Velma - Season

Velma is almost always the brains of the operation. The young, witty explorer knows how to string together a clue or two to reveal the plot and unmask the villain. Somehow though, Velma remains the unsung hero amongst her friends. The teen group involves a conscientious and anti-drugs Norville “Shaggy” Rogers, Velma’s best friend who carries around his crush on her. Daphne Blake, Velma’s ex-best-friend whose complicated feelings towards Velma keep the drama close at hand. The last member of the group soon to be known as Mystery Inc. is a young Fred Jones, awaiting his puberty but still likable enough for a young Velma to have feelings for. This love quadrangle is a mystery enough by itself but the group will have deadlier and more dastardly puzzles to put together.

What to know

Velma Season 1 is an adult animated television series created by writer and comedian Charlie Grandy. Velma is based on the much-loved children’s television show Scooby-Doo. Series creator Grandy is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and The Office. He is also a frequent collaborator with Mindy Kaling who takes the lead role of Velma in Season 1.

Making up the rest of Mystery Inc. is actor, comedian, and writer Sam Richardson who plays the laid-back Shaggy. Constance Wu voices Daphne Blake who has ‘complicated feelings’ for Velma in Season 1. Lastly, Glenn Howerton plays Fred Jones. The quartet is joined by the likes of Russell Peters, Wanda Sykes, Gary Cole, and Weird Al Yankovic who make up the expanded cast. Velma Season 1 was released on HBO Max on January 12th, 2023.

Production: Timeline, news & updates

Velma was first announced in early 2021 with HBO confirming a ten-episode order of a new comedic origin story for the famous Scooby-Doo character. It was also confirmed that it would star Mindy Kaling who executive produces the show. In May 2022, the first image of the R-rated show was revealed. In August 2022, after an overhaul at Warner Bros., it was confirmed that the animated Velma show was still in production. In October, the series was given an extensive preview at New York Comic Con with the show releasing its first trailer online. The brief teaser involves some meta-commentary about the backlash around Velma not being a white character in this iteration. At the screening of the pilot at NYCC, it was confirmed that the first season would not feature Scooby-Doo as a character given that the show is an origin story. It did however confirm that rest of the cast including Constance Wu, Glenn Howerton, and Sam Richardson. Velma Season 1 was released on HBO Max on January 12th, 2023.