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'''''Velma''''' is an American [[Adult animation|adult animated]] [[Mystery film|mystery]] [[Television comedy|comedy]] television series based on the character [[Velma Dinkley]]. Developed by [[Charlie Grandy]], it stars executive producer [[Mindy Kaling]] as the voice of the titular character, with [[Sam Richardson (actor)|Sam Richardson]], [[Constance Wu]] and [[Glenn Howerton]] in supporting roles. The series revolves around Velma Dinkley and the other human members of Mystery Inc. before their official formation. This is the first series in the franchise that doesn’t include the Scooby-Doo character, or any of the other characters that can be found in Scooby Doo for that matter (except for Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy).
'''''Velma''''' is an American [[Adult animation|adult animated]] [[Mystery film|mystery]] [[Television comedy|comedy]] television series based on the character [[Velma Dinkley]]. Developed by [[Charlie Grandy]], it stars executive producer [[Mindy Kaling]] as the voice of the titular character, with [[Sam Richardson (actor)|Sam Richardson]], [[Constance Wu]] and [[Glenn Howerton]] in supporting roles. The series revolves around Velma Dinkley and the other human members of Mystery Inc. before their official formation. This is the first series in the franchise that doesn’t include the Scooby-Doo character, or any of the other characters that can be found in Scooby Doo for that matter (except for Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy).


''Velma'' premiered on January 12, 2023 on [[HBO Max]], consisting of ten episodes released in pairs. The series has received mixed reviews from critics.
''Velma'' premiered on January 12, 2023 on [[HBO Max]], consisting of ten episodes released in pairs. The series has received negative reviews from critics.


==Plot==
==Plot==

Revision as of 15:38, 14 January 2023

Velma
Genre
Based on
Developed byCharlie Grandy
Voices of
Music byCraig DeLeon
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
ProducerKandace Reuter
Editors
  • Brian Swanson
  • Erin Hassidim
Running time24–25 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO Max
ReleaseJanuary 12, 2023 (2023-01-12) –
present

Velma is an American adult animated mystery comedy television series based on the character Velma Dinkley. Developed by Charlie Grandy, it stars executive producer Mindy Kaling as the voice of the titular character, with Sam Richardson, Constance Wu and Glenn Howerton in supporting roles. The series revolves around Velma Dinkley and the other human members of Mystery Inc. before their official formation. This is the first series in the franchise that doesn’t include the Scooby-Doo character, or any of the other characters that can be found in Scooby Doo for that matter (except for Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy).

Velma premiered on January 12, 2023 on HBO Max, consisting of ten episodes released in pairs. The series has received negative reviews from critics.

Plot

The series serves as an alternate universe origin story for Mystery Inc., pitched as a "love quadrangle" between them.[1] It primarily focuses on Velma Dinkley as she tries to solve a mystery regarding the disappearance of her mother, as well as the numerous murders of local teenage girls.[2]

Voice cast

See also: List of Scooby-Doo characters

Much of the recurring voice cast was revealed in a thread on the show's official Twitter page.[3]

Main

  • Mindy Kaling as Velma Dinkley,[4] a snarky teenage would-be detective, who has a crush on murder suspect Fred Jones.[5][6] Because her mother went missing years prior, Velma has horrific guilt-based hallucinations. She is portrayed as South Asian American due to Kaling's ethnicity, a first for the character.
  • Glenn Howerton as Fred Jones,[7] a popular but dimwitted 16-year-old murder suspect, and Velma's crush who is the heir to the Jones Gentlemen Collection fashion line. He is also a noted late bloomer in terms of puberty, a first for his character.[5]
  • Sam Richardson as Norville Rogers,[8] Velma's best friend and a school news reporter, who has a crush on her and frequently brings up how much he hates drugs.[9][5] He is portrayed as African American, a first for his character, and is exclusively referred to by his real first name instead of "Shaggy", his familiar nickname. He also does not share the original Shaggy's cowardice, although his love of snacks remains.
  • Constance Wu as Daphne Blake,[10] a popular girl and Velma's former best friend, who has "complicated feelings" for her.[9][11] Brought up by two adoptive mothers, Daphne hopes to discover her biological parents and sells drugs to her fellow students in order to afford a detective. This version is portrayed as East Asian American, a first for her character.

