We need to talk about Velma…

[@NerdSyncProductions]

🧐 This is a bit of an experimental video for me, diving into the reaction/commentary space here on KZbin. Let me know if you enjoyed it, and let me know what else I should respond to with little videos like this. I already have ideas… 🙏 This video was also edited by a person who isn’t me. His name is Cade and his channel can be found at kzbin.info/door/sJAmQR0KH_sQ4PLMeDZYVQ 🌎 This video was up 2 days early, ad-free, and with bonus content on Nebula! Go to CuriosityStream.com/NerdSync to support me and watch videos early! 📱 Follow me on Twitter for more video updates and you can also DM me video thoughts and ideas. twitter.com/scottniswander

[@Da_Ninja_Genko]

Why do I think Daphne invent the trip and fall thing, for horror movies?

[@darthseverus89]

Thanks for another upload Mr.niswander

[@LowellLucasJr.]

I enjoyed it! Your giving a fair and valid points on change is good but to completely derail an established character! As always, your honest and on point!

[@luzelenaserrano1236]

This was great! I enjoyed the new format 😊

[@AETorrePuerto]

I think swapping is not always bad, but when it's done as a stunt it's never well received. High actor recognition and not being his first adaptation all help the swapping to be accepted. Like Gordon and Catwoman in The Batman.

[@jennifermc1221]

If HBO really wanted an adult edgy Scooby-Doo they should have just bought the rights to Mystery Incorporated inject it with an HBO budget and everybody wins

[@TheAIKnowledgeHub]

I would be down with this. It's too bad they set it in HS. As someone in my 30s, I don't want to see something set in HS.

[@igotin9264]

I feel like someone like James Gunn would be perfect for a live action Mystery Incorporated HBO Max series / movie trilogy

[@rueblie2627]

@@igotin9264 Well we saw how his first two Scooby films went, I’m sure any other goes would also be masterpiece

[@gigglemuggz.]

@@TheAIKnowledgeHub by the end of mystery incorp they were graduating HS and were gearing up to go to the university to solve a mystery. which i would honestly love to see college aged scooby gang

[@lucyinchat]

(They own the rights to MI.)

[@leftygurl]

my thing is that adult comedies never have much impetus beyond being crude, there’s seldom any willingness to treat the audience as adults, more as thirteen year olds who think they’re adults. they tend to reduce the experience of adulthood to sex and swearing, when there is so much more comedy and commentary to draw from.

[@Bluecho4]

And don't forget mean-spiritedness. Because part of being a 13 year old who wants to seem adult is the desire to break the social norms of courtesy and kindness, and just be a jackass.

[@an8strengthkobold360]

It's basically just bathroom humor. The whole joke is "We aren't supposed to say that in a cartoon".

[@MrSkerpentine]

Makes me even sadder that The Venture Bros. got cancelled -_-

[@megadeth8592]

Venture Brothers does adult comedy pretty well without being super crude imo. It's nothing like the family guys or south parks of the world

[@GusOmega]

Its really sad that shows like Amphibia and The Owl House treat its audience more intelligently then most of those adult shows.

[@jujuberrie]

I always felt that race swapping established characters was always the 'easy' thing to do, but totally disingenuous. Like, "You're not worthy enough to create something unique and original for, so here are some of our hand-me-downs." It just makes me cringe every time

[@NeekSquad]

Exactly and if someone like me says that I'm called a racist when I want new characters based on different races like in the 90's animated little Mermaid they had an awesome black mermaid character they could have made a movie on but in the end say no we want to piss people off and call people racist for not liking the new movie

[@marajones1828]

Congratulations, now you get to experience what POC have for years now. I’ve lost count if the black characters who become white in reboots and have looser texture hair. I’m just laughing at all the white ppl crying about something that POC just have gotten used to.

[@CammWrld]

@@NeekSquad as a black man I agree. I feel they should’ve added another new character or a show based on thus new character around the mystery incorporated group. This whole switching race thing is weird & feel forced to satisfy this new form of “woke” crowd…

[@NeekSquad]

@@CammWrld All this race swapping is to just piss people off and keep us hating eachother while the elites sit back laugh and take all of our money while we suffer

[@traceylok675]

It's patronising.

[@DangerDurians]

My main gripe is If she’s solving murders in high school Going on to solve costume based fraud is kinda a step down, Yeh?

[@BlueBeetle1939]

That's why she's so good at it

[@BaeBunni]

at best they are probably gonna justify it with. "I'm so traumatized I need to do silly stuff."

[@veggiet2009]

This is a problem I find with many prequels. in general, If you go with something that is smaller in scale than your previous works it will fit the story but has the risk of leaving audiences underwhelmed. If you go larger, it might make the box office happy, but then anger a fan base and logic in general.

[@tobimisa]

to be honest, there's a couple of stories where the Costume Based Fraud also includes the intent to murder. camp scare is a big example of that

[@singletona082]

In fairness the costume creep show is generally a bunch of people trying t ocomitte grand theft, insurance fraud, or property shenanagins.

[@wizardbrawl]

Here's my giant issue with this video: Blue didn't solve mysteries, she methodically laid them out for her human friends to piece together, clue by delectable clue. That's it. No other notes.

[@spongebakesquarepansgaming]

isn't blue from blue's clues male? I thought he was.

[@legoben98productions]

@spongebake squarepans gaming chanel Nope, blue is a girl. Always has been, it was to be against the typical cliche on the colors of gender roles. Like magenta was a boy.

[@lbspartyhouse8265]

@@legoben98productions Magenta was also a girl

[@legoben98productions]

@LB's Party House yeah that’s correct thank you for pointing out my mistake.

[@CosmicSponge2004]

@@spongebakesquarepansgaming no

[@blueskado6234]

The problem with turning pre-existing character’s into other races is the sheer laziness. As an African American, it’s honestly insulting seeing pre-existing characters changed to cater to me or anyone els in my community.

[@otakoob]

I can see why they change Velma's attributes to match her voice actress/writer. But this has me worried because self-insert mostly makes the writing being bias and wastes time on self-expression instead of progressing the main story. Hope they don't do that

[@Anarcho-harambeism]

I can't agree with changing the character, there have been hundreds of characters that are voiced by people that look nothing like them, and it's worked so far

[@lunakingsley.7247]

@@Anarcho-harambeism there have been multiple race swaps that worked well. Although this one does feel less like a case of them wanting to generally create a story with a race swapped character and more of just for marketing.

[@parthernnixxart4623]

@@Anarcho-harambeism like the voice actor for samurai Jack.

[@LR-jb6zn]

changing character attribute to match VA/writters? thats is a disrespect to a franchise. if the VA not suited for the character, the VA should be the one that get changed.

[@ExeErdna]

Yeah, that's the part that worries me. Too often self-inserts are often just bad since they forget about the rest of cast.

[@harryallsopp9136]

Velma being a mix of Buffy and Giles, fighting fake monsters from her bookshop in the hopes of finding a new frontier of knowledge in the real supernatural world only to keep finding creeps in masks could be AMAZING.

[@singletona082]

This person. MORE. NOW.

[@malikdespanie4344]

Velma the monsterslayer!.....or not

[@InvaderTak176]

Or serial killers...

[@zacharymcqueen9474]

your concept about velma solving mysteries on her own while she owns a little book store, game me goose bumps.

[@clarehidalgo]

Bookshop mystery made me think of Gabriel Knight

[@callmeinstead]

This seems like less "we're changing Velma to be South Asian" and more "we're changing Velma to be Mindy Kaling."

[@gloriatg100]

that is what it is exactly

[@Snoop_Dugg]

It's pandering. I want a studio that respects my time and intelligence.

[@NPFfumbi]

@@Snoop_Dugg I agree it’s pandering but to who at this point? Nobody really wants it lol.

[@dictorfeelgood]

Bingo because all that matters is diversity and how small groups of people that probably never buy fan merchandise for these franchises and never will can see themselves 🤮

[@mouthyschannel2474]

To be fair, Mindy Kaling trying to be Velma as we've known her to be through pop culture isn't as natural as Mindy Kaling trying to be Mindy Kaling. I get acting is a thing but there's so many examples of people saying "What if we had this classic character and it was nothing like that character, but instead this person". It's how we got Marvel's What If?, The new Harley Quinn show, etc. Hell, do you think a good amount of the MCU interpretations are that close to their original comic depictions before the MCU was a thing? Chris Hemsworth isn't being Thor in his movies, he's being Chris Hemsworth.

[@sandydeath56]

Everyone else has gotten their own spinoff and solo adventures. I want Fred and Scooby as wacky roommates and yes this is entirely because Frank Welker voices both of them! and I think he should get to decide what every episode it about!

