Velma Disappointed
Scooby-Doo is a cartoon classic for all ages but also a personal favorite of mine. There was a resurgence in the buzz about Scooby-Doo this year when HBO Max released their new limited series, Velma, with Mindy Kaling as star and showrunner. The announcement was met with a lot of skepticism but also some excitement. The idea of an “adult” version of Scooby-Doo intrigued the millennial crowd that had watched the cartoons as kids. It promised to offer even more adult humor and content than the live-action movie remake plus an opportunity to more thoroughly explore the relationships within the Scooby Gang. The artwork in the initial promos also looked appealing! It seemed like everything was lining up for a win despite the odd casting choices…until the trailer dropped. The teaser made it abundantly clear that Velma had little to do with the Scooby-Doo of our youth. If you have no pre-existing love for the Scooby-Doo property and are a fan of adult cartoons, then Velma might be worth your time. If you’re like me, though, and are looking for something that recaptures the same energy and fun of the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? or the early 2000s What’s New Scooby-Doo? but with a dash of maturity, then Velma is not going to meet those expectations. Velma’s crass humor could have worked for an adult audience and the mystery is even pretty interesting, but there is complete disregard for the original characters – this new Scooby gang only have the same names, not any of the same personality traits or teamwork (in fact, they’re often complete opposites of their prior incarnations).
So what’s a Scooby fan to do?
So what’s a Scooby fan to do? Well, there’s another new mature Scooby show – Mystery Incorporated. Unlike the creators behind Velma, Mystery Incorporated is created by true fans of the Scooby-Doo franchise. It’s inspired by former Scooby-Doo series, especially The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and also new teen sci-fi shows on the CW like Riverdale. Mystery Incorporated deviates from some of the traditional mystery aspects of Scooby-Doo by including supernatural elements much like the supernatural elements of CW shows like Riverdale and Sabrina. But it does stick true to the characters of the original. Velma is a smart outsider whose mom is obsessed with the supernatural. She teams up with Fred, a popular jock with another side to him who has history with Daphne, the beautiful and popular queen-bee. Shaggy and Scooby are there too (and Scooby is a retired police dog – hence his affinity for detective work). Only the first episode of the series has been released so far and it’s available to watch on YouTube for free. Each episode will gradually be made and released as this is a non-profit crowdfunded project. The second episode has been written, fully funded, and is currently being produced. Take an hour and check out the project on YouTube!
https://www.mysteryincorporatedseries.com/
What else? Rewatch!
If you can’t wait for the series to finish getting funded and made or if you’re an animation purist, then it might be worth your time to revisit the old series – it’s unlikely you’ve seen all thirteen series. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013) is an especially great one to rewatch as an adult. While it’s technically a “kids show,” instead of being episodic, there’s an overarching story line for the whole series and there’s a lot of focus on relationships and teen-life. The series was one that went under the radar for many, so if you’re looking for something that will satisfy your mystery fix (that’s better than Velma) it’s worth a watch.