At the time of writing, Velma has 6 of 10 episodes left to air.
I am not sure who pitched a Velma Dinkley prequel set before the formation of Mystery Incorporated, but I am sure they had the best intentions. Sadly the end result is best described as a dumpster fire (and I don’t use this term excessively). The show has opened to some horrible ratings and received a similar backlash via social media. I thought I would give it the benefit of the doubt, and seeing as I love many of the Scooby-Doo interpretations, what could possibly go wrong? HBO heard me ask that question and created a television show that deserves to be canceled (unlike other shows they have axed).
Velma (2023) is the story of high school-aged Velma Dinkley (voiced by Mindy Kaling) who is trying to clear her name/solve the murders of teenage girls from her high school. She is also given another mystery in the form of her missing mother, and viewers learn that the trauma of having a missing mother has prevented Velma from solving any current mysteries. Along for the ride are Daphne, Fred, and Norville (formerly Shaggy). The titular character has complicated relationships with each of them, and so far it is hard to see how the gang will one day form. The show takes what many fans of the franchise love only to throw dirt on it in hopes of coming across as edgy and funny. While there are moments that make me curious as to where the show will lead viewers, the majority of the time I spent cringing and pressing pause.
To start with the positives (and there aren’t many) some of the writing is funny. A line that stuck with me is Velma claiming “all my money is tied up in streaming services.” Which is the only time that the show pokes fun at the viewer and laughs with them instead of at them. This highlights a problem — that this show simply hates its audience — but to be completely honest, I don’t think it even knows who their target audience is. Too grimy for kids, and too “let’s make fun of adults who love animation” for adults that love animation! Most of the good writing doesn’t go to Velma, but instead is given to supporting characters which would be okay if Velma didn’t ruin the effect by shooting back with a bad quip.
The other two positives in the show are supporting characters Daphne (voiced by Constance Wu) and Norville (voiced by Sam Richardson). This version of Daphne is a drug-dealing, self-defence master who challenges Velma’s outlook on the society around her. Norville is a character that lends actual comedic relief. Another bright side to Velma is that the animation is so well done; it makes me sad to see it being used by an undeserving project.
My biggest bone to pick with the series has to be the titular character Velma. While I do not believe Mindy Kaling should be the one who takes all the blame for this show, I believe as a producer she deserves some of it. Kaling has become a parody of herself as of late, with many of the characters she writes or portrays becoming extensions of herself in some way. Once again I have no clue who the target audience is for this show or character. She is a woke detective…who also makes fun of the #MeToo movement. Yes, this really happened in a scene, and yes I yelled at my TV.
Perhaps these glaring character flaws shine brighter than normal due to horrendous pacing and writing that can’t decide what it wants to say. Before you begin to even guess who the culprit is, the mystery has been solved and unsolved multiple times within the episode in an effort to keep viewers guessing. With good writing and crafted pacing the mystery has potential to keep me around, but with the lack of these things I cannot stomach another episode again.
Velma cannot be saved by good animation and fun secondary characters. It leans too heavily on the titular character who is an unlikeable protagonist (not the fun kind either) and makes fun of its audience too much. Save yourself a bad twenty-five-minute episode and give this show a miss.
Eva Davey is a UFV student majoring in English Literature and minoring in Media Communications. She is a fan of poetry, oat milk lattes, and the final girl trope. Currently, her worst enemy is the Good Reads app.
