Mindy Kaling’s Scooby-Doo Spinoff ‘Velma’ Premieres To Mostly Negative Reviews – S Chronicles

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“Velma,” a spin-off of the Scooby-Doo universe in adult animation, premiered on HBO Max on January 12 to largely negative reception.

The show features executive producer Mindy Kaling as the voice of the character Velma Dinkley, the brightest member of amateur crime group Mystery Inc. The star-studded cast includes Constance Wu as Daphne, Sam Richardson as Shaggy and Glenn Howerton as Fred.

The series serves as an alternate universe origin story for Mystery Inc. and marks the first time in franchise history that the Scooby-Doo character will not appear. The show focuses primarily on Velma Dinkley as she “tries to solve a mystery surrounding the disappearance of her mother as well as the numerous murders of local teenage girls.”

The modern take on the popular animated franchise has been panned by both critics and general audiences.

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As of this writing, the show’s Rotten Tomatoes viewership sits at a miserable 7 percent while the critics’ rating is stagnant at 55 percent.

The Huffington Post’s Candice Frederick praised the series’ writing style but acknowledged its flaws: “Teenage and genre lore has so seeped into every line of Velma’s dialogue that it’s impossible not to enjoy it despite its flaws.”

The AV Club’s Saloni Gajjar also enjoyed the show, praising it for its “well-structured narrative with jokes, suspense, interconnected storylines and developing relationships rather than a weekly format and various monster antics.”

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Meanwhile, Entertainment Weekly’s Darren Franich felt Velma was a wasted opportunity, as it “largely replaces the old goofy sensibility with blatant, nameless futility.”

CNN’s Brian Lowry also found the writing to be lacking, calling the show “sporadically funny but ultimately pretty boring”.

The story goes on

Rotten Tomatoes’ user reviews page contained mostly scathing comments, with many saying watching the show was a waste of time.

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“One of the worst TV shows I’ve ever seen,” wrote one user.

“Forget the race and sex swap, Mindy needs to learn that BIG is FUN,” commented another. “Dragonball Evolution has been dethroned.”

“Love the original,” wrote one fan. “Love this take. Sure – it’s not Scooby Doo as we know it – but an extraordinary modern take on a classic.”

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“Quirky, Clever and campy,” was the other positive comment. “Reminds me a bit of the Scream Queens humor.”

Kaling herself has been criticized for her portrayal of Velma, with many Twitter users pointing out a recurring theme on her shows involving the “Loser Indian Girl” stereotype.

“Velma” became HBO Max’s most-watched debut animated series after the first two episodes premiered on the platform on Jan. 12, MovieWeb reported.

Kaling confirmed the news in a tweet that also thanked viewers for watching the show.

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