A Ranking of Shaggy's Portayals

6/15/2022

Eight years ago on this day, Casey Kasem tragically passed away. To honor one of the most iconic voice actors this franchise has ever seen, today I will be doing my rankings of Shaggy's portrayals over the years.

8. Nick Palatas

Although Nick is ranked last, I really have nothing objectively wrong with his portrayal of Shaggy. Looking at it from a memorability standpoint, it was a cute portrayal, but it didn't scream "Shaggy" as much as some of his other actors did. Don't get me wrong, I do like how Nick portrayed Shaggy, but there wasn't as much personality here as some other portrayals. It's a shame Nick's acting career never really took off, as he seems like a good actor.

7. Scott Menville

I like Scott's portrayal of Shaggy as well, but this is kind of a similar case to Kate Micucci and Velma for me. I thought he fit Shaggy's characterization in Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue really well, but I don't think his voice would fit quite as well in other series.

6. Iain Armitage

If I haven't shared it on here already, I'm a big fan of Young Sheldon, which Iain Armitage stars in. I thought he did a great job playing young Shaggy; the best out of any of the actors in my opinion. I can't wait to see more of his Shaggy voice in Scoob! Holiday Haunt. I'm still wondering what the heck happened to his cameo in Scooby-Doo! Where Are You Now? It's really weird they would just not include him when they announced he had a cameo three weeks before it aired, and then just not say anything about it.

5. Will Forte

Will's Shaggy voice was my second favorite of the SCOOB! voices. While he did a good job with the voice, I definitely wouldn't put him up there with the more iconic versions of Shaggy. I liked his voice in that particular iteration, but I don't think I'd want him to be all Scooby shows and media. There were more iconic "one-time wonders" who voiced Shaggy, namely...

4. Billy West

Thus far, all of the Shaggy voices ranked have only portrayed him for a single film or season (at least at the time of writing this). Out of all of them, Billy West is the only one where I feel like "yes, this is Shaggy." I like his more nasally Shaggy voice, and while he could never replace Casey Kasem, I felt like he was an amazing substitute for Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. He channels a voice that's really similar to Casey's in my opinion, and does a great job with this role. If for some reason Matthew Lillard ever stepped down, I wouldn't mind at all if Billy returned to voice Shaggy.

3. Matthew Lillard

In comparison to the other live-action actor we've had for Shaggy, Nick Palatas, Matthew always felt more like Shaggy to me. While Nick does a good job with the role, I didn't have that same "yes, he fits the role of Shaggy perfectly" like I did with Matthew Lillard. When they announced Casey Kasem was retiring and would be replaced by Matthew Lillard, I honestly was not worried at all. While it was sad Casey had to step down, Matthew Lillard did such a good job as Shaggy in the first two live-action films that he seemed like a logical choice for the role.

2. Scott Innes

Although he only has voiced Shaggy in three DTVs (and some commercials), something about Scott's voice just has more of the original Casey Kasem charm than Matthew's does. If Matthew Lillard ever has to step down, I can confidently say I'd be really happy if Scott Innes stepped up to voice Shaggy again, because he does an amazing job. When I saw the movies when I was a kid, I honestly couldn't really tell that Shaggy had changed voice actors (although maybe I just didn't think about that sort of thing as much either haha) because he and Billy sound pretty similar to me. However, I would say now as an adult, I prefer Scott's voice to Billy's, although both are good.

1. Casey Kasem

Honestly, I probably only would have need to put "Casey Kasem" here and that would have been enough explanation lol. The man is an icon, and he made Shaggy into the character he is today.

I hope you enjoyed these rankings! Feel free to post your rankings of Shaggy's voice actors in the comments.

35 Comments

Jacob Berger

6/15/2022 09:29:53 am

My rankings
8.Scott Menville
7.Will Forte
6.Nick Palatas
5.Iain Armitage
4.Scott Innes
3.Matthew Lillard
2.Billy West
1.Casey Kasem

WildwindVampire link

6/15/2022 11:03:36 am

Nice rankings! Thanks for sharing them!

John Locke

6/15/2022 11:23:15 am

I respect Casey Kasem and love him for staying with the character for so long, but I actually think Matthew Lillard would be my no. 1 pick, since casey he's the only one I've heard that makes me go "this is shaggy, this is who this character IS"

WildwindVampire link

6/15/2022 02:44:12 pm

Oh wow, interesting! I've always felt Casey was more iconic as the character, but I think Matthew fits the character quite well too.

John locke

6/15/2022 03:42:07 pm

I would agree but I think casey has also had more lows than lillard but that's also probably just cause casey had the role for so long.

