Velma on HBO Max: Don’t believe the reactions, the show is entertaining

Is Velma on HBO Max a show worthy of your time? Despite all of the negative reviews, it’s worth checking out. 

Reboots, remakes, and parodies of older projects have become a regular thing over the past two decades. Some people call it a lack of creativity, but this writer believes it’s less cynical than that. Simply put, people love nostalgia. It’s one of the reasons Stranger Things remains popular. It brings back happy feelings in the people watching the show. When it comes to remakes and reboots in particular, people grow up. That means the writers, producers, and other creatives may want to see different or more adult versions of the things they grew up with. That’s where Velma on HBO Max comes in.

Mindy Kaling grew up in the 1980s. It makes sense that she was a fan of Scooby-Doo. Most kids watching TV in the 1980s and 90s were. During an interview, she said that she enjoyed Scooby-Doo, but the show was scary. Mindy went on to say she was, “interested in kind of taking the comedy and the humor of the original, and sort of adapting it for older audiences.” She also said that changing Velma’s race was inspired by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This explains all of the changes that were made. However, despite the reasons, people haven’t been kind to the show.

Why aren’t people enjoying Velma

There were a lot of changes from Scooby-Doo to Velma. First, everything about the main characters were different. Moreover, it’s also way more adult. Cursing, death, and a lot of gore are only a few of the adult things that you’ll see in Velma on HBO Max. What’s funny is changes to classics won’t determine how a person feels about a project. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a great example.

There’s a lot of gore and some changes to characters’ race, sexuality, or personality. These are all things that could upset fans of the original show. There’s also no Scooby-Doo and he was the star of the cartoon and truly beloved. This writer won’t tell someone their thoughts on the show are wrong. We all have our preferences. Nevertheless, this writer looks forward to the show’s release every Thursday.

Velma is worth watching

First and foremost, when going into something new see it for what it is. This show is in no way Scooby-Doo. This could be the biggest problem going in. Eight episodes in and the only mention of the dog was a joke when Velma asked, “What did Scooby do?” Although, that shouldn’t make a difference. There have been enough comic book movies and TV shows that have shied away from the source material and get high marks. The Boys on Amazon Prime is almost nothing like the comic yet it’s a show people anticipate.

All of the changes made in Velma is what makes the show enjoyable. While there’s a ton of adult content, the heart of the original program is still there. It’s still goofy and fun, there’s a mystery that needs to be solved, and the first cast members are still involved and play a big role.

In the past, shows and movies have been review bombed with bad reviews because people don’t like change. Captain Marvel is a prime example of this. The movie was getting bad fan reviews before it was released (even though critics received it well). This prompted a change to platforms like Rotten Tomatoes. Is this what’s happening here? Possibly. Or maybe people just don’t like the show. If that’s the case, then it’s understandable. It just isn’t for you. However, if you’ve never seen the show, don’t go by the reviews (this writer’s included). Check it out on HBO Max and decide for yourself.

What do you think, readers? Have you tried watching Velma on HBO Max? Let us know in the comments below.