[@kingvill100]

I’d pay good money to see this

[@alphabo2776]

Actually Matthew Lillard plays shaggy But I do like the idea

[@sandydeath56]

@@alphabo2776 Read it again

[@skullface2694]

Hey yea and they can be gay lovers ...why not

[@demonteprice5870]

Frank Welker having a meltdown talking to himself

[@iw9472]

I don't like when they race-swap, someone because it feels insulting. I don't need Velma to be brown to identify with them! I don't care whether a character is Latina or not, I relate to their experience. I already identified with Velma so much! I was the obnoxious know-it-all, the shy brainiac, and the clumsy girl! I loved her! I feel insulted when they say "NOW you can identify! She looks more like you!" Huh? So I wasn't supposed to identify with her before?

[@iicadenxxi1713]

I care if Velma is brown or black, because they should have kept it like the old version

[@iicadenxxi1713]

Like in the good old fashioned days

[@iicadenxxi1713]

👴🏼

[@muahhkitty]

@@iicadenxxi1713 too bad so sad oh well😂

[@iicadenxxi1713]

@@muahhkitty are you doing that thing where you say one thing that means the opposite?

[@rezonan3520]

To me it feels like a "We can't make an original character that has the race so we changed a popular character for you" It feels like a person giving their younger brother an unplugged controller. Note: This is not actually referring to Velma specifically, as stated in this video this is a normal thing for the character. I am referring to when this happens in general because I myself aren't a fan of race bending.

[@nellewoodruff6337]

I agree.

[@cooliipie]

Literally every time they do this that's how they do it

[@kibanathadragon5184]

Y’all never stanned Velma. Y’all are only mad bc she’s non white

[@rezonan3520]

@@kibanathadragon5184 first of all I'm not angry that's she non-white. Believe it or not I'm a POC myself. 2 weeks ago I posted this comment but I have a new view on the situation. I absolutely agree that we need more representation in media and that more POC should be stars of shows and movies but what I was trying to say in my comment was that I wasn't a fan of changing already established characters. Believe or not I'm not even referring to Velma in the comment I meant in general that I just prefer original diverse characters to changing old one's. I'm a very huge fan of Velma and being a fan I know this isn't even the fist time that they have changed her race heck they did it I'm scoob and I didn't have a problem with that. My new opinion is that if the character doesn't have anything to do with thier race it can be changed so basically what I mean is that. Black panther is a character who is very important to his race so you can't change that but someone like say Velma has never had a story integral to her race so it's fine to change that. Hope this clears things up. Tho I do think if a character has been around for a long time enough like let's say Batman who has basically looked the same for 80 years then we should leave that alone.

[@rezonan3520]

@@kibanathadragon5184 so yeah no

[@droppedcombofiend2707]

The thing that bothers me about the race change isn't that they changed it, it's that it seems like they're just making Velma a self-insert character for Mindy Kaling. Especially since it's meant to be a comedy, it makes me think that Velma's just going to be Mindy Kaling, rather than Velma. As pointed out, Velma is malleable as a character, but I don't think using a long existing character to create a show centered around a specific actor is a good idea. It's one thing to take an aspect of an actor and incorporate it into the character, it's another thing entirely to just make the character the actor. It just doesn't make it seem like it's going to really feel like it fits in as Scooby show. It really doesn't help that Scooby isn't even supposed to show up. I could be wrong and it could end up being great, but the whole thing makes me really skeptical.

[@pixelatedtoast]

i hate when theres like a group of 3 to 5 characters and the internet always picks 1 character to change the race of always even though their race doesnt even matter so it makes no sense to even change it

[@DavidMartinez-ce3lp]

Agreed, they changed her character to be Hispanic in Scoob and it added nothing to her character. What's the point?

[@justSTUMBLEDupon]

Agreed

[@TokyoXtreme]

I want to self-insert as the vampire hunter Blade, and make him a white KZbin commenter troll.

[@lolrentz]

@@pixelatedtoast if it doesnt matter then nobody should be mad it happened. but here we are.

[@NemesisHero123]

my biggest issue is that this is going to be an "Adult Cartoon". After previous experiences, I pretty much know what to expect. The overuse of swear words, excessive gore, and so much nudity. It's going to feel more childish than it's supposed to be.

[@Twentydragon]

Yours is the best take, I think. The characters' races and sexualities don't matter to me personally as a cis-het white guy who has already seen himself represented in _literally every interpretation of all four human members of the cast up to this point_ , and I don't see the change of races and sexualities to be a bad thing at all. It opens the door to different scenarios that white characters simply wouldn't experience, and that in turn allows for more people to see themselves in these characters. There are, however, a _lot_ of ways to do an adult series wrong, and there are a _lot_ of pitfalls that even the giants fall into with regular frequency. Keeping the show true to the "essence" of _Scooby-Doo_ (even without being able to put that essence into words) while also being a show for adults is going to be a very thin tightrope to walk.

[@CB-rv2lj]

@@Twentydragon you can just say normal white guy. its fine bro.

[@Twentydragon]

@@CB-rv2lj Why would I?

[@Maybe_youre_quicksand]

@@CB-rv2lj Let me make a wild guess: You think that trans and other queer people are going through brainwash children by telling them that they shouldn't hate themselves because of what gender they identify as or who they fall in love with. You also believe that the average trans person identifies as a non human animal or an inanimate object. How right am I on a scale of one to ten? Personally I hope it's a zero but I've been on KZbin for quite some time and it's probably going to be at around nine.

[@shyfoxfeatherhere6446]

Especially since they're going to show one of these things of a 16 year old woman to adults. It's just uncomfortable to think of.

[@PhantomLantern2814]

I’ve gotten to the point where the only time diversity bothers me is when it’s so blatantly corporate and artificial. They’ll put one of every ethnicity and sexuality, then the central focus is still a straight white male. They don’t actually care about representation, theyre just ticking off boxes in a checklist. Take the new Gotham Knights show on CW for instance. Super diverse cast but they ended up creating a new angsty white boy to be the main character. It feels so disingenuous. I mean I could also bring up how them changing Velma’s race to more closely resemble Kaling could also be read as part of a bigger issue where POC creators get pigeonholed into only being allowed to make stories about people of their own ethnic background, but I don’t know enough about the project to know who pushed for the change.

[@wompwompcryabttit]

Did you not watch the video?

[@leafyishereisdumbnameakath4259]

ok FINE I'll see the gothasm knights trailer

[@kernelparadigm]

Cast should be added in favor of the story not the other way around.

[@OnlyMichaelJackson]

In reboots, they racebend secondary characters but don't dare to touch the main character. Like quit recycling, make new characters for POC to relate to. We know Velma is white, changing her race does nothing for POC. Accept that the show was filled with white people and make NEW CHARACTERS

[@wompwompcryabttit]

@@OnlyMichaelJackson But then white people will complain about new characters. And on top of that, how does her being white benefit the character or the show? And how does making her another race effect or change anything? U do realize even after this show she’s still going to be white, right?💀

[@gemmamoon5998]

I love how the “adult” Scooby show you described is just Mystery Incorporated lol

[@acsaudiodramas]

Well neither the cartoon nor the live action series had much gore and blood in it (until now- I know the fan series just has currently one episode). So he didn't exactly describe this.

[@monii120]

@@acsaudiodramas they may not have gore, but they were definitely handing out body bags like Oprah

[@acsaudiodramas]

@@monii120 yeah whatever, I'd like to see them as young adults in serious mysteries.

[@monii120]

@@acsaudiodramas understandable, that would be dope

[@rabbitguts2518]

@@acsaudiodramas I think the eldritch horror and adult theming such as the faux-bondage gear in that one music scene plus adult references covered the fact it was aimed at an older audience. plenty of films and tv are aimed at adults without explicit sex or gore, that's why the pyschological horror genre is mostly aimed at adults. I mean do you expect films like Get Out or Rosemary's Baby to be aimed at children? No.

[@SEB1991SEB]

Fans always hate it when a character's design is changed. Their ethnicity is the most noticeable part of their design, so it's obviously annoying that they'd change it, it'd be exactly the same for changing a character from black to white. But the reason it's done is why people hate it so much. They're trying to increase diversity without putting in the effort of actually creating black characters and stories, so they just paint a white character black and expect everyone to applaud them for it.

[@jayb8934]

The pitch about the Scooby gang confronting real monsters and coming to terms with them existing was kind of touched upon in the Supernatural crossover.

[@TonyTama]

and yet SN treated Scooby Doo with love and reverence.

[@gota7738]

Isn't it a major theme of Zombie Island?

[@Danestewartfilms]

Mystery incorporated (on yt) also seems to be going in that direction

[@InternetMouse]

@@Danestewartfilms i would so love to see a season 3 of that show except this time its darker.

