Submitted by GodlordHerus t3_10a2kwq in television
Velma is currently sitting at a 2.6/10 on IMDB with a 8% on Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score which if you have watched the show is a more than a little surprising
The show isn't terrible, maybe the jokes don't land with me but comedy is subjective. I would put it on the same level as HBO's/ WB's other female animated comedies Harley Quinn (8.5/10 IMDB) and Birdgirl (5.8/10 IMDB) (note: Bird-girl is under Adult Swim not HBO). So if I were to give it a rating based off what has been released it would be around 6/10 to 6.5/10
On the technical side the soundtrack, animation, voice acting and character designs are basically the same as Harley Quinn. Which I personally prefer to the "Big Mouth" adult comedy look that has saturated the market.
So why all the negative reviews?
Firstly, one of the complaints is the edgy humor not being funny. Which I can't really comment on as comedy is subjective. I love Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia but can't stand Curb your Enthusiasm (sorry Larry you don't do it for me). So to these people I got nothing to say, the show isn't for you
Secondly a more easily addressed compliant is about the character designs, namely the race swapping. If you seriously are so mad you can't watch a 26 minute animated show over this, you're a fucking racist turd. This argument has been talked to death online and I honestly don't think I can add any thing new to it. At least we discovered a new way to identify closeted racists ( Mother Fuckers still screaming about the little Mermaid, shit hasn't even dropped)
Thirdly is the issue of the show somehow "desecrating the legacy of Scooby-doo"
In total there have been 45 films and 14 Televisions shows in the "Scoobyverse"
Personally my favorite TV show will always be (1985) The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-doo and film (1998) Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (OST is a banger)
Worst is (1988) A Pup Named Scooby-Doo .Which was basically the ""Watchmen Babies" joke made flesh
The James Gunn films in 2002 and 2004 are both nostalgic fun for me, but I wouldn't say they are good
You probably guessed that I'm from the middle Scooby-doo Era (1980s to 1990s) so outside of catching a glimpse of (2010s) Mystery Incorporated being watched by kids ( in University now Jesus). I don't have an opinion on modern Scoody-doo tastes. But that's the thing Scooby-doo has been around since 1969!
The ghosts have been real, then fake, then real, then Scrappy-doo controlling a robotic body of Commander of The British Empire: Rowan Atkinson controlling demons, then fake again
Its a constantly changing show and this version might not be made for me but I'm happy that it was made. That's what I feel as a life long fan
6/10!
Edit: Some of these comments would make you think Scooby-doo was the peak of fiction. People reviewing this show like it being low on IMDB will save "western culture". It's a above average show not Heil Honey I'm home
Edit: Heil Honey I'm home has a 4.6/10 the critics of the show please explain how it's better
Edit: Can't belive how butt hurt some of these comments are. Are you all that fragile that an animated minority teenager sends you into a frantic rage?
Edit: Man some of you guys really are triggered by edgy comedy and multi racial casts. I apologise for triggering your impotent rage with a 6/10 rating.
Edit: I don't think I've ever gotten more grief for a show that I think is "Mid" at best. I still hold that the animation and sound design are fine. However the OST is forgettable and bland. But the two biggest issues are the race swapped characters and the writing. I don't care about the race swapping at all, so you can stop sending me DMs. Explaining your theories on the social implications and woke agendas etc...
But the writing is something that I can talk about. Before we go any further the show isn't written by Mindy Kaling, rather Charlie Grandy. She is a Executive Producer so sure she still has a lot of input. Regardless since the show is (based on IMDB) his creation I will direct the issues to Mr Grandy
Velma is a copy of Clone High (Highly suggest this retrospective if you haven't heard of it)
Not inspired by, or in the vain of, It is Clone High. Which is bizarre since HBO has a Reboot of Clone High coming this year (2023).
The Concept (banger OST) of taking established characters and putting them in a exaggerated high school setting. Is the basis for both shows, including the sexual fluidity (yes that's Abraham Lincoln making out with Mahatma Gandhi) of characters, edgy humor and love triangles. But it doesn't end there, established characters having same sex parents. A character trying to get with a friend that that is i love with the hottest girl in school etc..
The only difference being that they have switched the characters in an attempt to fit them to the "Scooby gang"
Velma = Joan / Abe ( plot points of main character given to her but she is Joan)
Daphne = Cleo (hottest girl in school/ main love interest)
Shaggy = Gandhi ( comic relief that goes on B plots)
Fred = JFK ( Main love interests ex-boyfriend)
Which is fine if you are trying to make fun of teen dramas but Scooby-doo isn't Euphoria. Which has plots as crazy as Clone High. A show designed to be the most extreme version of Dawson's Creek with the shock value of watching a Cholo Jesus clone
But I get it; the "joke" is the fact that its the Scooby-gang doing these ridiculous things. But The Venture Brothers (another retrospective) proved you can make a parody of the original show with edgy comedy without changing the core. Velma could have been a show based around the "traditional mysteries" but they opted to copy Clone High. No ridiculous plots ( maybe one involving Velma's missing mother), No elaborate costumes, No ghosts and no dog. Because these would clash with the framework of a parody of teen dramas
But while I have been focusing a lot on Clone High, Velma may be trying to pull a Riverdale (Yes! another Youtube Retrospective)
Riverdale is fucking crazy! But similar to Velma it is a re-imaging of a classic IP with a modern twist. There are so many insane plots in this show that I can't even pick one. You can watch Alex Meyers Riverdale is a mess series for a summary to date
However Riverdale has been a hit. With its finale 7th season airing this year
This is completely speculative but I assume when Mr Grandy looked at shows like the Venture Brothers or Clone High; he saw small cult hits. In the case of Clone High only 1 season 20 years ago. So he decided to make a "Riverdale Scooby-doo" . The similarities between Velma and Clone high a result of Clone High being a parody of Teen Dramas and being animated.
Which begs the question should the show even exist?
Well that's not up to me and a Second Season is on the way. With it being stated that it is the most watched animated show in HBO's history
Which suggests that the plan has worked regardless of the backlash
Before it was an easy 6/10, but now to quote Super Eye Patch Wolf it is in the "Valley of Mediocrity". It is a copy of a parody of an insane genre ( Have you seen Bel-Air) wearing the skin of Scooby-doo. So I would say its currently a 4.5 to 5 / 10