Daria and Jane conduct interrogations
 Frequently
Asked
Questions

Table of Contents
  1. What is Daria?
  2. How long was Daria on the air?
  3. Are new episodes being produced?
  4. Are the old episodes still being shown, and if so, where?
  5. Y'know, that "Daria" chick looks familiar...
  6. Is the series available on VHS video?
  7. How about DVD? Perhaps one of those boxed sets that seem to be so popular?
  8. Did any Big Name Celebrities lend their vocal talents to the show?
  9. Are there other resources on the Internet to help get in touch with other Daria fans?

1. What is Daria?

Daria is an animated TV sitcom that chronicles the adventures of Daria Morgendorffer, a cynical and sarcastic loner at Lawndale High School. Most episodes revolved mainly around how she dealt with the absurdities of life, her relationship with her family (lawyer mom Helen, business consultant father Jake, and ultra-popular younger sister Quinn), and her friendship with Jane Lane, a fellow outcast and an aspiring artist.

2. How long was Daria on the air?

The show ran for five seasons on the MTV cable network, from 1997 to 2001. Each season contained 13 episodes (generally running in staggered fashion from late February to early August), for a total of 65 episodes. There were also two TV movies produced, Is It Fall Yet? and Is It College Yet?, the latter serving as the series finale.

3. Are new episodes being produced?

No. For all intents and purposes, the series is over, finished, kaput, and hasta la vista, baby.

4. Are the old episodes still being shown, and if so, where?

At this time, no episodes are known to be airing in the United States. (Nickelodeon's teen-oriented channel, The N [now known as TeenNick], was showing episodes from 2002 to 2006, though these versions were usually badly hacked up to remove objectionable content, and some episodes were never shown at all.) Information on episodes airing outside the United States was formerly available from Martin Sylvester's The Irony Maiden, but sadly, that site has folded, and no other source of information is currently known to be available.

5. Y'know, that "Daria" chick looks familiar...

She's a familiar face to almost anyone who's ever watched MTV's Beavis and Butt-head. Daria was an occasional guest character on that series, a classmate of the Demented Duo who was alternately amused and exasperated by their brain-dead antics. When Beavis and Butt-head ended, series writer Glenn Eichler pitched to MTV the idea of making Daria the star of her own series. He shifted the action from Highland, Texas, to the middle-class town of Lawndale, altered the premise (one cynical teenager versus the world), and fleshed out her character. MTV gave the go-ahead, and as they say, the rest is history.

Click here for complete information about Daria's involvement on Beavis and Butt-head.

6. Is the series available on VHS video?

Only three videos were released in the United States:

On all of these videos, generic music replaced the original music soundtrack, likely due to the high cost of obtaining video distribution rights for the original music.

7. How about DVD? Perhaps one of those boxed sets that seem to be so popular?

There have been only two Daria DVDs released in the United States, for the movies Is It Fall Yet? and Is It College Yet?. Both DVDs contained extras and bonus episodes. Sadly, while the IIFY DVD featured the complete, uncut movie, the IICY DVD included the edited-for-time version. Neither DVD contained the original music soundtrack, again likely due to the high cost of obtaining video distribution rights for the original music.

For the longest time, Daria episodes on DVD (aside from the ones included as bonus material on the two movie DVDs) seemed unlikely to happen, with low consumer demand (as evidenced by weak sales of the movie DVDs) cited as the most common reason. Recent developments, however, have given hope to the possibility that grassroots efforts by the fans have finally awakened the sleeping MTV giant. According to series creator Glenn Eichler, there is serious activity on the part of MTV towards putting the series out on DVD in some fashion. Check the News page for developments on this front.

For information on Daria DVDs available outside the United States, check The Irony Maiden.

8. Did any Big Name Celebrities™ lend their vocal talents to the show?

Is It Fall Yet? was the only time, and featured:

Several of the regular voice artists, however, are notable in their own right:

  • Tracy Grandstaff ("Daria") was one of the original seven participants in the "dry run" test pilot for MTV's The Real World.
  • Wendy Hoopes ("Jane," "Quinn," "Helen") had a bit part in the Howard Stern flick Private Parts, appeared in an episode of NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and co-starred on the NBC series LAX.
  • Alvaro J. Gonzalez ("Trent") and Russell Hankin ("Tom Sloane") are successful off-Broadway theater artists.
  • Sarah Drew ("Stacy") went straight from college to a role in the Cuba Gooding Jr. film Radio, an appearance in an episode of Fox's Wonderfalls, and a recurring role on the WB series Everwood.

Click here for more information on the regular cast members.

9. Are there other resources on the Internet to help get in touch with other Daria fans?

Quite a few, in fact. Here are only some of them:

The Links page can get you started on your search for Daria websites and message boards.