[@colealbinder2025]

That’s not too far removed from the book Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero, it’s not technically a Scooby-Doo book but it takes the idea of a group of young adults who solved innocent mysteries as teens coming up against something on a much more horrific and supernatural level. Think of it as Scooby-Doo meets It or a deconstruction of the franchise, it’s a great read IMO.

[@Cassius335]

Velma being brown in her own origin story is kinda weird and mostly seems to be because Mindy Kaling is being allowed to produce and star in her own fanfiction.

[@sunnybear178]

but like they pointed out, Velma was asian before and Scooby Doo has no consistent continuity so you just need to accept your concerns are very inappropriate

[@AG-hx6qn]

Lmao

[@Brookpitlik]

@@sunnybear178 no they are very appropriate. How would you feel if Black Panther became white?

[@godemperorlech5422]

@@sunnybear178 the japanese actress at least looked like her

[@ExeErdna]

@@sunnybear178 It isn't inappropriate when Mindy Kaling COULD have made her own show yet used Velma as a proxy.

[@rileywakeford8773]

If you genuinely like the idea of that more adult pitch you gave in this video, may I recommend the book "Meddling Kids". It's a story very clearly "inspired" by Scooby Doo, with each character a direct comparison to one of the Scooby gang. It tells the story of them after their teen years coming back to the small town they grew up in to solve a mystery with real monsters and stuff like that and its more grown up and very dark.

[@deadpoolnerd]

The change of Velma kinda reminds me of that Starfire DC book everyone disliked. And an issue was the protagonist was just a self insert of the writer herself. While the scoob gang can be a lot, I wouldn't wanna see the character just devolve into Mindy herself essentially.

[@whoahanant]

Yeah even outside of the self insert problem that character was not even likable. She was a rude character and had no buildup throughout the entire read. Which is why I personally did not like it and others also didn't like it.

[@insertnamehere3794]

Ah yes I'm not starfire That book should be burnt

[@dell2013]

I love how you just bluntly said "devolve" 😂

[@bay.727]

I agree with this. It feels like they're just changing her race to appeal to the Twitter people that just blackwash anything, because them being white is somewhat a problem. It feels like they're just changing her race for the appeal, as well as Mindy making it a self insert. If we were to change let's say, make a black character anything rather than black, they'd be called for racists because of well, white history. But it's the same thing, and it feels cheap for them to do that.

[@sammygecko_]

At least they made a new character for “I Am Not Starfire”, being her daughter Funny to learn it’s a self insert bc the main thing my friend said was how I likable the protagonist was

[@oranmorton5053]

Ironically I think the pitch, barring the specifics of how truly violent and juvenile the writing is, would work really well for Nancy Drew. Shes a headstrong & smart detective with alot of sass who is already an adult, and one people only really have a vague idea of from osmosis.

[@megarakadmea]

Nancy is a teen detective, it’s part of her brand. A lot of other things change about her, but she’s always a teen.

[@FoxUnitNell]

@@megarakadmea she's in her twenties for the cw show.

[@loganarnoldkicks4321]

@@megarakadmea The first book she was stated to be 18. Obviously she's technically an adult but also still a teen, so I think it can go both ways with Nancy

[@Kalani_Saiko]

@@loganarnoldkicks4321 Technically she's not an adult, you mean. Only an adult in terms of law

[@megarakadmea]

@@FoxUnitNell there’s not a lot canon about that from what I’ve seen

[@leecoffill8425]

I think people have a hard time articulating why exactly they have a problem with the race change, and that the result is that they themselves appear as racist as a result (and of course some of them actually are but that's a given in this world). See, a lot of people grew up with these characters, and we've formed a sort of bond with them, like they were old friends. So, any obvious, perceptible changes to their appearance is going to stand out. Making Velma Jewish, or altering aspects of her personality, don't really stand out all that much. But fully changing her race and skin color does - it transforms her into a different character entirely. An imposter, wearing Velma's clothing and speaking Velma's lines, and using Velma's name... but she *isn't* Velma. I think it was the same reaction that people originally had with Miles Morales Spider Man - it felt as though out beloved character was being killed off just to be replaced with a quota-meeting imposter. The difference, however, is that we were wrong - Miles ended up being fully his own character, with his own arcs, his own personality, and his own, well-written story, standing apart from Peter Parker Spider Man, allowing us to remember the character we loved, while also accepting Miles not as his replacement, but as more of an heir to his legacy. That's not what we're getting with Velma. Instead, what were getting is "This is Velma now, deal with it." And that's going to make it very hard for people to connect with her. It feels like your parents getting rid of your pit-bull pup and replacing it with a German Sheppard, giving it the same name, and expecting you not to notice or care. It has nothing to do with race (for most of us - again, bigots gonna bigot), it's about making fundamental changes to our beloved character, and expecting us just to be fine with it. Also, I know you were doing a bit, but were you seriously more bothered by Fred having brown hair? You do realize that this is the exact same thing, right? But I suppose you can still complain about a hair color changes without worrying that someone will call you a racist for it.

[@kingexplosionmurderfuckoff9376]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Also, this guy is a hypocrite.

[@ExeErdna]

Honently Miles is still in Peter's shadow because for one there's too many Spiders in NY besides Peter and even there's more Symbiote characters now. So he gets left behind too often like his less used peers. What they should have done is simply allowed Miles to be an adult and get him out of NY to another city because it is bloated. Also Miles isn't the heir to his legacy not anymore with how they're trying to make "Mayday" Parker, Peter's daughter a thing. So to me Miles needs his own name and his own city. To web sling in.

[@rogermrogerm]

Beautifully said.

[@doubletaptodash595]

Thank you

[@brennanshane146]

I wish I could give this comment an award

[@patrickchoque7720]

My biggest problem is that her turtleneck is too yellow, when it’s iconically orange. Velma herself can be whatever she wants but she better be wearing orange!!

[@simply_nebulous]

But would that color go well with her skin tone?

[@Andyatl2002]

@@simply_nebulous, yeah it’s a color that pops

[@kevin-jonbreton5861]

My biggest problem is black washing

[@crunchevo8974]

@@simply_nebulous orange been looking good with deep skin

[@beththedarkmage3359]

@@kevin-jonbreton5861 South Asian people are rarely if ever black, and this character is not black. Maybe watch the video before you make a huge mistake like that?

[@kellykerr5225]

Scooby is NOT a mutt. He’s a Great Dane just like the one I had as a child. She was scared of her own shadow and always sat in my lap as she was twice my size

[@c863168]

Instead of saying that she “is” the velma from scooby doo, she could have just been a huge fan of the character to which why she looks just like Velma… or maybe a multi universe.

[@OMG_Pancakes]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. If her character was a fan of Scooby-Doo that simply dressed like her favorite character and had a love for mysteries this would account for there being no Scooby and completely fit within the world they are creating. It would allow more flexibility as being inspired by Velma's deductive skills and solving these darker mysteries would put in within the realm of the show while also not feeling completely off brand. It could then leave it open for others to try something similar with some of the other characters later on.

[@tea8053]

just about all iterations of scooby doo are different universes what are you on about most of the time the shit don't line up and its because just about all of them are different versons of the same characters. whats so different about this iteration of them??

[@voidshell8157]

I really hope this show actually evolves past being the typical adult animation raunch without substance. Most "adult comedy animation" just tend to be vulgar and don't really seem to want to do more that just that. Animation is a medium that can do so much more and it just seems like most studios don't realize that.

[@Ellie_deMayo]

Ironically, adult comedy is just juvenile humor.

[@whoareyoutoaccuseme6588]

@@Ellie_deMayo Pretty funny when shows like Infinity Train, Amphibia, Owl House, and a whole lot have more substance to them despite being aimed for kids.

[@wafflefalafel9442]

this. the show already kinda looks like a generic modern animated adult show with its art style. i havent really enjoyed Mindy's humor in the past. idc what the characters look like, I just hope it's genuinely interesting (judging by scooby doo's track record...probably not?)

[@zyaicob]

That's not really Mindy's style. I don't think this is gonna be another Paradise PD or Hoops or for that matter Family Guy which is awful and everyone can fight me

[@lucyinchat]

Unfortunately, WB doesn't have the best track record there.

[@choczynski]

Having Velma be a freshman in college instead of, I assume, a senior in high school would be a simple fix to any of the age-related weirdness of doing an adult show with characters that are supposed to be minors.

[@CloutmasterPhluphyy]

Eh, a good chunk of seniors in highschool do end up turning 18 during the year Me, as an example

[@sammygecko_]

@@CloutmasterPhluphyy yeah but it’s still weird sometimes. (Also someone who turned 18 in highschool)

[@mochi8632]

@@sammygecko_ it's not weird at all. People in highschool are banging all the time.

