Scooby-Dooshould look to its best outing and recent failures to succeed with its upcoming live-action series.TheScooby-Doolive-action serieswas announced in April 2024, promising the next inevitable return of a franchise beloved since 1969. Hanna Barbera’s ’60s show empowered kids with its finger on the pulse of culture at the time, amusing children and winning the acceptance of their parents. Since then, the story has been reinvented numerous times, with some versions more successful than others.Velmamay beScooby-Doo’sleast successful venture, and the upcoming series should note why it flopped.
Out ofall theScooby-DooTV shows,Velmawas probably the least well-received, airing in 2023. This animated series diverged heavily from the originalScooby-Doostory, adding in adult moments that jarred with family expectations and didn’t trigger the nostalgic joys of past productions. Greg Berlanti will produce the upcoming live-action series for Netflix. He used to work with Hanna-Barbera, offering a glimpse of promise.Berlanti should avoidVelma’sshortfalls,and instead, look toScooby-Doo on Zombie Islandfor its blueprint. This excellent movie may be the franchise’s best.
Scooby-Doo’s Live-Action Show Should Have The Same Tone As Zombie Island
Netflix Should Replicate Zombie Island’s Success
Netflix’s live-actionScooby-Doocould stand a chanceif it adopts the formula ofScooby-Doo on Zombie Island. This 1998 animated movie exemplifiedScooby-Dooat its best. This children’s movie embraced its audience without adding adult content likeVelma, and its viewers responded positively. The movie was scary enough for children, and this would be a great tone for a live-action show, promising thrills for the show’s core demographic and meaningful layers for YA or adults.The characters and plot ofZombie Islandwere sophisticated, despite being a kid’s movie, and the live-action show should replicate this.
Zombie Island Is A Reminder That Scooby-Doo Can Be Scary (Without Losing Its Essence)
The New Scooby-Doo Show Should Tap The Franchise’s Potential
Berlanti’s live-actionScooby-Dooshould acknowledge the franchise’s potential for murder mystery, thriller, and horror notes.Scooby-Doois a murder mystery at its heart, and this genre can be scary for both children and adults. With careful planning, the live-action Netflix show can intrigue kids and entice an older audience with multi-layered jokes that appeal to multiple age groups. When done in a horror setting, this could be a recipe for success, asScooby-Doo on Zombie Islandproved.The NetflixScooby-Doolive-action show should cast Shaggy wiselyto nail the horror-comedy combination.
Velma’s Cancelation After 2 Seasons Proves A Harsh Truth About The Scooby-Doo Series
The cancellation of the Velma series after two seasons on Max serves as an important lesson about the Scooby-Doo franchise and its future.
In leaning into horror likeScooby-Doo on Zombie Island,the show can fall into the current trend for dark televisionseries while televising original, contemporary conspiracies that have never been seen by fans before. It should stick to theScooby-Doocharacters that fans know and love, likeScooby-Doo on Zombie Islanddid.Max’sVelmashow wasn’t awful but changed traditional characters, triggering review bombing. With mature but familiar characters in a horror setting, the newScooby-Dooshow would have a great chance of capturing new fans as well as old ones.
Scooby-Doo
TheScooby-Doofranchise is an iconic animated media series that began in 1969 withScooby-Doo, Where Are You!created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. The series follows the adventures of Mystery Inc.—a group of teenagers and their talking Great Dane, Scooby-Doo, as they solve mysteries involving supposedly supernatural creatures. Over the years, the franchise has expanded into numerous animated series, films (both animated and live-action), comic books, video games, and specials. Its blend of mystery, humor, and memorable characters has made it one of the longest-running and most beloved franchises in animation.
