Review: Velma - Season One
Jinkies! This raucous reimagining of the Scooby-Doo franchise unravels the mysterious origins of Mystery, Inc. – as seen through the eyes of the gang’s beloved bespectacled detective Velma.
Mindy Kaling, Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, and Glenn Howerton
After 10 episodes, 'Velma' finally finishes its reign as one of the worst adaptations to date. From slandering to classic Scooby Doo brand to downright disrespecting viewers, this show deserved to be cancelled after the release of the pilot.
The character of Velma is easily the worst written character on the show. She is disrespectful to everyone, has no redeeming qualities, and is an absolutely horrible protagonist. She continues to degrade her friends and family making you really wonder how she actually has friends anyway. Fred is displayed as a bumbling rich fool who feels more like an original character than an adaptation. Norville actually IS an original character, yet somehow still feels like a disgrace to the source material. The only character i could actually stand is Daphne who feels quite wasted for most of the season.
Not only are the characters bad, but the plot is somehow even worse. A murder mystery plot that feels like it wasn't decided till the final episode. A poor motivation and an even worse reveal make this feel like an episode of the CW. For a 10 episode season, almost every other episode feels like filler that could've been used to flesh out the characters at the very least. The writers make it feel like you're being punished by watching the show, like an attack on your intelligence, the literally opposite from a show like 'Rick and Morty' which does the same but in an actually well scripted way.
Unfortunately, because of all the hate watching 'Velma' will probably get another season. Not only is this a poor adaptation, it's a poor show all together. Bad writing, run of the mill animation, and sub par voice action make these 30 minute episodes feel like an hour. Not only do I not recommend anyone to watch this; I recommend HBO Max takes their loss and cuts all ties with this series and its crew.