[@sleepinggorilla]

I actually really liked his idea. Have Velma on her own solving mysteries, real monsters and villains that actually kill. She refuses help from anybody until it’s time to bring down the big bad and calls in Mystery Inc.

[@brettthebest3978]

@@sammygecko_ you would not survive being in the anime community

[@AllenGray47]

You know, I was skeptical at first, but you've won me over pretty quick, especially since you did cover the "make a new character" argument cause I was thinking the exact same thing

[@axolofa]

I really hope Velma isn't a snarky know-it-all. Velma's the most fun when she cares about solving mysterious things, trying to scientifically prove the paranormal, rather than saying "nah that's probably not real" and acting like she hates her friends. Also, semi-hot take as someone whose favorite Scooby Doo character used to be Velma until I actually watched the shows again, I feel like Velma's only as popular as she is because people think saying they liked Velma more than Daphne is an unpopular opinion. I've literally never heard a single person ever say that their favorite Scooby Doo character is Daphne.

[@destineeryan6773]

I haven’t watched the OG series in a while to see how early Daphne holds up, but as a kid and for most of my years watching Scooby Doo, Daphne *was* actually my favorite believe it or not. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I feel like as a really little kid watching the OG series it might’ve been about her color palette to a degree-she was the reason my favorite color was purple, and with the purple/green/red combo I thought she was SO fashionable. I loved her 60s/70s style clothes and I wanted my Barbies to wear similar but couldn’t find that style. And at that age, I didn’t mind she was always the damsel because I shipped her & Fred HARD before I even knew it was called shipping lol. She always felt like a sleuthy princess to me, at least from recall. Then I really fell in love with the Zombie Island era of Scooby-Doo. I continued to especially love Daphne. I feel like in that era she was one of the characters who had the most growth, which, as I was getting older and less into princess stuff, locked her down as my favorite even more. Still shipped her & Fred though 🤣 I didn’t particularly like her in a Pup Named Scooby Doo when they emphasized the wealthy snob angle of her more though. I didn’t mind the wealth angle but I liked the way they did it in the outback movie where she seemed a bit more aware of her wealth and was less snobby about it. I haven’t kept up with *all* of the newer stuff so can’t comment there but I put down the Mystery Inc show because I found Velma to be insufferable in it, and it felt like they took Daphne a little backwards with her intellect out of the gate, but I watched very very little of it because watching Velma constantly make Shaggy uncomfortable, made me uncomfortable. I heard it does get better though. TL;DR: It’s been years since rewatching and I was younger then so take my opinion with a big pinch of salt because memory degrades easily, but I actually did love Daphne when I was entrenched in the fandom and had her plastered on everything as a kid because I thought it was rad she was super girly and in love AND a BAMF sleuth at the same time. Best of both worlds n’at.

[@cutelazypanda158]

While you bring up a good point i actually genuinely liked velma not because i thought it was unpopular.

[@aoki556]

oh I liked Daphne the most 💀 especially when they depict her as being intelligent

[@Wildstrike277]

I don’t think changing a character’s race ruins the character, especially if it isn’t that important to the story, but I see it is where a character’s race shouldn’t be change because they already have a race. To paraphrase what Stan Lee said about Spider-Man, the reason Peter Parker is always a Caucasian male is because he was originally created as a Caucasian male. Same applies to Velma. I don’t see her having the same skin tone as me; I see her as white because that’s how she was originally created. That being said, this Velma sounds more like a self insert than anything else. I find that to be more of a problem than her being race swapped. Like, just let Velma be Velma. Just because she’s voiced by Mindy Kaling, it doesn’t mean she’s Mindy Kaling.

[@OnlyMichaelJackson]

Exactly, Velma will always be white. Making her dark skinned does nothing for POC, we want new characters

[@PunishedPrince]

@@OnlyMichaelJackson if velma will always be white then how come there’s a Velma in a show called Velma where she’s eat Asian. Really makes you think

[@edenromanov]

@@PunishedPrince I didn't know she was a Cannibal, that's terrifying

[@loodlebop]

Bingo

[@hcbs1986]

Exactly

[@leftkidney4335]

The velma raceswap looks like a self insert

[@cooltrainervaultboy-39]

I'll admit that I'm in the camp of being concerned with all three points. Velma being Hispanic or Asian makes sense when you factor in that us Hispanics can come off as White passing (myself as an example), and honestly, the same can be said about the actress in the live action prequels. Hell I can think of two other actors who are in what can be considered minority groups, that actually look the characters they play on screen. Those being Lynda Carter who is a Latina Queen, and Dean Cain who is of Japanese decent. Both of these actors actually look like Wonder Woman and Superman respectively. But making Velma match the show runner, who is also the writer, who is also the director, who is also the actress playing Velma kinda sounds like a vanity project. As for making it adult oriented, yeah big red flags there. One resent adult oriented show that comes to mind is Santa Inc., and one of the major criticisms I heard about that show was how heavy it was with it's adult humor. The main character's brother singing about nothing, but his weiner all the time, her mom always taking her clothes off, and her best friend being a sex crazed deviant! The raunchy comedy was even compared to Sausage Party! As for the violence, Scooby Doo has a child friend image with each mainline incarnation. Sure there was that one time they crossed over with Supernatural, but that was a case of parody. I will, however, agree to the pitch of making an adult oriented adaption where the monster start killing people, and the mysteries can go beyond simple, "Who is scary away the folks away from location." But yeah, I have absolutely no faith in this project.

[@Kalani_Saiko]

Not to mention the Supernatural crossover was specifically an episode of Supernatural.

[@michaeldavidnvitales]

Well said. 🙏🏻

[@sammygecko_]

Like how you compared the comedy in Santa inc to Sausage Party bc it was created by the same guy

[@YourTurnCutie]

calling lynda Latina is a bit of a stretch lol

[@holyhandgrenades3013]

You're "white passing" because you ARE white. You literally have European blood and genes in you. There's nothing wrong with you having European blood and genes in your mix.

[@robobrain10000]

Being south asian myself, the issue with Velma being race bent is that it comes off as reverse cultural appropriation. It doesn't add anything to the character and it just furthers the tokenism and the stereotype that Indians are all nerds.

[@lucyinchat]

I get the stereotyping part, but we only have a picture. The "Tokenism" and "Doesn't add anything to the character" arguments _require_ more to be seen or known for it to make sense or work.

[@kandrs7445]

Every new series is a re-imaging. If Scooby-Doo and the gang is supposed to always remain the same... why bring them into modern day? every new series should take place in the 60's. Heck, why have new monsters of the week? New animations? New voices? It should always be the same. I don't particularly see what her being south east Asian brings to the character. I don't instantly like her for it. Also, I don't particularly see what her being white in the past brought to the character. She was made white because racism in the past made white the only race easily depicted. That's it.

[@rezonan3520]

To me it feels like a "We can't make an original character that has the race so we changed a popular character for you" It feels like a person giving their younger brother an unplugged controller.

[@robobrain10000]

@@lucyinchat I think it is fair to say that the character being south asian doesn't add anything to the character. If you were to argue the opposite, then please explain how being south asian adds to Velma's character? The examples NerdSync cited about previous changes to Daphne for example all added to her character (like being a news reporter, ventriloquist etc...). Race isn't a fucking character trait or a quirk, it is immutable and intrinsic. So it doesn't add or do anything to further the character. Since it doesn't add anything to develop the character, the only reason to do it is for the shock value and tokenism. I can understand casting someone of a different race for the role in live action because they are the best actor available for the role, but going out of your way to change the race of a character just so you can say: ha we did it, is just hollow. There is no reason for Velma to be south asian as it is just a cartoon. If you were making an Indian scooby doo cartoon taking place in India, then I can dig it. South Asian Velma is just shoe horned in. This is just faux representation.

[@jjjjjaabari313]

@@robobrain10000 what if the show wanted to tackle racism through Velma. Would that qualify as adding to the character for you

[@Gamescrap]

The way you have to hold your cup in every frame makes me so anxious for some reason.

[@scoobydoo23320]

I really liked the Velma bookstore owner idea and the whole gang facing real murders. It's a bad sign for a show/movie when a fans' idea is better than the one that is being made.

[@OurKindofEntertainment]

You and Billiam are the go-to experts of all things Scooby related in my book

[@supergeoff]

Billiam is a true Scooby-Doo Expert

[@basilciccone1679]

@@supergeoff ⁉️

[@slevinchannel7589]

Wow, you lack sources

[@OhWowThatsDumb]

I miss billiam he needs to upload more

[@mistuh69420]

Also JelloApocolypse

[@SpectreBagels]

But there is a difference between changing a character's personality and changing their race so I don't think your points of saying how the gang's personality and some tid bits about them have changed lends to why changing Velma's whole race is fine

[@comixproviderftw_02]

Had a feeling this was gonna happen. Also I feel like this is them trying to replicate the success of the Harley Quinn show.

