The Scooby-Doo franchise has entertained audiences for decades, but recently, a new show called Velma, tried to revamp this classic series and failed! After only two seasons, Max canceled the show, prompting many questions.
Velma's Controversial Run
This animated series was a bit different. Mindy Kaling played the iconic Velma. but this series created quite a stir. Lots of fans had different ideas about this show. Many found Velma wasn't the Scooby-Doo we had always loved! It turned out, they changed up the characters too much. And took a risky move, by creating something that really challenged people's sense of this cherished series. They aimed for a show made for adults, giving Velma an R-rating but the characters were just too different.
Reinventing Scooby-Doo
It appears that Velma is just another example of a tough challenge to take on. That is reinvention of Scooby-Doo!
There are some reasons for its failures:
- Trying to be different without respecting Scooby-Doo’s heritage was a mistake. Many find it impossible to create a Scooby-Doo story that stays true to the original series while changing the established style!
- A key problem was this idea of turning everything into adult material. Even though Velma aimed to create a more grown up story, lots of fans and critics found that these mature elements took away from Scooby-Doo’s appeal as a family-friendly franchise! The series just lost its original feel!
You might say Velma had company, another Scooby-Doo series met a similar fate.
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated ran for two seasons! But fans were really impressed!
- What's remarkable was the storytelling approach. It brought a serialized storyline! Different from classic Scooby-Doo that was based on an episode-by-episode monster.
- Even Fred and Daphne's romance blossomed, adding new emotions! It created an amazing addition and fans even found some romance that brought Velma and Shaggy together.
What’s ironic about its ending was that the team had already completed what seemed like a perfect arc and it still didn't keep the show on air.
It turns out that there's another key aspect that played a role:
- Even though this version was successful and got a decent fanbase it wasn't quite enough and only ran for 52 episodes after pitching a third season to Cartoon Network!
Velma's Cancelation and Its Lessons
The ending of Velma after only two seasons feels almost identical to the ending of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. While they have differences in production and reasons they ended, they were still canceled under similar conditions. Even Mitch Watson, the producer said how they thought it could last more. The show, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, created this super exciting backstory for what we love about Scooby-Doo, showing that great content didn't necessarily mean more.
It seems Velma fell short!
- It wasn’t as appealing to its viewers and lost the hearts of its viewers over time! It ultimately had an inability to get its viewers and hold them on for the long haul, ending its run.
What Does the Future of Scooby-Doo Look Like?
A new chance is on the way, and for a show to take on a new live-action version is exciting!
What’s awesome is that they seem to already understand some of Velma’s errors.
Some might be hopeful that they’ll keep true to this well-loved franchise, while also learning some key things that were missing! This makes them stand out! This new project with Greg Berlanti looks like they’ll keep this classic Scooby-Doo spirit, rather than trying to change it completely.
For sure, if anyone remembers why "Scooby-Doo" was so successful with audiences, even adults loved this live-action feature that used the magic that fans always wanted! That’s just some key factors in creating a new direction! If anything is shown from Velma’s fate and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated that’s that taking risks might be okay but respecting history! If there’s one thing everyone can hope for it’s seeing Scooby-Doo’s classic values and amazing qualities on screen! The live-action version, which is about to get released has a chance to capture the hearts and memories of longtime viewers while also introducing it to a fresh generation.
