Daria is an American teen animated sitcom created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn. The series ran from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002, on MTV. It centers on the titular character, Daria Morgendorffer, an intelligent, cynical high school student, voiced by Tracy Grandstaff, who had voiced the character in Mike Judge's earlier animated series, Beavis and Butt-Head.
It is a spin-off of Beavis and Butt-Head, in which Daria appeared as a recurring character. Although Judge allowed the character to star in a spin-off, he had no involvement in the production of Daria himself, as he was busy working on King of the Hill.
Premise The series centers on Daria Morgendorffer, a smart, acerbic, and cynical teenage girl who, along with her best friend, aspiring artist Jane Lane, observes the world around her. The show is set in the fictional suburban American town of Lawndale, and is a satire of high school life, full of allusions to and criticisms of popular culture and social classes. As the show's eponymous protagonist, Daria appears in most scenes with her immediate family (mother Helen, father Jake, and younger sister Quinn) and/or Jane.
The show is set during Daria's high school days and ends with her graduation and acceptance into college. The principal location used for the show (outside of the Morgendorffer home) is Lawndale High School, a public-education institution filled with flamboyant and dysfunctional characters.
The dynamics among the two lead characters changed during season four, when Jane began a relationship with Tom Sloane. Though Daria is hesitant to accept Tom at first, fearing she will lose her best friend, she and Tom find themselves becoming closer, culminating in a kiss in the season finale. The emotional and comedic turmoil among Jane, Tom, and Daria was the centerpiece of the TV movie Is It Fall Yet?, and the relationship between Tom and Daria fueled several of season five's plotlines.
The plots of Daria largely concern a juxtaposition between the focal character's blunted, sardonic cynicism and the values/preoccupations of her suburban hometown of Lawndale. In a 2005 interview, series co-creator Glenn Eichler described the otherwise unspecified locale as "a mid-Atlantic suburb, outside somewhere like Baltimore or Washington, D.C. They could have lived in Pennsylvania near the Main Line, though". For comedic and illustrative purposes, the show's depiction of suburban American life was a deliberately exaggerated one."Follow-up Questions (Set #3) with Glenn Eichler" , the-wildone.com, June 11, 2005. "... The whole world of Daria was a bit unreal." In The New York Times, the protagonist was described as "a blend of Dorothy Parker, Fran Lebowitz, and Janeane Garofalo, wearing Carrie Donovan's glasses. Daria Morgendorffer, 16 and cursed with a functioning brain, has the misfortune to see high school, her family, and her life for exactly what they are and the temerity to comment on it."
Characters
Main
Daria Morgendorffer An unfashionably dressed, bespectacled, highly intellectual, entirely pessimistic about life altogether, cynical, and sarcastic teenage girl who is portrayed as an icon of sanity in an insane household in an equally insane upper-middle-class suburb. Voiced by Tracy Grandstaff. Jane Lane Daria's artistic best friend and fellow outcast, as well as the youngest of the five Lane siblings. Like Daria, Jane is very sarcastic and cynical, but she is more athletic and socially comfortable than her friend is. Voiced by Wendy Hoopes.O'Connor, John J.Teen-Ager's Scornful Look at Cuteness. The New York Times. Monday March 3, 1997. C16 New York edition. Retrieved on January 11, 2013.Gates, Anita. "'Daria': In Praise of the Most Unpopular Girl at Lawndale", The New York Times. May 16, 1999. Retrieved on March 19, 2012. Quinn Morgendorffer Daria's shallow, initially dimwitted, materialistic, and vain younger sister who is one of the most popular girls in school. She is a member of Lawndale High School's Fashion Club. Voiced by Wendy Hoopes.Allemang, John. "Finally, a TV teen who comes close to feeling real FINE TUNING." The Globe and Mail. Friday March 19, 1999. D2, Television, The Arts Column. Accessed on LexisNexis. Retrieved on October 31, 2009. Helen Morgendorffer Daria and Quinn's mother, a workaholic corporate attorney and the family's principal wage earner. Voiced by Wendy Hoopes. Jake Morgendorffer Daria and Quinn's father, a neurotic, short-tempered, bumbling, but well-meaning and loving family man. Voiced by Julián Rebolledo.