[@BlueBeetle1939]

Thought it was a screenshot from Harley Quinn for a second

[@madnessarcade7447]

Bro adult cartoons existed before that show not everything that goes adult is trying to be Harley quinn

[@madnessarcade7447]

@@BlueBeetle1939 to me the art style seems like a more polished version of the be cool scooby do artstyle

[@comixproviderftw_02]

@@madnessarcade7447 I know that. (Most of them are just edgy for the sake of being edgy) I’m just about how the general vibe is with this show is similar to the Harley Quinn show. Animation style and the fact it’s a more adult oriented take on one character.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

Looks like it

[@DuonDRaven]

Your idea of a Grim Dark Scooby Doo was actually already done in a Supernatural episode lol. S13E16 "After stopping a plush dinosaur that comes to life in a pawn shop and attacks, the grateful owner gives Dean a new TV for free. While testing out the TV, the Winchesters are sucked into Dean's favorite episode ("A Night of Fright Is No Delight") of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, followed soon after by Castiel. To the group's shock, they discover an actual ghost that begins killing people (including the real culprit Cosgood Creeps) and the Winchesters and the Scooby Gang are forced to team up together to stop it. "

[@tcrpgfan]

And the brothers must do it all without breaking the innocence of the Scooby Gang.

[@wolfekupo5651]

heck if they wanted a Dark take on Scooby Doo they could have just adapted the Scooby Doo comic series

[@calebray1834]

There is also a live action fan film that is doing a way better job at a mature Scooby Doo than this one on HBO Max.

[@Polygonlin]

When Velma Screamed "I HAVE THE HIGH GROUND!" and cut Scooby-Do's Legs off with her Lightsaber, i Cried White Male Tears. im Unpacking it as we speak. im just Unpacking it all.

[@realityshifter3399]

5:14 When it comes to changing the ethnicity of an established character you have to take it from a case-by-case basis. I don't believe that changing the race of character is only a problem if their race is essential to their character. Because let's be honest race doesn't exactly exist in a vacuum and changing the race of character would change how that character is perceived. Like if they were to change Batman/Bruce Wayne into a black man then the audience would suspect racialized perspective of being a black man in America influencing his characterization. Sure, a black Bruce Wayne may not change his character completely, but it would change it. And seems as though progressive leaning pundits have a hard time admitting that race change can change an established character or at least how that character is perceived. Btw, not saying that race/ethnicity change is always a bad thing or that there always have to be some major controversy over it. But at the same time, we can't take a post-racial stance only when it's convenient for us.

[@ghostratsarah]

Agreed. You can also just darken her skin tone and drop little cultural easter eggs, like they have done in the past with her character, while never explicitly saying she is any race or bringing in a customized back story- because they leave it ambiguous. But to outright say "hey aren't we cool for taking this white character and making her specifically south Asia? This is total progress for POC." Is on a whole other level. They are canonizing a race. Which hasn't been done before. It complete changes her entire life story. Now we expect her to face discrimination and a personality rooted in her race.

[@realityshifter3399]

@@ghostratsarah I want to give them the benefit of doubt and say there was no agenda of changing Velma's race. Other than the fact that Mindy is South Asian and they wanted this version of Velma to match her ethnicity. But now Velma is South Asian we should probably expect ethnic and cultural references of being South Asian. They could go the post-racial route and not make any reference to Velma's race (other than cultural Easter Eggs). However, that may lead to people complaining that the creators are ignoring her race thus critiquing her racial identity. In other words, they may want Velma to not only be South Asian but also "act like she's South Asian". Is any of this fair? No, but that is just the way the world is. People don't view white characters the same way they view non-white characters.

[@wompwompcryabttit]

lol funny how white people think they can have an opinion of race and marginalized groups as if they’re not the ones who brought race/racism in this world 😂

[@realityshifter3399]

@@wompwompcryabttit So, this is your argument. Racism was invented by white people? You might want to tell that to Asian community where there is a history of racism even between other Asians. Let me know when you're ready to have an adult conversation about race. And not just repeating talking points you read on Twitter and Tumblr.

[@ghostratsarah]

@@realityshifter3399 what 'white' really means i these situations is 'colonial', which makes the whole discussion of race bending frustrating. White is a skin tone, so as long as a character didn't already have a culture attached to them, it means nothing to give them a pallet change. But, they've already advertised her as being a step for POC activism, so I can only assume they are going to use her new race to the fullest extent they can.

[@omniframe8612]

It would be cool if this just leads into a new scooby doo show altogether. That’s on the same level of maturity, i like your idea about having it be centered around Velma in her book store days

[@OKittenPlayz]

A different timeline/universe?!?!?! :0

[@Unk.B.]

I really want either an Over the garden wall or Tim Burton inspired adult scooby-doo show with the whole Gang.

[@JovanLatte]

Over the garden wall def needed more episodes with more adventures and alternate realities!!!!

[@LWL1ET_MEOW]

Oh wait Tim Burton inspired s ooby doo would be fire

[@singletona082]

'Voiced by a producer.' OH BOY because having the lead producer for a show also being essentially the show's primary face has NEVER EVER NOT ended in a train wreck where said character becomes an insufferable mary/gary sue.

[@zyaicob]

Yeah the Mindy Project sorta does that... i didn't mind it but i didn't get past somewhere in season 5

[@wakkaseta8351]

So what I'm getting from this is that if enough writers miss the point of the source material or mangle it to suit their own agendas, a character is suddenly considered "malleable".

[@peve9132]

Little Advice: Stop saying agendas and people will take more seriously Im with you bro

[@Hybred]

@@peve9132 he's using the definition correctly, although the word can have stigma behind it.

[@Tyler_W]

@@Hybred screw "muh stigma." If something accurately describes what someone is trying to communicate and objectively observes, then it is an entirely appropriate use of language.

[@MrE_]

The problem I see with significant changes to classic/well-known characters is that most of the changes are so unimportant that they should have just left it the same. If changing her skin tone amd ethnicity is such an insignificant change, then why even change it? With minor characters like the villains, changing them is fine. But with the main characters, it's best to keep them as close to the nostalgic characters we know and love. But you are right, that isn't really the main issue here. The bigger issue is all the other changes like making it only about Velma with no scooby while being an adult comedy.

[@Munch_Bunny]

Exactly i mean i'am from iraq and the show my mother grew up watching it and i grew up watching it and not once though that it's white show or something like that but now after 50 years made a change that big its will just be an exclusive American show for American.

[@daseal1479]

It's not that I'm totally against the idea, I just get the feeling that they won't use it in any more interesting ways, and it comes off as very much forced when they do that to longtime pre-existing characters. I feel like there's a chance she'll talk and act nothing like Velma, and just be a self-insert of the voice actress using only Velma's most basic traits, her wit and intelligence, and nothing more.

[@matthewgagnon9426]

"Velma's most basic traits, her wit and intelligence, and nothing more." So, like every new iteration of Scooby Doo ever? Her character has changed wildly from iteration to iteration, changing her skin tone being the line in the sand some people have is bizarre at best or racist at worst.

[@PeterGriffin11]

@@matthewgagnon9426 So if Steve Urkel got his very own modern day spinoff and he was suddenly made Hispanic or white anyone taking issue with it would be "bizzare at best or racist at worst"? Because much like Velma his race isn't relevant to his character either and his main personality trait is also being a stereotypical nerd.

[@inyrui]

Tbh I'm just on the fence because Mindy's shows have always been really mid. I just don't like her sense of humor so I hope the show isn't like that

[@wompwompcryabttit]

@@PeterGriffin11 His race is entirely integral to the show. Steve Urkel being black alone is important enough and vital to his character. There are not many black characters during the 90s who were rich, well spoken, educated and lived in an upper middle class suburbia without being rendered down to some sort of stereotype, and literally not to mention BIPoC ARE NOT REPRESENTED ENOUGH IN HOLLYWOOD COMPARED TO WHITE PEOPLE WHO MAKES UP 99% OF MEDIA!

[@wompwompcryabttit]

@@inyrui then don’t watch.

[@BanazirGalpsi1968]

My favorite are the original late 60s,early 70s, and the new Scooby movies.

[@schlanvlcoredude9438]

I feel like it doesn’t need to be Velma. Mostly because I feel like any scooby property that doesn’t have the full gang might as well not be scooby doo

[@stoutsprout4297]

It was a perfect opportunity to start a new chapter, new characters and make it adult orientated

[@mr_indie_fan]

@@stoutsprout4297 no its a adult show with nothing to do with scooby doo, just pulling people in from nostalgia with the name.