Secondary

  • Russell Peters as Aman Dinkley, Velma's lawyer father, who struggles to keep her in line.
  • Melissa Fumero as Sophie, Aman's pregnant model girlfriend who also owns the Spooner's Malt Shop.
  • Sarayu Blue as Diya Dinkley, Velma's absentee mother.
  • Jane Lynch as Donna Blake, one of Daphne's two adoptive mothers, who is a slightly incompetent detective investigating Brenda's murder.
  • Wanda Sykes as Linda Blake, Daphne's other adoptive mother, who shares her profession.
  • Cherry Jones as Victoria Jones, Fred's mother.
  • Frank Welker as William Jones, Fred's father who is ashamed of him. Welker has voiced Fred since the character's inception in 1969.
  • Nicole Byer as Blythe Rogers, Shaggy's mother and the Principal of Crystal Cove High.
  • Gary Cole as Lamont Rogers, Shaggy's therapist father. His design bears a resemblance to Shaggy's original design.
  • Stephen Root as Sheriff Cogburn, an incompetent Coolsville policeman.
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic as Dandruff Tuba, a student at Coolsville High. A running gag involves him getting frequently injured by the gang's antics.
  • Fortune Feimster as Olive, a popular girl at the gang's school.
  • Yvonne Orji as Gigi, a cool girl at the gang's school.
  • Ming-Na Wen as Carroll
  • Shay Mitchell as Brenda, an attractive, popular girl at the gang's school who was brutally murdered by a serial killer via having her brain ripped out.
  • Debby Ryan as Krista, another attractive girl at the gang's school who is murdered in the same manner as Brenda.
  • Karl-Anthony Towns as Jacques Beau (Jock Boy), a handsome jock at the gang's school.

In addition, Ken Leung and Kulap Vilaysack have been cast in undisclosed roles.[12]

Episodes

No.Title [13]Directed byWritten byOriginal release date [13]
1"Velma"Anne Walker FarrellCharlie GrandyJanuary 12, 2023 (2023-01-12)
Velma is implicated when Brenda is murdered in the school locker room and has her brain removed. She is tasked with clearing her name within twenty-four hours, but is reluctant to solve another mystery, a passion she blames for her mother's disappearance two years ago, and also triggers hallucinations. With Norville's help, she suspects that Sophie is involved after Norville's camera went missing, but after Sophie is proven innocent, Aman explains that Diya simply left them on purpose, supposedly solving the mystery. Velma attempts to move on, only to be confronted by the other girls, including Daphne, who lets it slip that Fred has some insecurities and is known to kick partners out of the malt shop bathroom. Velma and Norville sneak into his mansion and find the latter's camera, revealing that Fred was the one who covered up the evidence. Fred explains that he is simply embarrassed about being a late bloomer and seemingly plans to kill Velma, but is taken in by Donna and Linda, who suspect that he was Brenda's real killer. Fred reveals that he only wanted to pay for Velma's silence. Nonetheless, with her name cleared, Velma strives to pick up mystery-solving again and figure out what really happened to her mother, only to find that Krista has been murdered in a similar fashion.
2"The Candy (Wo)man"Cal RamseyAkshara SekarJanuary 12, 2023 (2023-01-12)
While Aman reluctantly agrees to defend Fred in court, Velma asks Daphne for the cold-case file on Diya, but Daphne says she'll only do it if given $500. Velma soon discovers that Daphne is the school's "candy woman" and is threatened into helping her sell more drugs. Meanwhile, Norville attempts to get $500 by selling a sword from his room, hoping to also buy Velma's love, but the pawn shop will only pay $80. He nearly donates a kidney for the money, but the operation is attacked by a gunman, whom he knocks out. He is rewarded $500 for apprehending a criminal but doesn't accept it, figuring he should win Velma's heart in a moral way. Daphne reveals that she is mainly selling drugs so she can save up for a P.I. to find her biological parents, and ends up bonding with Velma as they escape from her moms. Velma is later tasked with selling drugs to one more customer, who turns out to be Aman, depressed after Fred's botched trial. He agrees to give Velma the $500, if she helps him prove Fred's innocence, which she ultimately does. Everyone is convinced, but Fred snaps when his childishness is displayed to the public, and is declared guilty. While Aman's career is ruined, Daphne gives Velma her mother's file. It contains a clue, stating that her phone last went off at Fred's house, much to her shock. Daphne manages to stop her hallucination by kissing her, much to Norville's dismay.
3"Velma Kai"UnknownUnknownJanuary 19, 2023 (2023-01-19)
4"Velma Makes a List"UnknownUnknownJanuary 19, 2023 (2023-01-19)
5"Marching Band Sleepover"UnknownUnknownJanuary 26, 2023 (2023-01-26)
6"The Sins of the Fathers and Some of the Mothers"UnknownUnknownJanuary 26, 2023 (2023-01-26)
7"Fog Fest"UnknownUnknownFebruary 2, 2023 (2023-02-02)
8"A Velma in the Woods"UnknownUnknownFebruary 2, 2023 (2023-02-02)
9"Family (Wo)man"UnknownUnknownFebruary 9, 2023 (2023-02-09)
10"The Brains of the Operation"UnknownUnknownFebruary 9, 2023 (2023-02-09)

