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'''''Velma''''' is an American [[Mystery film|mystery]] [[Comedy horror|horror]] [[Television comedy|comedy]] based on the character [[Velma Dinkley]] from the ''[[Scooby-Doo]]'' franchise. Developed and created<ref name="Paste"/> by [[Charlie Grandy]] for [[HBO Max]], 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. Grandy also serves as the showrunner of the series. It revolves around Velma Dinkley and the other human members of Mystery Inc. before their official formation. This is the first series in the franchise to not feature the [[Scooby-Doo (character)|Scooby-Doo]] character. The series premiered on January 12, 2023 to mixed reviews from critics.<!--Do not include audience reception per [[WP:USERG]] and [[MOS:TVAUDIENCE]], unless said is discussed by reliable sources.-->
'''''Velma''''' is an American [[Mystery film|mystery]] [[Comedy horror|horror]] [[Television comedy|comedy]] based on the character [[Velma Dinkley]] from the ''[[Scooby-Doo]]'' franchise. Developed and created<ref name="Paste"/> by [[Charlie Grandy]] for [[HBO Max]], 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. Grandy also serves as the showrunner of the series. It revolves around Velma Dinkley and the other human members of Mystery Inc. before their official formation. This is the first series in the franchise to not feature the [[Scooby-Doo (character)|Scooby-Doo]] character. The series premiered on January 12, 2023 to negative reviews from critics.<!--Do not include audience reception per [[WP:USERG]] and [[MOS:TVAUDIENCE]], unless said is discussed by reliable sources.-->


==Plot==
==Plot==

Revision as of 05:17, 19 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 episodes2
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 mystery horror comedy based on the character Velma Dinkley from the Scooby-Doo franchise. Developed and created[1] by Charlie Grandy for HBO Max, it stars executive producer Mindy Kaling as the voice of the titular character, with Sam Richardson, Constance Wu and Glenn Howerton in supporting roles. Grandy also serves as the showrunner of the series. It revolves around Velma Dinkley and the other human members of Mystery Inc. before their official formation. This is the first series in the franchise to not feature the Scooby-Doo character. The series premiered on January 12, 2023 to negative reviews from critics.

Plot

The series serves as an alternate universe origin story for Mystery Inc., pitched as a "love quadrangle" between them.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4]

Main

  • Mindy Kaling as Velma Dinkley,[5] a snarky teenage would-be detective, who has a crush on murder suspect Fred Jones.[6][7] Because her mother went missing years prior, Velma has horrific guilt-based hallucinations every time she attempts to solve a mystery, a lifelong passion she blames for her disappearance. She is portrayed as bisexual and a South Asian American due to Kaling's ethnicity, a first for the character.
  • Glenn Howerton as Fred Jones,[8] 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.[6] He is the only original Mystery, Inc. member portrayed as white, as in all other Scooby-Doo media.
  • Sam Richardson as Norville Rogers,[9] Velma's best friend and a school news reporter, who has a crush on her and frequently brings up how much he hates drugs.[10][6] 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,[11] a popular girl and Velma's former best friend, who has "complicated feelings" for her.[10][12] 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.

Supporting

  • Velma's family
    • 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.
  • Daphne's family
    • 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.
  • Fred's family
    • 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.
  • Shaggy's family
    • 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.
  • Coolsville High students
    • "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.
    • Karl-Anthony Towns as Jacques Beau (Jock Bo), a handsome jock at the gang's school.
    • 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.
  • Stephen Root as Sheriff Cogburn, the incompetent sheriff of Coolsville.
  • Ming-Na Wen as Carroll[who?].
  • Ken Leung as Darren[who?].