[@Nakia11798]

Exactly. Her show will flop and fail because she chose to take and change a well-known character instead of making a unique and new POC character.

[@user-xq4py3fq2y]

@@Nakia11798 the least she can do is make references to the other members of the mystery gang or have it revealed that Velma was already friends with the other members of the mystery gang

[@SamdamanGreer]

I think it would be weird that Velma goes from solving murders to unmasking Old Man Jenkins who’s committing fraud

[@ZipplyZane]

That's what makes me think they may be going a more comedic route with this. If the murders aren't actually intended to be taken all that seriously, it could work, IMHO. And that scene does not look like it's being taken seriously.

[@itisALWAYSR.A.]

Old Man Jenkins went into fraud to make ends meet after his life went to pieces from the murders ten years before. He doesn't remember Velma specifically, just the general concept of meddling kids who ruined his life

[@madnessarcade7447]

@@ZipplyZane this is a different universe guys it’s not tied to old seasons

[@ZipplyZane]

@@madnessarcade7447 Then it doesn't really make sense to describe it as an origin story.

[@anotherrandomguy8871]

I don’t even like Scooby doo, so i have no say, but I agree, I feel like solving legit murder mysteries would be a huge step up, but only if the whole Scooby gang is involved. They go from solving old people who dress up in costumes to commit fraud, to actual masked and costumed murders who kill in creative ways.

[@shwembo]

My only problem with race swapping is if we made black characters white then people would cry

[@lukekoenig3655]

At least for me, I feel like they are pushing for diversity, which is fine and all, but to change an established character, which I'm aware has been done before, but to do it just for diversity, when they have the ability to make new chracters distinct without chaning a popular and well defined character just rubs me the wrong way.

[@OnlyMichaelJackson]

exactly it's cheap and disingenuous

[@yorukage5926]

Exactly. They are literally only doing it to shove it down people's throats

[@lukekoenig3655]

@@yorukage5926 yes!

[@aoki556]

also tokenism as it’s just the one. if we’re going to pretend this is an alternate universe and change a character, then they should diversify the whole main cast

[@trayjohnson7065]

I mean, like @nerdsync said in the video, Velma not being white has happened multiple times. You act like her being another race matters to her character lol

[@Maxz92]

I think that the high school setting is pretty limiting for what can be done in an "adult" show. When I first heard that this show was happening, I wrote like a 6-page test pilot basically as a proof of concept to my friends. That is like a neo-noir with Velma as an experienced private investigator, 15 years removed from Mystery Incorporated and I included a handful of cameos from other Hanna Barbera characters. I wish they had gone a similar route with this. Hopefully what we actually get is decent.

[@JayTowers901]

A scrappy redemption show also works

[@Brookpitlik]

What do you expect. It’s gonna be like Riverdale. It’s not “adult” show, it’s a teen drama

[@beththedarkmage3359]

If it's well made, you can always pitch it, or add it to your portfolio. What you made is called a speculative script, and plenty of companies require those in their hiring for new writers, as it shows you can adapt to another work instead of being stuck in your own original bubble all the time.

[@tahutoa]

That's what I expected when I first heard about it, too.

[@huntercool2232]

It honestly baffles me how a media company can just outright insult their fanbase and not expect consequences. I swear they think we’re mindless money producing robots and that they can do whatever the heck they think they can do want and think we won’t say or do anything about it. Why did they think it was a good idea to straight up insult the people they depend on financing them I just.. I just don’t understand it?! Someone explain!!

[@grahamcann1761]

For the record: I've been a Scooby Fan since it started. I'm also a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Shakespeare, and I think the variety of ways their stories have been told have been interesting, not always good, but sometimes great. And I think it's quite reasonable to make changes in the stories as time marches on. I might cringe at some of what I see ahead, but I always try to wait and see. (Who knows, maybe Michael Keaton can be a great Batman...) I do have one concern though, if you want to do a more "adult" level Scooby show, that's fine... but make it college, after-college, or young adults... but NOT High School. (Oh yeah, and technically, for about a year, I was employed by the WB at a very low level, but the only thing I still appreciate is the nice leather jacket it got me.) As always thank you so very much for the video. And wait a minute... did you say you don't read your comments? 🥺

[@slevinchannel7589]

5:54: Yeah, you not understanding this perfectly valid, underrated Complain does not debunk it; sorry. How dis-usting the raceswapping and genderswapping with the literally-voiced-anddeclared-agenda to have more than 50% now be not white or hetero, remains. You not being deep enough in popculture really shows here, mate.

[@jjjjjaabari313]

Yeah making the series more violent, crass and sexual doesn't work for me if you're setting it in high school. I feel like they're really targeting a teen audience by making it adult

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

" it's quite reasonable to make changes in the stories as time marches on" Yes. Such as, the name. You can change THE NAME of the abomination with new characters only inspired by it, at best. Some times this even works reductively, when you write a show as an Inspector gadget, make all the characters and equipment inspector gadget ripoffs, and THEN you DO call it Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get A Clue, justified with insertion of those characters into the setting. Also, at college level in any developed country you should be well PAST any crass jokes. But what can you expect, when most people are obsessed with sex below the age they are able to consent. That sticks with you, and you leave high school as a mental midget. any offense to persons alive or dead experiencing the effects of dwarfism not intended

[@arw1985]

I guess I can read your comment for him. It's a good one😉

[@OnlyMichaelJackson]

Exactly I'm sick of the adultification and sexualization of high schoolers. Our lives don't end once we graduate, and most of us were fumbling and bumbling through our teen years, even if we were doing adult stuff because we were kids.

[@frostyfirestar9709]

NerdSync: “People shouldn’t be upset when they change the skin color of pre existing characters.” Also NerdSync: “I’m upset that Fred is not blonde.”

[@RichardBarclay]

Hair is not skin. Fred can have any skin colour, he just needs blonde hair.

[@stoutsprout4297]

@@RichardBarclay changing the race fundamentally changes the character, changing the hair doesn't

[@RichardBarclay]

@@stoutsprout4297 that's not the point, Fred's blonde hair is iconic, changing that would be like removing the pointy ears from Batman's cowl or something.

[@stoutsprout4297]

@@RichardBarclay So was Velma's ethnicity, swapping that would be like making Scooby a Shiba instead of a Great Dane. If they wanted to to make such a drastic change why not just make a new character with a blank slate instead of forcing changes that don't fit the character?

[@RichardBarclay]

@@stoutsprout4297 I don't agree, the main iconic things about Velma are her glasses and hair style, nothing about her skin colour.

[@Jerry1991388]

I simply take issue, in general, with changing the immutable genetic characteristics of a character in order to meet an unnecessary diversity quota. If you wouldn't agree with changing a black/hispanic/asian character to be white, why is the opposite acceptable?

[@shelbymckinney8888]

Honestly, I would be way more down for a Hex Girls spin-off series. Anyone remember the Hex Girls?

[@Feline_Femboy]

My og childhood crushes

[@AtomicDenson]

Any series or character that gets Race, gender, sex or religion swapped *ALWAYS* starts controversy, especially if they are already established. Velma having her race or religion swapped causes issue because most people recognize how Velma normally looks like. Race is one thing that is more obvious to people than the others aside from gender. They could have left Velma’s race alone, but mentioned maybe her parents are said race and that maybe she is mixed race. But no…, they aren’t going to do that. They’re going to Cater to the celebrity’s whim.

[@skylarmartin4247]

I don’t see how it’s an issue that Velma in this new series is going to be South Asian, as long as they keep the key few features from Velma’s character in all earlier seasons of the show I don’t think it’s an issue.

[@AtomicDenson]

@Skylar Martin the issue is that more or less Velma already has a very iconic and established look. Changing that is going upset a lot of people. Plus, this is going to be easy fuel for the whole race swap argument and the double standards argument tied to it. Their changing a established character for the whim and desire of a celeb. Who just wants to voice a popular character, but *ONLY* if said character “ *LOOKS MORE LIKE THEM* ”.

[@skylarmartin4247]

@@AtomicDenson I guess, but if you really think about the time that Scooby Doo was created it makes more sense if they were mostly all white in the group anyways. Mindy making Velma, South Asian feels fine to me and plus I don’t see her changing the race as a hindrance. I think she just wants to see herself in the character and I don’t really think that should be an issue.

[@AtomicDenson]

@@skylarmartin4247 it’s not an issue to you, because you most likely didn’t grow up with these characters. So, to you having Velma or any other character race or religion or gender swapped is not an issue. But to somebody else who has grown up with Velma and the Mystery gang, it is potentially ruining a beloved character. It be like taking your favorite character, and changing them just because some famous actor/actress wants to voice them or play them.