WildwindVampire link

6/16/2022 08:54:56 am

Not sure what you mean by more lows for Casey, do you just mean performances that you feel he could have done better on?

John Locke

6/16/2022 09:55:58 am

trying to keep myself from being jumped on for maybe unpopular opinions, but like... ok well while I liked what's new scooby doo and totally understand why he had this stipulation, I found Shaggy suddenly being vegetarian to be rather forced.

Also when they did the "bring OG scooby gang as much as possible back" for the Vampire movie and Monster of Mexico, honestly Casey didn't sound like a teenager so it felt like a vocal disconnect to have an old mans voice coming out of a maybe 20 year old's body. (Also mitigating factor those films are ok but I find their tourism a bit annoying so it could just be that)

WildwindVampire link

6/16/2022 10:32:26 am

Fair enough, I know some of people didn't like Casey's voice as Shaggy as he got older. I agree the voice sounded a bit different as he aged and not quite as good as it used to, but he was still amazing. That's just my opinion though.

I felt like the vegetarian thing was done relatively subtle enough where it wasn't in your face, so I didn't mind it. The only example I can really think of that stood out is when Shaggy said he was eating a veggie burger in "Diamonds Are a Ghoul's Best Friend," but I don't think it stood out in a bad way that clouded the episode necessarily.

Becker

6/16/2022 01:00:00 pm

Honestly, Kasem's Shaggy voice in the 2000s never bothered me at all. There's some actors that I like a fair bit less during their years in a role, but not Casey personally. I mean yeah, it was a bit different and not as youthful-sounding, but it was still incredibly Shaggy-like and he put as much passion into the performance as ever. Still awesome.

They never even mentioned in the actual WNSD show that Shaggy was vegetarian. They never even indirectly suggested it. The closest thing that comes to a genuine implication was the veggie burger like Wildwind said, but that wouldn't just automatically make him vegetarian for eating one. Overall the whole vegetarian thing for Kasem was very subtly done and you barely notice it unless you specifically watch through the show and adjacent movies only to look for meat in his food.

WildwindVampire link

6/16/2022 02:02:16 pm

I can't say I ever felt Casey was un-Shaggy-like either at any point, even in the 2000s when the voice sounded much older. You could tell he still put a lot of passion into the role, which was awesome given how many health issues he was going through at the time. Granted, I can totally understand why someone might not like the voice as much.

Personally I thought they did the best job with the vegetarian thing that they possibly could have. It could have been done in a cringey way or where they were intentionally bringing it up to showcase he was a vegetarian, but it was so subtle that I don't think there would have been any way to know if Casey himself hadn't confirmed it.

Becker

6/16/2022 03:51:32 pm

2000s Casey sounds kinda like a strange in-between of classic Casey and Matthew Lillard. Or maybe not, I might just be speaking nonsense lol.

Oh, and that second sentence I meant "a fair bit less during their LATER years in whatever role", oops.

WildwindVampire link

6/16/2022 05:48:50 pm

I hadn't thought about that before, but I can kind of see how you'd feel that way. It is sort of similarly nasally, if that makes sense haha.

James Dixon

6/15/2022 12:48:19 pm

Scott Innes is hoping Matthew Lillard will step down too.

WildwindVampire link

6/15/2022 02:44:38 pm

Ha! I'm sure he is lol.

Becker

6/15/2022 01:23:43 pm

Huh, interesting, we have the exact same ranking here! Nice. I agree there's no bad Shaggy actor, but there is quite a clear divide between the top 4 and the bottom 4.

Nick Palatas did quite well, unfortunately someone just has to take last place, sorry. I felt like Lillard was clearly the best live-action Shaggy personally. And I'm also not a big fan of the movies with Nick (especially The Curse of the Lake Monster...), so that also has an effect on it.

I was thinking about maybe putting Scott Menville last, because his portrayal would not work AT ALL for anything other than Get a Clue. But then I realized I shouldn't probably care so much about that, since he didn't voice him in anything else. He only ever was Shaggy in Get a Clue, so shouldn't be so harsh for nothing. So I kept him 7th. I think the regular Shaggy type of voice would've still worked for Get a Clue just fine, but Menville's VERY different take works too.

Iain Armitage was hard to place, I guess he just landed here by default after I arranged the others lol. The voice itself isn't anything special, the performance is what saves it.

Going back to listen to it for this, Will Forte's take actually sounds a bit more Shaggy-like than I originally gave it credit. It's more Shaggy-ish than Menville's. Still not one of the best *voices* they could've gotten, but the acting and delivery is really great, and it's what sells this Shaggy version, more so than the voice itself.

