Netflix's Scooby-Doo Live-Action Show Must Learn From The Franchise’s Best Movie After Velma’s Failure

Scooby-Doo should look to its best outing and recent failures to succeed with its upcoming live-action series. The Scooby-Doo live-action series was 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. Velma may be Scooby-Doo's least successful venture, and the upcoming series should note why it flopped.

Out of all the Scooby-Doo TV shows, Velma was probably the least well-received, airing in 2023. This animated series diverged heavily from the original Scooby-Doo story, 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 avoid Velma's shortfalls, and instead, look to Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island for 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

The gang has flashlights and looks scared in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.

Netflix's live-action Scooby-Doo could stand a chance if it adopts the formula of Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. This 1998 animated movie exemplified Scooby-Doo at its best. This children's movie embraced its audience without adding adult content like Velma, 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 of Zombie Island were 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-action Scooby-Doo should acknowledge the franchise's potential for murder mystery, thriller, and horror notes. Scooby-Doo is 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, as Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island proved. The Netflix Scooby-Doo live-action show should cast Shaggy wisely to nail the horror-comedy combination.

In leaning into horror like Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, the show can fall into the current trend for dark television series while televising original, contemporary conspiracies that have never been seen by fans before. It should stick to the Scooby-Doo characters that fans know and love, like Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island did. Max's Velma show wasn't awful but changed traditional characters, triggering review bombing. With mature but familiar characters in a horror setting, the new Scooby-Doo show would have a great chance of capturing new fans as well as old ones.

Scooby-Doo

Created by: Joe Ruby, Ken Spears
First Film: Scooby-Doo! Meets the Boo Brothers
Latest Film: Scooby-Doo! And Krypto, Too!
First TV Show: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Latest TV Show: Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (2019)
Upcoming TV Shows: Go-Go Mystery Machine

The Scooby-Doo franchise is an iconic animated media series that began in 1969 with Scooby-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.