[@skylarmartin4247]

@@AtomicDenson well, I in fact have grown up watching many different variations of Scooby Doo mystery Inc. and I think it’s OK if somebody wants to be able to see themselves in a character that’s very moldable. I still don’t understand and I personally don’t care if someone changes the race of a character I like. If they changed the race of Kim possible, I really doubt she would be that different. Unless they played into stereotypes about the different race are portraying. Plus you can add different dynamics, the only reason I can see this being such a big deal if people discriminate against poc characters.

[@Sirenhound]

It's obviously not the "origin story" of the original Velma, unless she started using a whole lot more light foundation... And travelled back in time.

[@Nyorane]

Velma sometimes being and sometimes not being Jewish didn't change her appearance. Velma being Hispanic in Scoob didn't result in any massive design changes, just minor tweaks that technically didn't even have to be added since Hispanic people have a wide gamut of features from light to dark, straight-haired to curly, etc. Velma being played by a Japanese actress in the live action movie- I mean, it's not like you're expected to get plastic surgery to change your race for a role. Plus she had a light complexion anyway that visually matched the character (I don't know why they made Fred brunet, he was intentionally designed to be blond). This new Velma isn't live action nor is she being given some throwaway cultural detail, she's a preexisting character intentionally being racebent just cuz the director wanted it. Recall the Avatar: The Last Airbender movie by Shyamalan where the Water Tribe & Aang were made European from Inuit/Tibetan and the Fire Nation went from Japanese to Indian. These are seemingly random changes that misrepresent the source material/original creative intent for no good reason. You also don't have to be the same race as a character to voice them. E.g. Samurai Jack is played by an African American man, or even any dub of an imported series. It's just very arbitrary and out of left field. This wasn't a change people have been clamoring for for years that they're finally satiating, nor were prior ethnic 'deviations' made headline news. I personally would find it just as random if they made her skin blue or orange, or gave her dreads or an Italian accent or renamed her Daisy out of nowhere. It's just so arbitrary. I also found them making Daphne a lol so random XD puppet girl goofball to be very arbitrary and out of nowhere, just another attempt to 'fix' the characters by changing elements instead of building upon them.

[@sammygecko_]

“Intentionally designed to be blond” Think that’s just a reflection of the time for what they thought a male leader would be. (From a more cynical((?)) perspective, I guess) The fact that Hannah Barbara made a bajillion SD clones after its success just makes me think less about the integrity/foresight of the original designs.

[@chrisl7680]

It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t, none of it is worth spending time thinking about. If anything, it would be good for an Indian kid to see someone that looks like them on screen- you know, other than Apu.

[@boringfish]

@@chrisl7680 Apu isn't the only South Asian character on TV. Connie was one for example and she was well written and not stereotypical. Edit: Also, "Velma" is being made for adults so what Indian kid is going to be able to connect with the new Velma?

[@wakkaseta8351]

@@chrisl7680 Yeah, how dare we show kids a hardworking and intelligent family man who made a life for himself and became an involved and respected member of his community.

[@urmum4452]

im not reading that whole thing

[@etilworg]

The problem is not that Velma is another race, the problem is that Velma is a self-insert character for the show runner. Few people can make that works, because few people have a personality/life that made interesting follow it. You can argue that voice actors have self inserts into characters but they are not responsibles for the overal show, a good writer can put a self-insert character into a good plot. But a bad writer can only put himself in the center of the show because, they dont know anything else. They struggle to give motivations to characters other than themselves. Then, this show starts as "a writer put herself, disguised as Velma, into a high school comedy to solve mysteries with nudity and gore" That will fail because "reicists can not see velma in another race" .

[@JoseLopez-gi9sf]

You also have to remember the premise of Scooby-Doo. The whole team are meddling kids catching the bad guys. Not just one person, and if we are going to go into the fact that only Velma can solve mystery undermines the shows premises. The only ones that can really do that are Shaggy and scooby. Because in my opinion that works. I loved the Ghoul school or shaggy turning into a werewolf, or the boo brothers. And even tho this guy didnt like the thirteen ghost. I love that one too. But it is a team effort regardless. Not just one person, and mindy, i believe has gotten a big head thinking that people want to watch her from the office so they will watch anything she takes out. When most of her shows have already failed.

[@Tortilla_Pizzeria_Pixels]

But is changing her race not an issue? Would it not be an issue for you if they took a colored character and made them white? Sure, it might not change her personality, and that’s good, but it’s still a social issue.

[@megaman37456]

Race Swapping works both ways, Whitewashing, Blackwashing, Asianwashing, Indianwashing it's ALL equally racist.

[@solidsnakeshugecake]

@@Tortilla_Pizzeria_Pixels if they took a colored character who already exists and made them white yes it would still be dumb lol. Just make a new character the race you want it's literally that simple.

[@yesyouareright9800]

Not an issue? No that is racist and disgusting

[@LemonRaptor000]

"And wears glasses that occasionally fall off her head." *her glasses falling off practically every damn episode*

[@clockworkmouse8469]

I like the idea of the Velma's book shop. Maybe call it the binding, as in books and ghosts. You can even use the Scooby Doo ripoff characters. Like the talking shark and car. Or captain caveman. Velma could be trying to figure out why and how a dog and others can talk.

[@TECH097]

Personally what'd make it perfect for me is Velma actively put in scenarios where she is obligated to solve a mystery due to it getting in the way of her trying to move on from her Mystery Inc. days. Like, the company that ships her books is haunted by the late founder, or the newspaper she wanted to put ADs into for her shop is being attacked by a local lake monster. If anything including the OTHER Hanna-Barbera/Ruby-Spears mystery solvers could show how various the reasons are for solving the nonstop mysteries (moral altruism, money, boredom, etc.) while highlighting that while Velma WILL solve a case out of the kindness of her heart, as is she just wants to move on with her career. And admittedly this IS at Odds with Zombie Island showing that she MISSES solving mysteries, but for this show idea, maybe Mystery Inc. had a falling out like the James Gunn movies, and each episode reveals more of what happened and why Velma feels more hollow about the mystery solving business. Just my 25 cents.

[@clockworkmouse8469]

Great idea using Zombie Island, as they can find Fred's camera. And what is on it splits Mystery Inc. Even more if it backs up Daphne and TV show after Velma's book came out. For an extra you can have Fred and Shaggy argue about who owns the Mystery Machine. But you are right, it will start to look like one of the movies.

[@clarehidalgo]

Rip off? Those characters are from other shows by the same studio

[@silentpaw]

While I do have a problem with the idea of trying to make Velma more adult, and knowing most adult cartoons seem to go for gross out humor. My biggest problem with Velma is that Hoodie, I mean seriously who wears a hoodie with a turtleneck, and the color! No self respecting human would wear that color hoodie over an orange turtleneck. Maybe this will get fixed in the series, and I really hope so.

[@Oturan20]

No self-respecting human wears a hoodie over a turtleneck regardless!

[@lexruptor]

The part when Velma revealed her true origins in the MCU and her affiliation with the Mystic Arts, I died in my seat twice. This was certainly a show.

[@redlunatic2224]

The redesign is fine, but I don't think it was a good idea to debut it in a solo outing. Lacking the rest of the gang for context, this just reads as a separate character, at least at first glance. Add the difference in tone and they've limited the nostalgia factor by a lot, so I hope the final product stands strong on its own.

[@nolanlong1979]

Changing a character design will do that i straight up thought that was a velma imposter in canon

[@Dar512]

That show Scott pitched where the gang face real monsters brutally murdering people and have to face reality is basically the whole plot for the Supernatural and Scooby Doo Cross over : Scoobynatrual . I highly recommend that episode.

[@clippychan530]

honestly im so tired of teenage scooby doo, I'd LOVE to see a college-age gang try to figure themselves out or have a zombie island esc time skip where they're older and have to re-meet each other. If we really want to get to know Velma as a character we shouldn't be following early high school Velma we should be following young adult Velma. I genuinely feel like the only reason all the scooby doo shows take place during high school is that it feels like none of them would hang out with each other if they all didn't live in the same town and that sucks. I'm so tired of "adult shows" taking place in high school settings, there are so many more interesting settings to put characters in that aren't high school! It feels like a way for the creators to potentially reach an adult audience while giving themselves a fallback audience of tweens/ teenagers in case numbers aren't high enough.

[@makaiev]

Nothing is gonna top "A pup named Scooby Doo" is a sentence I could die for, it's the definitive origin story!

[@tallyprestin1881]

Like a Velma version of "murder, she wrote" that sounds great. You're right, they should have done that.

[@ExtBotany]

Mindy Khaling should've just made an original story at this point. There's not a single part of this that relies on the Scooby Doo franchise, other than the fact that she wanted to be Velma.

