the show. Two preview episodes aired in August 2002, with a regular run scheduled for 2003, but it was never seen again. Jack was played by a pooch named Chip. And yes the actor who gave him voice was named " Park Bench."
A Review From The New York Times
TELEVISION REVIEW; A Dog's Life, Still Faithful To Customs Of Sitcoms
By NEIL GENZLINGER
Published: August 13, 2002
With ''Beware of Dog,'' its first attempt at a sitcom, Animal Planet unequivocally demonstrates its commitment to recycling. That, unfortunately, is not a compliment.
Other cable networks have blazed trails with their original programming, but there is nothing new or innovative in this half-hour show, at least judging from tonight's opening episode. That doesn't have to be a drawback; plenty of sitcoms have succeeded by borrowing premises and formats and improving on them. ''Beware of Dog,'' though, like its title character, seems content to feed on rotting garbage.
Start with the Pooles, the family at the center of the show: two witless parents (Carolyn Dunn and Richard Waugh), an annoying son (Gage Knox) and a daughter (Alex Appel) doing that tired punk thing that exists on television way out of proportion to its presence in real life. They're right out of the stereotype warehouse, and they interact in that Insult Olympics way that hasn't been funny for years.
This puts a lot of weight on Jack, the bearded collie of the title. The premise of the show is that we see these humans and others from Jack's perspective, aided by his running commentary (an interior monologue only; no moving lips here). Trouble is, Jack's take on things isn't that interesting or surprising. He likes to eat. He doesn't like leashes. And so on.
It is all so bland that for a moment you think the show is deliberately aiming low, for the 8-year-old audience. But would an 8-year-old get the Jack Nicholson reference (the dog being named after the actor because of his popularity with the ladies), or the man-hitting-on-Mrs.-Poole innuendo? Who is this show aiming at, anyway?
In truth, there is no one for ''Beware of Dog'' to aim at because the talking-animal premise has already been done much, much better by films like ''Homeward Bound'' and ''Babe,'' films that had heart and intelligence and universal appeal not evident here. Heck, the dog's not even that cute.
BEWARE OF DOG
Animal Planet, tonight at 8, Eastern time; 7, Central time; 5, Pacific time
Rob Gilmer, writer and executive producer; Les Alexander and Don Enright, executive producers; Elizabeth Mozden, executive producer for Animal Planet. Produced for Animal Planet by Nelvana Entertainment in association with Alexander/Enright and Associates.
WITH: Chip (Jack, the Dog), Alex Appel (Jessica Poole), Carolyn Dunn (Mary Poole), Gage Knox (Mark Poole) and Richard Waugh (Bill Poole
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