SummaryVelma Dinkley (voiced by Mindy Kaling) teams up with Daphne (Constance Wu), Shaggy (Sam Richardson) and Fred (Glenn Howerton) to solve a murder in the adult animated comedy series from Charlie Grandy that does not include Scooby-Doo.
SummaryVelma Dinkley (voiced by Mindy Kaling) teams up with Daphne (Constance Wu), Shaggy (Sam Richardson) and Fred (Glenn Howerton) to solve a murder in the adult animated comedy series from Charlie Grandy that does not include Scooby-Doo.
Velma’s suspense isn’t gripping on its own, but it doesn’t matter. The voice performances make the brief lulls worth it. The actors are clearly having a ball, with the warm chemistry between Kaling, Wu, Richardson, and Howerton shining through even though they don’t appear on screen. The supporting cast is equally charming.
This show is an absolute masterpiece. TV shows for the next century will look at Velma and try to copy its genius formula. I'm happy we just got news of a second season because it just had to happen after this amazing start.
“Velma” is doing a lot — possibly too much — but there are emotional beats and comedic gags that do land amid a saturated creative canvas, including arcs for the future Mysteries, Inc gang that combine existing backstory with eclectic “Velma” flourishes (a big Fred twist leads to some truly outrageous scenes in later episodes).
The animation is bright, poppy, and fun, the cast is game, and some solid gags do emerge from what’s been seen so far. But even if it could get over its tonal issues in a second season, it’s hard to hope that it’ll have a chance to do so.
For every solid crack (“Ranking hot girls is exactly how the Trojan War and Facebook started!”), there’s an observation that feels like a repurposed Twitter draft from some harried screenwriter’s folder.
“Velma” consists of too much “Why not?” and too little “Why?” ... More than that, these characters are just really unpleasant to spend time with, and it starts at the top with Velma, whose selfish and misanthropic tendencies aren’t diluted by her moments of vulnerability. Daphne isn’t much better. ... Absent even a wisp of genuine reverence for the source material. ... The biggest mystery of “Velma” is why it needs to exist.
The show actually is misogynist, and totally devoid of nuance. ... Velma’s mistakes might be forgivable if it was at least funny. But it’s not. And so, we’re left with a show that makes no one laugh and makes everyone mad, and doesn’t even have a great theme song.
Wow! The reviews for this show are HARSH! Damn! I mean, it’s not the greatest, but I’ve seen a helluva lot worse than Velma. As for the whole Scooby Doo thing, I don’t feel like Velma is trying to be anything but its own entity. I think the timing for this show is about as accurate as Titanic’s maiden voyage. We’re just a little too hypersensitive these days, and the reviews for Velma certainly reflect that, don’t they?…
Let’s be honest: it’s not that bad. However, it has the most horrible first episode in animation history. If you give it a chance, you’ll have not a great time as in Rick and Morty, or other series way better than this, but its story entertains fairly. This is not a masterpiece and is far away from being one, but at least the idea is still there and is not bad.
A failed attempt at making an animated "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" or a new "Daria" for modern sensibilities. The jokes fall flat. The characters not being likable seems to be by intention ala Always Sunny or "Married with Children" or the "World of Jerkass" trope on TV Tropes; you are not supposed to be rooting for Velma, though most Youtube reviewers have found a soft-spot for Fred as he is merely ignorant with horrible overbearing parents instead of selfish & malignant like the rest of the cast. The art & coloring are good compared to anything on Nick or CN, but the shading & highlighting could have been pushed further. The show improves by episode 4 when the show starts to build lore. The characters do not mature or learn from past mistakes.