On The Air: Velma (2023)

 After the hype, after the backlash, Velma isn't quite as bad as people make it out to be.

Let's recap:

1. Velma Dinkley (Mindy Kaling) is now of South Asian/Indian descent. Her mother vanished some time back, and at first, Velma holds herself responsible, leading to some hallucinations.

2. Norville Rogers (don't call him Shaggy just yet) is African-American, and has a lot more on the ball than normal. His anti-drug stance is a wink to all the speculation about his persistent hunger over the years.

3. Daphne (Constance Wu, ex-Fresh Off The Boat) is a foundling being raised by a pair of lesbian cops (Jane Lynch, ex-Glee, and Wanda Sykes, Harley Quinn).

4. Fred (Glenn Howerton) is a former crush of Velma's who claims to have some bizarre disease where he has selective amnesia over certain people while at the same time still in love with Daphne. The dumbing down of Fred, which began with 2002's "Scooby-Doo" feature film, continues here, as he's even more of a himbo.

5. The plot: Someone is killing the "popular girls" at Crystal Cove High, and removing their brains. Velma is being framed, and those hallucinations she's having aren't helping.

6. There is a shower scene in the opener with Daphne and a group of girls, where their nipples are strategically hidden under soap bubbles. However, you don't wear sandals or flip-flops in the shower! It just isn't done! There will be boys tuning in and revisiting this scene over and over and over.....!

All the haterizing is coming from either internet trolls who need a reason to vent, and/or older fans who don't like this alternate reality take on the franchise. What Mindy Kaling and partner Charlie Grandy are attempting to do in their own weird way is fill in some backstory as they see it as to how Mystery Inc. would eventually form.

One more time with the trailer:

As I figured, my viewing party actually enjoyed the show, just as we do with Harley Quinn.

Rating: B.