Viewers Hate The New Adult Scooby-Doo Series

The new Scooby-Doo Velma series currently has a terrible 8% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

By James Brizuela | Published

scooby doo velma

The long-awaited Scooby-Doo spinoff series, Velma, has finally landed on HBO Max. However, it appears that its arrival is something that viewers are not that happy with, as the scores for the series are atrocious. Velma currently holds a 50% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn’t the worst in the world, but its paltry 8% audience approval rating is something that could sink this new series entirely.

Granted, the new Scooby-Doo Velma series has just been released, and Rotten Tomatoes scores can generally fluctuate with more reviewers adding in their two cents. Still, 8% is quite awful, and starting out with that could be because many people would rather see the gang highlighted in a different manner. The new series was created by perennial funny woman, Mindy Kaling, but she could have missed the mark with this new take on everyone’s favorite mystery solvers.

Scooby-Doo also benefits from having Scooby-Doo in the lineup of characters, but it appears that Velma has left out the beloved canine. It could be that one of the most important elements of the mystery-solving crew is missing, leaving fans to review bomb it on Rotten Tomatoes. Also, it could be a ton of pushback and trolls on the internet review bombing the show because of the diversity in the cast.

mindy kaling velma

This new Scooby-Doo spinoff follows Velma Dinkley, who is actively searching for her mother who has gone missing, all while trying to solve the murders of various teenage girls. Velma is a new origin story for Mystery, Inc., and brings in a new take on practically every character. The series is listed as an adult animation, which could be why Scooby is not shown or included.

Scooby-Doo would certainly make the show feel like the childhood favorite, and his good-natured sound effects might not be welcomed in Velma, as the show covers multiple murders. The original Scooby-Doo series just had the gang going around and solving disappearances and things of that nature, not trying to find out who dumped a cheerleader in the swamp. We are not saying that is what happens in this series, just using that situation as an example.

Again, the Scooby-Doo offshoot Velma series was just released yesterday on HBO Max, so it could just be that the true scores for the show have yet to come out. Even when shows or movies are given poor reviews by critics, they are often given much more life by the audiences that watch them. Velma’s scores are working in reverse order this time, but it might take some time for audiences to get used to.

Also, the Scooby-Doo Velma series has also only released two episodes so far, so judging based on such a small sample size is never the correct route to go. New shows can often take plenty of time to get good, and it might take a few more episodes for the drama of the adult cartoon to truly kick in. We are certainly going to give Velma a fighting chance, as should everyone else, because we all have different tastes.