The new Scooby-Doo spin-off series Velma comes to streaming on January 12th, 2023. The series serves as a prequel to the Scooby-Doo story, following teenage Velma Dinkley (voiced by Mindy Kaling) prior to the formation of Mystery Incorporated. The series also stars fellow Mystery Inc. members Fred (Glenn Howerton), Shaggy (Sam Richardson), and Daphne (Constance Wu) - as Velma forms her own relationships - both romantic and platonic - that lead to the gang solving supernatural occurrences.

Available To Stream On MAX

The divisive prequel series currently has a 55% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes - with an audience score of 6%. The show is the first Scooby-Doo cartoon to be Velma-centric, and unlike previous Scooby-Doo cartoons, is meant for an adult audience.

Velma's voice actress, Mindy Kaling, also serves as executive producer. Kaling is known for her on and off-screen roles in The Office and The Mindy Project, as well as for her work as showrunner on The Sex Lives of College Girls and Never Have I Ever.

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Where Can I Watch The Velma Cartoon?

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Velma is available to stream from January 12th, exclusively on HBO Max. The first two episodes will be available immediately, with two new episodes available every Thursday until February 9th, totaling 10 episodes. HBO Max also offers a variety of other Scooby-Doo movies and TV shows available for streaming.

Is Scooby-Doo In Velma?

Velma

Fans of Scooby-Doo picked up on the fact that the titular character of the franchise was absent from the trailer and all promotional series, leading to questions of whether the talking dog would make an appearance in the prequel series.

Velma showrunners have confirmed that there are no plans to include the character of Scooby. This is due, in part, to Warner Bros. Animation declining permission for the dog to appear in a show with adult themes. Executive producer Charlie Grandy also stated they did not intend to include Scooby, as "it felt like what made it a kids’ show was Scooby-Doo" (via Variety).

Is Velma LGBTQ+?

Velma and Daphne almost kiss in Velma Episode 2

In 2022, it was confirmed by a trailer for the movie Trick Or Treat Scooby-Doo! that the character of Velma Dinkley is canonically a lesbian, as seen in the trailer where Velma has a crush on a female character. Filmmaker James Gunn, who wrote the live-action Scooby-Doo movies in the early 2000s, confirmed that they had intended for the character to be a lesbian in their films, but the studio would not allow this to be canon in the final cut (via Variety).

With this news confirmed only last year, many wondered if Velma would also be a lesbian in her spin-off. This seems somewhat unlikely, as it has been confirmed in the trailers that Shaggy has a romantic interest in her - while Velma is shown having a crush on Fred. However, the show has been described as a "love-quadrangle," with Velma and Daphne having a complicated relationship as estranged best friends. It is possible that the character may have a relationship with another woman in the prequel, but nothing has been confirmed as yet (via Gizmodo).

Is Shaggy Called Norville In Velma?

Velma Norville And His SNack Food Vlog

The marketing for Velma prior to its release referred to the character of Shaggy as "Norville." Given the many changes to the characters in the series, many wondered if the show was shifting away from the Shaggy character that viewers had been accustomed to. With Scooby not a character in Velma, his best buddy is bound to be more nuanced than previous iterations of the character that portrayed Shaggy and Scooby as a duo.

Scooby-Doo super-fans will be aware that Shaggy's full name has always been Norville "Shaggy" Rogers - although he is rarely referred to by his birth name. The character is very much the same in terms of personality - and wears the same iconic green shirt and brown pants that the character is associated with. Given the fact that the show is a prequel chronicling the teenage life of the characters prior to the establishment of Mystery Inc., Norville may earn his nickname of Shaggy as the plot develops.

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