Why is Scooby-Doo not in Velma? His absence explained

20 January 2023, 16:02

Watch the Velma trailer

By Sam Prance

Scooby-Doo fans are criticisng Velma for not including everyone's favourite cartoon dog in the show.

HBO Max's Scooby-Doo-inspired series Velma is facing backlash for not including the character of Scooby-Doo in the show.

Last week (Jan 12), Velma debuted on HBO Max to a mixed response. The show is written as an origin story of how Mystery Inc. formed. However, instead of being a children's show, Velma contains adult humour (Daphne is a drug dealer and Fred has a tiny penis). The series received some positive reviews from critics but Scooby fans have reacted negatively to it.

However, it's not the content that's truly upset Scooby fans. It's the fact that Scooby-Doo doesn't appear in the show at all.

Why is Scooby-Doo not in Velma? His absence explained. Picture: HBO Max, Warner Bros. Pictures / Cinematic Collection / Alamy Stock Photo

Yes. Despite being a Scooby-Doo related show, Scooby-Doo is not part of Velma. Explaining why Scooby isn't in it, creator Charlie Grandy told Variety that it came down to the direction of the show. He said: "It felt like what made it a kids’ show was Scooby-Doo." Interestingly, the live-action Scooby-Doo films feature both adult humour and Scooby.

Charlie then continued to explain that there were licensing issues which meant that they couldn't put Scooby in the series even if they wanted to. He said: "[Us having doubts about putting Scooby in the show] coincided with Warner Bros. Animation saying, ‘Hey, you can’t use the dog'. So we were like, ‘Great, this works out well.'"

Nevertheless, fans aren't impressed with the lack of Scooby. One person tweeted: "velma is so bad HOW DO YOU MAKE SCOOBY DOO WITHOUT SCOOBY DOO." Another added: "Without Scooby, it’s just a random teen murder show."

velma is so bad HOW DO YOU MAKE SCOOBY DOO WITHOUT SCOOBY DOO
— ANTHONY. (@monarchiismss) January 16, 2023

I tried #Velma. Especially without Scooby, it’s just a random teen murder show. If you want recent Velma content where she’s canon queer and features a WOC, watch Trick Or Treat, Scooby-Doo. pic.twitter.com/qoNXmoJ0DW
— Rebekah Weatherspoon Updates! ✨🍯✨ (@RdotSpoon) January 14, 2023

Tried to watch Velma on HBO Max and it just doesn't jive with me.

If they wanted to do an adult version of this show without Scooby it should've been Velma and the gang in their mid 30s dealing with the trauma of Scooby's inevitable death.
— Bear (@BearUNLV) January 15, 2023

that new velma show is gonna be so ass bro

how the hell you gonna make a scooby show without scooby
— cartoon intros that are raw (@rawtoonintros) January 10, 2023

Goes without saying I won’t be watching Velma, the only thing I’ll add to this discussion is that if Mindy Kaling and company wanted to make their original show they should have just done that. Stripping the characters of their personalities and not having Scooby is just odd.
— Jerome! (@JeromeM94Movies) January 12, 2023

My mom saw a preview of #Velma and asked me where Scooby Doo was. Shrugged and said not apart of the series. She asked why would they use Scooby Doo Characters for a show without having Scooby Doo in it. Shrugged again and said I don’t know. She doesn’t get it and neither do I.
— Robert Butler (@Breezy2345) January 16, 2023

As it stands, Mindy Kaling and the team behind Velma are yet to respond to the backlash to the series. We shall update you if they do.

What do you think of Velma?