Billy West is a very solid Shaggy. He's not quite the best of the replacements, but top 3 for sure. His Shaggy is pretty easy for me to recognize, especially with the more nasally sound he brings, which I don't mind at all. There's also some other small elements of his portrayal that stand out, while being totally Shaggy, which is always a great balance to have. Wish he would've gotten more than one chance to voice him at some point, but oh boy what a one-chance that was! Cuz he got played him in the most beloved Scooby film out there, so his short tenure definitely was important.

Lillard's Shaggy voice is actually quite different from all the previous ones, yet it fits so well and is still so Shaggy-esque that nobody complains and fully accepts and recognizes it as genuine Shaggy. He basically did a Mindy with that! He's amazing. He's really iconic in the role (even more for the live-action stuff!) and has become synonymous with Shaggy, which means you're definitely doing something right!

Innes will always be my favorite replacement for Shaggy (and, spoiler for the future, Scooby too). He's able to both sound so close to the original, yet he is also somehow manages to make it distinguishable enough from the original so that it's not just an imitation. He stays true to the classic voices, but also puts his own little spin onto them. His Shaggy (and Scooby) is less raspy and a bit higher.

Casey Kasem. You're right, I really don't need to say anything more lol. Kasem as Shaggy is the definition of perfect match, no better way to put it.

Side note: I don't think Billy West and Scott Innes actually sound all that similar. To me they sound pretty different. But they're both great Shaggys.

WildwindVampire link

6/15/2022 02:54:27 pm

That's awesome we have the same rankings! I completely agree there's a huge divide between 1-4 and 5-8.

Interestingly with Nick, Mystery Begins was my favorite of the live-action films (other than Daphne & Velma). I wasn't a big fan of Curse of the Lake Monster, though.

Yeah, Scott's voice wouldn't work in any other series, but it actually works surprisingly well with what they were going for. Ultimately, I placed him above Nick because Nick wasn't really a perfect fit, whereas Scott was a great fit for the role.

Iain was definitely the hardest for me to place too. I liked his voice most out of any of the kid actors, but it still wasn't super memorable.

Yeah, I know Will Forte got a lot of hate for his voice as Shaggy, but I feel like he deserves some credit because his Shaggy voice was pretty solid. It's still a big gap between him and #4, but it's very good.

I wish Billy would have gotten more than one chance to voice Shaggy too! To clarify the Scott Innes and him sounding similar comment, I think maybe I just feel that way because I didn't know there was a different voice of Shaggy in Zombie Island until I got older, but that also could have been me just not really thinking about it as a kid haha. So it's possible that influenced me thinking they sound a bit similar.

I would say for me, Mindy is a bit more iconic as Velma than Matthew is as Shaggy, but I agree it's a similar scenario in terms of how well-respected Matthew has become.

That was what I loved about Scott's voice too, that he tries to stay true to Casey's voice, but puts his own little twist on it so it's still distinct. I've always thought that was really cool.

Becker

6/15/2022 03:08:00 pm

I'd be more than fine with any of Lillard, Innes or West playing Shaggy right now, they're all great in their own different ways.

WildwindVampire link

6/16/2022 08:49:26 am

Same

The cop

6/15/2022 02:47:36 pm

I agree but for the top 3 I would put

3. Scott innes
2.casey Kasem
1.matthew Lillard

It may be because I grew up with Matthew's voice but I feel like he fits shaggy the best

WildwindVampire link

6/15/2022 02:56:27 pm

Thanks for sharing your rankings! That totally makes sense that you'd like Matthew better since you grew up with him. It's possible that's why I like Casey best too, since I grew up with his voice as Shaggy.

Jacob Staggs

6/15/2022 06:14:58 pm

My Top 5
5) Iain Armitage - Does a very serviceable job.
4) Scott Innes - Really liked him in the Scooby Doo Project.
3) Billy West - If only he was a little more consistent and sounded like a person could actually possibly sound that way, he would be #2.
2) Scott Menville - Excellent!! He doesn't really sound like Shaggy but his inflection is spot on. He also simultaneously makes the role his own. His years of working with Kasem really paid off.
1) Casey Kasem - Best voice. Best delivery. High pitched horror. You believe this Shaggy. His performances in Episodes such as Decoy for a Dognapper, Never Ape an Ape Man, Double Trouble Date, To All the Ghouls I've Loved Before, and Horror Scope Scoob really cement his status for me.

The only version of Shaggy I don't care for is Matthew Lillard's. To me, nothing about his performance resembles Shaggy in any way.
I also find his voice a little annoying tbh. In fact I find that, to me, one of the biggest detractors in all Scooby media featuring Lillard is always Lillard's performances.
Only Lillard and one other performer of the gang, I feel detract from the entries of the franchise in which they appear. We will get to that other performer in the next few days.
As I said in the Velma ranking, I don't care for Pat Stevens performance BUT I do not think that she detracted from the overall experiences of the episodes she performs in.