Production

The series was first announced on February 10, 2021.[14] On July 11, 2022, the trademark for the series was listed as abandoned,[15] only for HBO Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys to confirm the series to still be in production in an August memo, Studio IAM in South Korea handled the series animation.[16] with the series previewing at New York Comic Con on October 6, 2022.[17]

The characters are notably raceswapped. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mindy Kaling explains that "the essence of Velma is not necessarily tied to her whiteness. And I identify so much as her character, and I think so many people do, so it's like, yeah, let's make her Indian in this series."[18] Unlike most Scooby-Doo incarnations, this series will not feature Scooby-Doo himself due to studio mandates, combined with the crew struggling to come up with an adult take on the character.[19] Matthew Lillard, the current voice of Shaggy Rogers in most Scooby-Doo media, expressed his support for the cast of Velma as opposed to his disappointment of not being cast in Scoob!.[20][21]

Velma marks the second series to feature Frank Welker not voicing Fred Jones after A Pup Named Scooby-Doo,[22] though Welker is still involved in the show by voicing Fred's father.

Release

The first two episodes of Velma were released on January 12, 2023 on HBO Max,[23][24][25] with the following eight to release later in 2023.

Reception

Reception for the series has been negative, with several critics drawing comparisons to its fellow HBO Max series, Harley Quinn. The review aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, reported a 53% approval rating from 19 critics and a 7% average audience score. The website's critics consensus reads, "Jinkies! This radical reworking of the beloved Mystery Team has plenty of attitude and style, but it doesn't have the first clue for how to turn its clever subversion into engaging fun".[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 59 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or negative reviews" and a .6 user series score indicating “overwhelming dislike”.[26]

Saloni Gajjar of AV Club gave the show a positive review, praising most of the humor, characterization, storytelling, voice cast, and creative liberties, but stating that sometimes the show falls victim to the tropes it mocks. She concluded the review by saying, "This isn't the Velma we're used to, but it's the Velma we deserve to enjoy today."[27] Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly was far more negative and gave the show a C, describing it as a "self-aware slog" and "so extra it's minus." He criticized the strong emphasis on pop-culture references and meta humor, and how they tend to bury the few bright spots.[28] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it two out of four stars and wrote that "at times the humor is smart and spot-on, but it quickly becomes exhausting. It’s as if a team of very clever scribes gathered in a writers’ room and recorded everything they said — and then shoehorned all of it into the series."[29]

Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence criticized the show's unbalanced tone, lack of focus, absence of Scooby-Doo, and overstuffed narrative. She also stated that the series "feels a bit PG in comparison to other adult animation currently in the works." Conversely, Miller praised the voice acting as well as some of the gags, ending the review by hoping for a second season to iron out its flaws, having noted that the show takes a "the first season is really the pilot episode" approach.[30] In a mixed critique, Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter praised the "thoughtful, emotionally honest" portrayal of Velma herself, but made note of how the show loves to poke fun at televised tropes, yet "seems somewhat less sure of what it has to offer in their stead." She stated how the series' "insistence that it's not like other shows grows thin" and criticized how the cast feels more like "joke machines" than individual characters.[31]

Writing for IGN, Brittany Vincent criticized the series' portrayal of its title character, comparing her to "a biting, hateful version of Daria without the character growth" and stating that this aspect of the show holds it back from being what it strives to be. She did, however, praise the "side-splitting" comedy and the portrayals of Daphne and Fred, concluding that "ironically, the series would be exponentially better without its namesake – or at least a version of her with a bit more character growth."[32] Paste Magazine's Rendy Jones gave the series a 5.8 out of 10, praising the art direction and voice performances, but describing the writing as "constantly at war with itself." They also compared it unfavorably to Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, which they deemed similar in intentions but superior in execution.[33] Joshua Alston of Variety wrote that the show is "irreverent to a fault," extolling most of the humor but stating that it could belong to any other comedy series. He also criticized the portrayal of the Mystery Inc. gang, whom he described as "just really unpleasant to spend time with."[34]

