But those assholes aren't the reason it failed. It failed because of viewership because many feel it's not very good. Picking out only the most extreme voices to avoid any kind of reflection is a lazy way to process this.
As far as being obscure, Bebop isn't Naruto or anything but...known only by hardcore? What? Huh? Do you know what obscure anime look like? Bebop wouldn't have snagged a live action adaptation if it was obscure in the first place. Even if it was 20 years ago, Bebop still has a ton of nostalgia because of when and where it aired, and it's still one of the first ones you hear when you get asked "What's an anime for people who don't like anime?"
Anime remains pretty niche compared to when it was a mainstay on CN's blocks. But Bebop's still one of the most basic bitch animes you can list, around the Fullmetals, Evangelions, and Code Geasses. It's not up with your Dragonball or Naruto, but it's still firmly in that tier of popularity...and not everything NEEDS to be as big as those, nor will everything stylistically appeal as such.