In addition, Kulap Vilaysack has been cast in an undisclosed role.[13]

Episodes

No.Title [14]Directed byWritten byOriginal release date [14]
1"Velma"Anne Walker FarrellCharlie GrandyJanuary 12, 2023 (2023-01-12)
Velma is implicated when Brenda is murdered in the school locker room, and is tasked with clearing her name within twenty-four hours. After hearing from Norville that it might be connected to a missing camera and a cover-up in the malt shop bathroom, she suspects that Sophie is involved, but she is soon 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 actually just wants to buy her silence. He is nonetheless taken in by Donna and Linda. 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 as well.
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 makes several attempts to get the $500 for her, from selling a sword from his room to almost donating a kidney. He is rewarded $500 for apprehending a gunman but doesn't accept it, figuring he should win Velma's heart in a "moral" way[clarification needed]. Daphne reveals the real reason why she is selling drugs, and ends up reconnecting with Velma. Aman 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 he 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.[15] On July 11, 2022, the trademark for the series was listed as abandoned,[16] 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.[17] with the series previewing at New York Comic Con on October 6, 2022.[18]

Some of 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."[19] 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.[20] 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!.[21][22]

Velma marks the second series to feature Frank Welker not voicing Fred Jones after A Pup Named Scooby-Doo,[23] 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,[24][25][26] with the rest of the episodes being released in weekly pairs until February 9, 2023. Notably, the series broke HBO Max's record for the biggest premiere day of an original animated show.[27]

Reception

Velma has received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, reported a 52% approval rating with an average rating of 6.2/10, based on 23 critics. 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".[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 59 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[28]

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."[29] 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.[30] 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."[31]

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.[32] 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.[33]

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."[34] 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.[1] 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."[35]

References

  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Cordero, Rosy (October 6, 2022). "'Velma': Constance Wu, Sam Richardson & Glenn Howerton Join Mindy Kaling As HBO Max Series Leads". Deadline. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  4. ^ @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.
  5. ^ Silliman, Brian (October 7, 2022). "Jinkies! Mindy Kaling and the 'Velma' cast unmask a sneak peek at NYCC". Yahoo!. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Bevan, Rhiannon (October 8, 2022). "Gay Velma Has Already Been Ruined, Has A Crush On Fred In HBO Max Show". TheGamer.
  8. ^ Cao, Caroline (October 8, 2022). "Mindy Kaling reimagined Velma, but she wasn't allowed to use Scooby-Doo". MSN. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  9. ^ Daniels, Karu F. (October 8, 2022). "Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson and Constance Wu announced for Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' animated series". Yahoo!. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Kim, Matt (October 6, 2022). "First Look at HBO Max's Velma Is Full of Gore, Butts". IGN. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  11. ^ Jones, Monique (October 7, 2022). "Shaggy Is Black In Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' Series On HBO Max, Sam Richardson To Voice Character". MSN. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Pennington, A.J. (August 16, 2021). "HBO MAX Scooby-Doo Characters Velma Descriptions". The GWW. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ a b c "Velma: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  15. ^ 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". Animation Magazine.
  16. ^ "VELMA Trademark Information". Trademarkia. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 15, 2022). "Casey Bloys Addresses HBO/Max Reorg, "Extremely Painful" Layoff Decisions in Memo". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  18. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (September 12, 2022). "NYCC: WBD Spotlights 'Velma,' Tartakovsky's 'Unicorn,' DC Animation & More". Animation Magazine.
  19. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (October 6, 2022). "Mindy Kaling says 'Into the Spider-Verse' inspired her to make animated 'Velma' character Indian". EW.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  20. ^ "'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.
  21. ^ @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.
  22. ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (March 2, 2019). "'Scooby-Doo' Reboot: Shaggy Actor Matthew Lillard Wasn't Told He Was Being Replaced". ComicBook.com. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (December 20, 2022). "Mindy Kaling's Velma Adult Animated Series Gets HBO Max Release Date". TVLine. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  25. ^ Codega, Linda; Graves, Sabrina (October 6, 2022). "Mindy Kaling's Scooby-Doo Sleuth Uncovers a Mystery in Velma Trailer". Gizmodo. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  26. ^ Porter, Rick (October 6, 2022). "Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' HBO Max Series Assembles Its Scooby Gang". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  27. ^ Kaling, Mindy [@mindykaling] (January 13, 2023). "Thank you everyone for watching! 🎉 @hbomax @velmatheseries" (Tweet). Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ "Velma: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ Vincent, Brittany (January 6, 2023). "Velma Season 1 Review: Episodes 1-8". IGN. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  35. ^ 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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