As is often the case with controversial releases, the new animated series "Velma" has been the subject of blatant and unobjective review-bombing, so I suggest you take the current 1.3 out of 10 user-average with more than a few grains of salt. It's definitely not a 1.3 out of 10 show. But at the same time, I also have to admit that sadly... it ain't great, either.
Mindy Kaling leads an excellent voice-cast in this adult-oriented reimagining of the Scooby-Doo franchise that sees our favorite characters as younger, modern teens. Now, I'm sure the concept alone will repulse certain people, but I actually was pretty into it. I thought the idea had a certain charm, and the concept of a Scooby-Doo reboot aimed at older audiences is fun. (I still wish we could see James Gunn's original vision for the live-action film.)
Unfortunately in execution, the series is thus-far all over the place. There's far too much reliance on tired sex-gags and weird visual jokes that come out of nowhere. (A sequence involving a baby kicking in a pregnant woman's stomach being a prime example of a joke that just doesn't work.) And the non-stop fourth-wall breaking meta-humor can become quite aggravating at times. Meta-humor is something you have to nail, or else it comes across as shallow. You can't just have the characters make the same "If this was a TV show, this is the part where XXX!" joke every two minutes and expect audiences to laugh every time.
Additionally, even as a proud liberal who firmly believes that diversity and representation is very important... this show goes about it in the worst way possible. It just clumsily beats you over the head with it, then tries to cover for its sloppiness with more meta-humor. There's absolutely no problem with Velma being Indian American in this show, but rather than leave well-enough alone, it's treated as some sort-of grandiose reveal, and they actually have a character give a fourth-wall speech about how it's totally okay. Which just kind of makes it feel... icky.
That being said, there are some good things here, and if the show does move forward with a second season, I'm hoping it can improve. The cast does very well with what they have to work with, and the voices fit perfectly. Character designs are typically solid and the animation is decent. (Some lip-synching issues notwithstanding.) And I even think the central storyline has some promise.
But as it stands now, "Velma" is dragged down by its flaws. Will it improve in the future? Who knows. All I know is that at this point in time, after two episodes, I can only give it a slightly below average 4 out of 10. Not the worst thing ever, and some people might enjoy it. But very mediocre.
Mindy Kaling leads an excellent voice-cast in this adult-oriented reimagining of the Scooby-Doo franchise that sees our favorite characters as younger, modern teens. Now, I'm sure the concept alone will repulse certain people, but I actually was pretty into it. I thought the idea had a certain charm, and the concept of a Scooby-Doo reboot aimed at older audiences is fun. (I still wish we could see James Gunn's original vision for the live-action film.)
Unfortunately in execution, the series is thus-far all over the place. There's far too much reliance on tired sex-gags and weird visual jokes that come out of nowhere. (A sequence involving a baby kicking in a pregnant woman's stomach being a prime example of a joke that just doesn't work.) And the non-stop fourth-wall breaking meta-humor can become quite aggravating at times. Meta-humor is something you have to nail, or else it comes across as shallow. You can't just have the characters make the same "If this was a TV show, this is the part where XXX!" joke every two minutes and expect audiences to laugh every time.
Additionally, even as a proud liberal who firmly believes that diversity and representation is very important... this show goes about it in the worst way possible. It just clumsily beats you over the head with it, then tries to cover for its sloppiness with more meta-humor. There's absolutely no problem with Velma being Indian American in this show, but rather than leave well-enough alone, it's treated as some sort-of grandiose reveal, and they actually have a character give a fourth-wall speech about how it's totally okay. Which just kind of makes it feel... icky.
That being said, there are some good things here, and if the show does move forward with a second season, I'm hoping it can improve. The cast does very well with what they have to work with, and the voices fit perfectly. Character designs are typically solid and the animation is decent. (Some lip-synching issues notwithstanding.) And I even think the central storyline has some promise.
But as it stands now, "Velma" is dragged down by its flaws. Will it improve in the future? Who knows. All I know is that at this point in time, after two episodes, I can only give it a slightly below average 4 out of 10. Not the worst thing ever, and some people might enjoy it. But very mediocre.