Doug (TV series)

Doug
Also known as	Brand Spanking New! Doug (seasons 5–6), Disney's Doug (season 7, reruns of Seasons 5-7)
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Jim Jinkins
Developed by	Jim Jinkins David Campbell Joe Aaron
Voices of	Billy West Thomas McHugh Fred Newman Chris Phillips Constance Shulman Becca Lish Eddie Korbich
Theme music composer	Fred Newman
Composers	Dan Sawyer Fred Newman
Country of origin	United States France (seasons 2–4)
Original language	English
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	117 (166 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Jim Jinkins David Campbell Vanessa Coffey (seasons 1–4) Mary Harrington (seasons 1–4) Christine Martin David Martin
Producers	Melanie Grisanti Nicolas Pesques (S2)
Running time	22–23 minutes
Production companies	Jumbo Pictures Games Animation (seasons 1–4) Nickelodeon Productions (seasons 1–4) Ellipse Programmé (seasons 2–4) Walt Disney Television Animation (seasons 5–7)
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon
Release	August 11, 1991 (1991-08-11) – January 2, 1994 (1994-01-02)
Network	ABC
Release	September 7, 1996 (1996-09-07) – June 26, 1999 (1999-06-26)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Doug is an animated sitcom created by Jim Jinkins and produced by Jumbo Pictures, airing from August 11, 1991 to June 26, 1999 on Nickelodeon and ABC. The show focuses on the early adolescent life and zany hijinks of its title character, Douglas "Doug" Funnie, who experiences common predicaments while attending school in his new hometown of Bluffington. Doug narrates each story in his journal, and the show incorporates many imagination sequences. The series addresses numerous topics, including trying to fit in, platonic and romantic relationships, self-esteem, bullying, and rumors. Many episodes center on Doug's attempts to impress his classmate and crush, Patti Mayonnaise.

Jinkins developed Doug from drawings in his sketchbook that he created over the course of the 1980s. Doug, a mostly autobiographical creation, was largely inspired by Jinkins's childhood growing up in Virginia, with most characters in the series being based on real individuals. He first pitched Doug as a children's book to uninterested publishers before Nickelodeon purchased the show. Following this, the series underwent further development, in which Jinkins meticulously detailed every aspect of the show's setting. Jinkins was insistent that the series would have a purpose and instructed writers to annotate each script with a moral. The show's unusual soundtrack consists largely of scat singing and mouth noises.

The series premiered on the cable network Nickelodeon, as the first of the original three Nicktoons alongside two other original animated series, Rugrats (which premiered directly after Doug) and The Ren & Stimpy Show (which premiered directly after Rugrats). The original run consisted of 52 episodes over four seasons that were broadcast from 1991 to 1994, being co-produced by Games Animation with Ellipse Programmé by the second season. Nickelodeon opted against renewing the show for a fifth season,^[1] so in 1996, Disney would acquire Jumbo Pictures and greenlit a 26-episode fifth season. Jinkins made several creative changes during this time. The show moved to ABC's Saturday morning lineup, was co-produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and was renewed for two additional seasons. In 1998, the series also aired on television syndication. It became a top-rated show, inspiring various books, merchandise, a live musical stage show, and a theatrical feature, Doug's 1st Movie, released as the series' conclusion in 1999. The series has seen multiple home video releases during its run; the initial four seasons of Doug are available on Paramount+, while the latter three, along with the film, are available on Disney+, although not in every region.