Supporting Trent Lane Jane's older brother by five years, the second-youngest Lane sibling, and the only other sibling still permanently residing in the Lane household. He plays lead guitar in his band, Mystik Spyral. Daria's unspoken crush on Trent throughout the first three seasons is one of her few weaknesses. Voiced by Alvaro J. Gonzalez. Tom Sloane A young man who serves as love interest to Jane and later to Daria. His parents are wealthy and he attends a nearby private school. He is, in Daria's words, "a little spoiled, a hair smug, and a trifle egotistical" but also a "smart, funny guy who's very caring and sensitive." Voiced by Russell Hankin. Brittany Taylor Lawndale High's ditzy and bubbly head cheerleader; girlfriend to Kevin. Voiced by Lisa Kathleen Collins, under the pseudonym Janie Mertz. Kevin Thompson The Lawndale High football team's quarterback and equally ditzy boyfriend to Brittany. Voiced by Marc Thompson. Michael "Mack" Jordan MacKenzie Jodie's boyfriend and the Lawndale High football team's captain, as well as the only intelligent person on the team. Voiced by Delon Ferdinand, Paul Williams, Kevin Daniels, and Amir Williams. Jodie Landon Lawndale High's class president and one of its few African-American students alongside her boyfriend Mack; she is one of Daria's few true friends other than Jane. Voiced by Jessica Cydnee Jackson. Charles "Upchuck" Ruttheimer, III An obnoxious, sleazy flirt with curly red hair and freckles. Voiced by Marc Thompson and Geoffrey Arend. Andrea The Lawndale High token goth who has a darkly nihilistic personality, moreso than Daria's. "Mart of Darkness" establishes that Andrea works at the local big box warehouse store and knows that Daria and Jane are infamous for making fun of the other students, which is why she initially doesn't help them out at the store. She relents when Daria and Jane promise never to tell anyone about her job or that they saw her. Voiced by Susie Lewis Lynn and Lisa Kathleen Collins (credited under the name "Janie Mertz"). Sandi Griffin The club president and most popular girl in school. She often tries to embarrass or sabotage Quinn due to jealousy. Voiced by Lisa Kathleen Collins/Janie Mertz. Stacy Rowe The secretary of the club. Stacy is very insecure and neurotic and is the closest to Quinn. Voiced by Jessica Zaino and Sarah Drew. Tiffany Blum-Deckler The sycophant of the club. She is known for her monotonous voice and lack of intelligence. Voiced by Ashley Albert. Joey, Jeffy, and Jamie Three nearly interchangeable high-school students and members of the school's football team who constantly compete for Quinn's affection. Joey was voiced by Geoffrey Arend and Steven Huppert. Jeffy was voiced by Tim Novikoff. Jamie was voiced by Marc Thompson. Ms. Janet Barch Science teacher. Due to her recent divorce, she hates all men, often taking out her frustration on Kevin, Mack, and Mr. DeMartino. However, she fell in love with Mr. O'Neill after they shared a tent (as seen on "The Daria Hunter"), leading to the running gag of Ms. Barch trying to make out with Mr. O'Neill every chance she gets (particularly during school functions), leading to her eventually marrying him (after Mr. DeMartino teaches Mr. O'Neill to stand up for himself and break up with her) during the series finale movie, "Is It College Yet?" Voiced by Ashley Albert. Mrs. Diane Bennett Economics teacher who actually has great ideas and treats her students like human beings, both of which make her an extreme outlier at Lawndale High. Voiced by Amy Bennett. Ms. Claire Defoe Art teacher who can be flighty but is intelligent about art. Voiced by Nicole Carin and Danielle Carin. Mr. Anthony DeMartino History teacher. He often loses his temper due to his students' poor grasp of history. One of his eyes is bigger than the other, and noticeably gets larger the angrier he is. He is a lifelong bachelor and Vietnam War veteran. According to "The Daria Hunter" and "Antisocial Climbers," DeMartino grew up with a mother who cared more about the men in her life than taking care of her own son (DeMartino's story about spending time with the neighbors on the former episode, and his story about his former best friend marrying his mother on the latter episode). "The Daria Hunter" also revealed that DeMartino was sent to military school (which Jake -- a fellow military school student -- picks up on when DeMartino snatches his flask from him to heavily drink from) and that the neighbors he spent time with when his mother couldn't be bothered to raise him were "...strange, twisted people" and that Jake (whether or not he meant it, since the two of them were drunk) may have had those same neighbors. Voiced by Marc Thompson. Ms. Angela Li School principal. Incredibly corrupt, her school safety policies often border on those of a police state and she will do anything to increase the budget and reputation of the school. Voiced by Nora Laudani. Mr. Timothy O'Neill English teacher. He is often overly-sentimental and naïve when interacting with students. Voiced by Marc Thompson. Ms. Margaret Manson School psychologist. She only has one speaking role, in which she declares Daria has self-esteem issues. Voiced by Jessica Zaino. Ms. Morris Physical-education teacher, track team coach, and also the cheerleading coach. She is openly corrupt, turning physical-education class into covert cheerleading practice, and fudging grades for athletes. Voiced by Katie Kingston.
Episodes
Origin Daria Morgendorffer, the show's titular character, first appeared on MTV as a recurring character in Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head. MTV senior vice president and creative director Abby Terkuhle explained that when that show "became successful, we ... created Daria's character because we wanted a smart female who could serve as the foil"."'Daria': Brainy = Zany in MTV's irreverent view of 'girl humor,'" Chicago Tribune TV Week, August 17–23, 1997. Retrieved on November 1, 2009. Daria's original design was created by Bill Peckmann while working for J.J. Sedelmaier Productions during Beavis and Butt-Heads first season. During production of Beavis and Butt-Heads final seasons, MTV representatives, wanting to bring in a higher female demographic to the channel, approached story editor Glenn Eichler, offering a spin-off series for Daria. In 1995, a five-minute pilot, "Sealed with a Kick", was created by Eichler and Beavis and Butt-Head staffer Susie Lewis (although written by Sam Johnson and Chris Marcil). Among 4 other animated pilots pitched to the channel, Daria performed the strongest in focus groups, especially among middle-school-aged participants—a fact that bothered MTV initially, as they felt their core audience at the time was instead 18- to 24-year-olds. But after show staff argued that college students don't really watch much television, MTV approved a series order of 13 episodes; both Eichler and Lewis were signed onto the series as executive producers.
The voice of Daria, Tracy Grandstaff, originally got her start on MTV as a writer, and later was cast as a housemate on the unaired pilot of The Real World. Following that experience, Grandstaff got to know the head of development at the network and from there, got a job as a staff writer for Beavis and Butt-Head.