WildwindVampire link

6/16/2022 08:54:00 am

Really interesting perspective to see Matthew Lillard at the bottom while Scott Menville is #2. I really liked Scott's vocal inflection as well. Even if the voice didn't quite sound like Shaggy in any other series, his delivery was excellent IMO. I'll be interested to find out who you the other performer you don't like is, but I think I have a guess. Thanks for sharing your rankings!

Becker

6/16/2022 01:01:39 pm

Yeah, Menville's actual acting is definitely what saves his portrayal

Jakob123

6/15/2022 09:42:29 pm

Here are my rankings

Matthew Lillard (Great)

Casey Kasem. (Great)

Scott Innes. (Great)

Billy West. (Good)

Iain Armitage. (Good)

Will Forte. (Good)

Nick Palatas. (Good)

Scott Menville. (TERRIBLE!)

WildwindVampire link

6/16/2022 08:51:39 am

Nice rankings!

Matt

6/15/2022 10:48:42 pm

I can’t rate Nick Palatas as I haven’t watched in who knows how long so

7. Scott Menville: Inoffensive, mainly because it was only in Get a Clue

6. Iain Armitage: Pretty good job by the kid

5. Will Forte: Not bad!

4. Billy West: I really do like the top 4, but the fact that he is only in one film places him here

3. Scott Innes: Really love his Shaggy voice but again, just less material

2. Matthew Lillard: Matthew has grown into becoming a second staple voice of Shaggy, which is nearly impossible to make a second defining voice for a character but he has done it

1. Casey Kasem: Not even close though. Only Frank Welker is on Casey’s level when it comes to Scooby Doo voice actors throughout the years

WildwindVampire link

6/16/2022 08:51:14 am

Cool we have the same rankings (besides you not ranking Nick)! Yeah, I agree Billy only being in a singular film probably brought it down a bit where it could have been; it's possible I would have enjoyed his voice more if I'd gotten to hear it on more than one occasion.

Becker

6/16/2022 01:27:22 pm

Not quite the same, Lillard and Innes are switched!

WildwindVampire link

6/16/2022 01:55:27 pm

Ah you're right, I somehow missed that!

Jacob Staggs

6/16/2022 11:31:58 am

I did not care for Casey Kasem's Shaggy voice much when he got older but he is still my favorite Shaggy performer. I am not going to let the fact that Kasem had uncontrollable health problems blind me from the fact that he had nearly 3 decades of excellent and solid performances as the character.

WildwindVampire link

6/16/2022 01:56:27 pm

I feel similarly, although I did like all of Kasem's performances. The ones at the end just weren't quite as good as they used to be in my opinion, but they were still excellent.

Carson Maitland - Smith link

6/17/2022 01:48:48 am

Will's got my vote 💚

Carson Maitland - Smith link

6/18/2022 11:30:34 am

9. Chris Villain

Lamont

6/25/2022 09:42:21 pm

8. Scott Menville: I have nothing against him, I just haven’t watched Get a Clue in a long time. So this actually is encouraging me to watch it again. But I do think he suited this version of Shaggy.

7 and 6: Will Forte and Iain Armitage: The only reason I ranked them like this is because I want to hear them again. They both suited the SCOOB version of Shaggy. Will Forte’s voice grew on me a lot. And Iain played a great kid version. I can’t wait for the SCOOB special this year.

5: Nick Palatas: He’s 5th because, to me, if they ever need a young live action Shaggy, they should pick Nick. If that happens, I hope the writing will make him feel more like Shaggy.

4: Matthew Lillard: I’m glad he’s Shaggy one of my favorite voices. He was the perfect cast for the live action movie. I’ll be glad if he voices Shaggy for years to come, but if he doesn’t……

3 and 2: Billy West and Scott Innes: Billy and Scott will be good replacements. To me their voices sound really similar and close to Casey Kasem. I honestly wouldn’t mind if they made a comeback as Shaggy.

1: Casey Kasem: Because…. of course lol

WildwindVampire link

6/27/2022 10:20:33 pm

8. I thought he fit really well with that version of Shaggy!

7 and 6. Yeah, Will's voice definitely grew on me throughout the film too. I'm really excited for the upcoming special too!

5. I agree with you that at times, the writing was at fault for Nick not really feeling like Shaggy. I still enjoyed him a lot in the role though.

3 and 2. Yes, I completely agree that their voices sound more similar to Casey's than Matthew's does.

A Ranking of Shaggy's Portayals

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