[@doomforzombies]

My belief is she wanted to but WB wouldn’t green light it unless it was a current IP

[@ki4815]

You are so right! A show focusing on Velma on her bookstore days would have been cool and more appropriate being adult focus on an adult. And if I ever made an adult theme Scooby spinoff I'm doing it sleepaway Friday 13th style with a serial killer on the loose, and I'm pulling a big no no with Fred & Velma hooking up & Shaggy & Daphne hooking up and I kniw Twitter will be mad lol. But I'm willing to give Velma a chance because I do love the Scooby IP and love to see what new things creators can do with it.

[@toontrooper4103]

"if one Mindy can do it why can't another Mindy?" That couldn't have fit more perfectly wow.

[@huntercool2232]

Just saw all the characters for the show.. SCOOBY ISN’T EVEN IN IT! And they turned my boy Shaggy into Brandon T. Jackson

[@MegaManXPoweredUp]

I can't believe they're making a Scooby-Doo show without the most important members of the gang; The Harlem Globetrotters and Batman!

[@weslysmith8450]

don't forget Don Knotts and Johnny Bravo

[@jwec9867]

The Velma show aside. Can we get an animated adaptation of the the scooby doo apocalypse comics? Basically, there is a lab accident at Area 51 which turns a large amount of the American population into real monsters. It's more adult. Daphne: news reporter, independent and can fight. Fred: Daphne's cameraman and himbo type. Velma: area 51 scientist Scooby: result of area 51 experiment to breed militarised dogs who can communicate through an eyepiece. Who chose to be a pacifist Shaggy: area 51 dog trainer. Who has an unnatural ability to connect with dogs. Scooby is of course his favourite. IT WOULD VE SO COOL! You could even improve on the source material.

[@laughingdogges]

Overall, this didn't age well...

[@Minihood31770]

To me, "adult oriented" when they're highschool characters, reads extremely BBC3. Which is probably a reference Americans won't get, but basically it's teen oriented TV. They say adult oriented, but that's part of it targeting teens.

[@stream3333]

Gotta love BBC3 ✨

[@dylanbusby7851]

My biggest problem with the show is it seems like a separate show someone at WB just slap Scoob on it to push SEO

[@Tuco_Salamanca3]

Calling people racist for being mad that they disingenuously race swapped a character doesn’t make you cool and trendy

[@bsabruzzo]

That "if they made a Scooby Doo show where real deaths were happening and the gang had to deal" though made me want to ask if you've seen the Mystery Inc "fan made" show on KZbin. It's a "gang is in high school and has yet to meet" story in the CW style, but it's very good.

[@hue_jazz59]

Adult Scooby-Doo already exists . It's called the venture bros

[@katherinealvarez9216]

A quarter of it but yeah.

[@1beatcher]

To me Venture bros was more like a adult version of Johnny Quest.

[@hue_jazz59]

@@1beatcher it's adult Hannah barberra. Either way, not gonna watch Velma

[@yatohiyashi]

Man this aged poorly, a lot of valid points but unfortunately the show is just.. that bad

[@LeMonkeyDaSucc]

Forgot about sex, drugs, depression, and other things that will pop up. If the characters had been adults this is most likely what would happen. - Fred is lost after his failed trap business and has turned to drugs and odd jobs to pay for his habits. - Daphne is an up-and-coming actress that sadly already succumb to drugged-out sexcapades on her off time. - Shaggy is actually doing pretty going with his marijuana shop but he also has PTSD from the night Scoob got killed. - Velma decided to go back to school and also become a part-time writer with her mystery inc series about the gang's past adventures. The show starts with Velma uncovering something that requires her to find and get the gang back together. Will this mystery be their final, can they overlook the past and work with each other one more time?? P.s. There is that Mystery Incorporated show that came out on yt idk if it's good but that's a thing.

[@PhoenixAgent003]

I encourage everyone here to check out Edgar Cantero’s book Meddling Kids, which is basically “what if the Scooby-Gang ran into a real monster and it gave them crippling PTSD they carried into adulthood.” It’s really interesting once you get past the bar fight scene. That one specific scene right bear the beginning is…not representative of the rest of the book’s quality.

[@potsdam28]

That happened on the 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo. Scooby was traumatized by the real ghosts in more than one episode.

[@howtodoit3074]

I've always said that changing the race of a character is just a lazy way to reskin a character

[@makaiev]

Tbh, those are the characters I grew up with and always wondered how would their life be when they grew up too... In my head, Fred becomes a cop or a bounty hunter in Texas, Daphne being a reporter checks out, and Velma becoming NSA agent feels natural... Shaggy always have been in the gray area, but I cn definitely see him as a professional at eating contests with a road show about food (thanks to Daphne's contacts).

[@sheepthehack]

If it doesnt make a difference.. THEN DONT DO IT!!!!

[@conormurphy4328]

I can’t be bothered to care about controversies from a show I’m 99.99% sure is going to be terrible

[@conormurphy4328]

Don’t worry Conor you were correct

[@whoahanant]

I think as some people have pointed out, changing characters to match someone else just means it's not really that character anymore. If everything was so insignificant in the first place then why change the character at all? It's more worrisome that not only is it setting the scene for easy money making schemes by just swapping colors on a character but also the issue of just straight up making self inserts. At that point it's not the original character but they're trying to masquerade it as the same character. We've also seen how these types of self inserts aren't liked with the DC starfire book. Sure the character was inclusive but not in a positive way. (Was actually a pretty rude character so tbh it just portrayed people who are large bodied, goth and lgbtqia+ as rude). There's a right way and a wrong way to be inclusive and I don't consider rehashing white characters to be easy minority money makers as inclusive. It's like saying that minority based characters aren't worth any new or extra effort. Basically it sets the precedence that minorities can just be re skinned white characters. I think that's a huge slap in the face and it keeps happening. People keep defending it saying it's inclusive when it really doesn't seem inclusive if you actually look at what they're doing. It's fine for fanart or personal inserts and such but in large corporation business practices it's not inclusive at all. It's just easy money to them and all they need to do is to swap skin colors instead of putting some effort into them. That's upsetting to see.

[@Danzarr]

your adult scooby show was basically the supernatural scooby doo crossover, which was honestly one of my favorite supernatural episodes.

[@gemmamoon5998]

If you want a Scooby-Doo break-up show that doesn’t really feature Scooby much, watch The Solve-It Squad play by the Tin Can Bros. It’s on KZbin for free and legally! And it’s sooo good if you’re a fan of Scooby Doo.

[@arkzero3157]

Well, there's two possible outcomes: Everyone was wrong, the series is great and will have the same success as Harley Quinn. Or... It's gonna be a one season show that will start a month-longh argument on Twitter (again) about how "evil people" don't watch diverse-lead show's.

[@that_pineapple154]

There's actually a fanmade Scooby Doo series I found that's(in my opinion) really good. Its a live action one called Mystery Incorporated, and it's being uploaded onto youtube by a channel of the same name. It does take place during highschool and starts before he gang all known eachother, but it has a more adult theme, and real monsters that kill people. Right now only the pilot episode is out, but they'll be releasing more episodes as they're finished. It's also got a lot of subtle references to past series if that's something you'd be interested in ^^

[@kdean_art1066]

I just find it weird how they’re not planning on introducing the rest of the gang into the show. At least for me, the individual members of Mystery Inc become infinitely less interesting when they’re out of the group dynamic. (I also think it’s weird that a lot of the chatter seems to be centered on skin color when that’s really a non-issue imo)

[@dexxus8078]

Would you also be fine with Static Shock, Black Panther, Miles Morales, Blade, Mobius from The Matrix, Barrett from Final Fantasy 7, Will Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bell-Air or Cleveland Brown suddenly being white? I sincerely doubt it. Arbitrarily fucking with character aspects on any level for any reason other than to tell a compelling story should not be accepted. Doesn't matter what the content of the change actually is.

[@pickedceasar1216]

@@dexxus8078 someone finally said it

[@dazedneptune]

Velma’s skin color is a non-issue since her whiteness doesn’t add anything to her character. But people be racist and/or get unreasonably pissy when their favorite characters change.

[@RacingSnails64]

Having it only be about her and changing her race at the same time feels really weird to me. Idk why. I feel like that only strengthens the "this should've been a new character" arguement if she's going to be have a completely different background and not be tied to any of her friends.

[@pickedceasar1216]

@@dazedneptune I just don't understand why they have to change it when they know it's gonna upset people. Like they went out of their way to do that and had to have had the conscious thought of pissing people off. People like me who just want accuracy

[@s2korpionic]

2:28 someone's going through a shit ton of gymnastic hoops here.

[@InnerAtanih]

Right lmao