References

  1. ^ Codega, Linda; Graves, Sabina (October 6, 2022). "Mindy Kaling's Scooby-Doo Sleuth Uncovers a Mystery in the Velma Trailer". Gizmodo. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  2. ^ Cordero, Rosy (October 6, 2022). "'Velma': Constance Wu, Sam Richardson & Glenn Howerton Join Mindy Kaling As HBO Max Series Leads". Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  3. ^ @velmatheseries (October 6, 2022). "Wait, I literally just got the spotlight now I have to give it back. Fine. Here's the #VelmaTheSeries voice cast" (Tweet). Retrieved October 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Silliman, Brian (October 7, 2022). "Jinkies! Mindy Kaling and the 'Velma' cast unmask a sneak peek at NYCC". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Johnston, Dais (October 9, 2022). "Jinkies! Velma Preview: Harley Quinn Meets Riverdale In HBO Max's Meta Mystery". Inverse. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Bevan, Rhiannon (October 8, 2022). "Gay Velma Has Already Been Ruined, Has A Crush On Fred In HBO Max Show". TheGamer.
  7. ^ Cao, Caroline (October 8, 2022). "Mindy Kaling reimagined Velma, but she wasn't allowed to use Scooby-Doo". MSN. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  8. ^ Daniels, Karu F. (October 8, 2022). "Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson and Constance Wu announced for Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' animated series". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Kim, Matt (October 6, 2022). "First Look at HBO Max's Velma Is Full of Gore, Butts". IGN. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  10. ^ "Shaggy Is Black In Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' Series On HBO Max, Sam Richardson To Voice Character". MSN. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  11. ^ Pennington, A.J. (August 16, 2021). "HBO MAX Scooby-Doo Characters Velma Descriptions". The GWW. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  12. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (October 6, 2022). "'Velma': Mindy Kaling's Adult 'Scooby-Doo' Series Casts Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, 'Weird Al' and More". Variety. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c "Velma: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  14. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (February 10, 2021). "HBO Max Orders 'Clone High,' 'Velma' & 'Fired on Mars,' Re-Ups 'Close Enough' and Reveals More Adult Toons in Dev".
  15. ^ "VELMA Trademark Information". Trademarkia. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  16. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 15, 2022). "Casey Bloys Addresses HBO/Max Reorg, "Extremely Painful" Layoff Decisions in Memo". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  17. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (September 12, 2022). "NYCC: WBD Spotlights 'Velma,' Tartakovsky's 'Unicorn,' DC Animation & More". Animation Magazine.
  18. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney Bucksbaum (October 6, 2022). "Mindy Kaling says 'Into the Spider-Verse' inspired her to make animated 'Velma' character Indian". EW.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  19. ^ "'Velma': Mindy Kaling's Adult 'Scooby-Doo' Series Casts Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, 'Weird Al' and More". Variety. October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  20. ^ @MatthewLillard (October 7, 2022). "Love everything about this. Kick ass and take names @mindykaling @SamRichardson and the entire cast. Be Brilliant! #zoinks" (Tweet). Retrieved October 11, 2022 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "'Scooby-Doo' Reboot: Shaggy Actor Matthew Lillard Wasn't Told He Was Being Replaced". Movies. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  22. ^ Jones, Monique (October 8, 2022). "Shaggy Is Black In Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' Series On HBO Max, Sam Richardson To Voice Character". MSN. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  23. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (December 20, 2022). "Mindy Kaling's Velma Adult Animated Series Gets HBO Max Release Date". TVLine. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  24. ^ Codega, Linda; Graves, Sabrina (October 6, 2022). "Mindy Kaling's Scooby-Doo Sleuth Uncovers a Mystery in Velma Trailer". Gizmodo. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  25. ^ Porter, Rick (October 6, 2022). "Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' HBO Max Series Assembles Its Scooby Gang". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  26. ^ "Velma: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  27. ^ Gajjar, Saloni (January 9, 2023). "Velma review: Zoinks! Mindy Kaling's Scooby-Doo prequel is a (mostly) fun time". AV Club. Yahoo!. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  28. ^ Franich, Darren (January 5, 2023). "Velma review: A promising reinvention is wasted on lame jokes, prequilitis, and bad meta". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  29. ^ Roeper, Richard (January 11, 2023). "Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' buries its mysteries under a barrage of pop-culture quips". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  30. ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (January 5, 2023). "Velma Review: The Scooby Gang's Adult Animated Origin Story Is One Awkward "Zoinks!"". Consequence. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  31. ^ Han, Angie (January 10, 2023). "'Velma' Review: HBO Max's 'Scooby-Doo' Prequel Is Too Snarky for Its Own Good". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  32. ^ Vincent, Brittany (January 6, 2023). "Velma Season 1 Review: Episodes 1-8". IGN. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  33. ^ Jones, Rendy (January 10, 2023). "Velma: Mindy Kaling's Take on Mystery Gang's Super Sleuth Can't Unmask a Clear Identity". Paste Magazine. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  34. ^ Alston, Joshua (January 11, 2023). "HBO Max's 'Velma' Can't Scare Up a Reason to Exist: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
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