With the news of a new live-action Scooby-Doo show for Netflix, perhaps Mystery Inc. would benefit from the Riverdale treatment.
There’s a brand-new Scooby-Doo live-action show coming to Netflix from the team behind Riverdale. While it might sound like a cause for concern, it really isn’t.
Everyone’s favorite meddlesome kids–and Scooby-Doo–look to be heading back to the live-action arena on Netflix. According to Deadline, the streaming service secured the rights to Scooby-Doo! The Live-Action Series, which will be a collaboration project between Warner Bros. Television and Greg Berlanti’s Berlanti Productions. The news signaled more than a few klaxons, especially considering Berlanti’s penchant for teen-orientated melodramatic series. Consequently, it wouldn’t be outside of the realm of possibility to see the Scooby-Doo show become more like Riverdale than a straight-up adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera animated series. It isn’t a bad thing, though–it might even be a stroke of Scooby-Dooby-Doo genius.
Centuries from now, historians will study Velma and ponder where it all went wrong. On paper, it’s clear to see the intent of the show: To create an adult cartoon in the same vein as the Harley Quinn animated series but with Scooby-Doo characters. (Although, it still doesn’t explain why anyone would exclude Scooby, since he’s the MVP of the franchise, but Hollywood has a habit of kicking rocks then complaining about broken toes thereafter.)
Unfortunately, Velma makes the cardinal mistake of not having likable characters to root for or get behind. It’s tough to care about anyone here since they lack any charm or redeeming qualities, coming across like the smarmy, engagement-farming cesspool of blue checkmarks on X. It’s a sin, especially when the original Mystery Inc. is such a beloved and charismatic bunch, feeling like the best friends everybody wants in life.
Velma could have worked had it left the characterizations alone and only updated the storylines to be more mature. (Also, for heaven’s sake, keep Scoob in the fray, since everyone expects to see the Great Dane’s shenanigans and hear his sneaky laugh.) However, the idea to focus on the natural teenage drama that’s likely to occur between the characters makes for an interesting angle to explore–something that Scooby-Doo! The Live-Action Series should lean into like Riverdale.
In Archie Comics, Archie Andrews and his pals experience a Leave It to Beaver-like existence. It’s wholesome and goofy fun as they get up to different kinds of mischief in the suburban utopia known as Riverdale. The CW’s Riverdale turns this experience into a bizarro world where Archie fights a bear, Jughead Jones leads a gang, and Betty Cooper’s father is a serial killer–and those are only the milder events across a ludicrous seven-season run. Yet, somehow, someway, Riverdale hits the sweet spot and connects with the greater audience, as the creators embraced the absurd and surreal to deliver an absolutely bonkers and entertaining show.
The reason for its success is simple: Riverdale understands the characterization of the main cast and what makes them tick, even if they are thrown into a different genre and upside-down world than what most fans are familiar with. Similarly, it isn’t too difficult to imagine the same formula applied to a Scooby-Doo show, while infusing it with the kooky spirit of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (another Berlanti Productions-WBTV project). Think about it: Mystery Inc. needs to solve an overarching mystery across the season, as every episode unravels more spooky twists and explores the relationship dynamics between the characters. It wouldn’t be too outrageous to see love dynamics form between Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy as an example – much like what happened between Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica.
Ultimately, Riverdale understood the assignment, keeping its tongue firmly planted in its cheek and never being afraid to get wackier and outrageous. And Scooby-Doo! The Live-Action Series could follow suit here. After all, this is a show about detective teens and a talking, perpetually hungry dog that bumbles his way into solving mysteries. If Scooby-Doo isn’t a spiritual successor to Riverdale, nothing is.
Maturing Scooby-Doo for an older audience was attempted by DC Comics in 2016. From an idea conceived by Jim Lee, the team of Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Howard Porter, Dale Eaglesham, and Pat Olliffe created Scooby Apocalypse, a comic book series that saw Mystery Inc. thrust into a post-apocalyptic setting where they faced off against zombies and other horrors.
The combination of outstanding art and mature storytelling resonated–both in terms of sales and praise–but the series was canceled after 36 issues. According to Bleeding Cool, Scooby Apocalypse received a screwdriver to the head because DC’s big brother, Warner Bros., didn’t like the reinventions of the Hanna-Barbera characters and pulled the plug. Unfortunately, this isn’t the strangest thing that Warner Bros. has ever done, since this is the company that tried to digitally remove Henry Cavill’s mustache for Justice League and made him look like the human version of Shrek instead of Superman.
It’s a different era now, though. Shows like Riverdale and Wednesday demonstrate how it’s possible to take traditionally kid-friendly franchises or characters and tweak them to appeal to a more mature audience. Every streamer and network wants more eyeballs, and they’re likely to replicate the same formula with other popular intellectual properties. As long as the core and spirit remain intact in these adaptations, there’s no cause to say, “Ruh-roh, Raggy,” just yet.
