Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! Week

If you haven't gotten the memo yet, the fourteenth incarnation of Scooby-Doo, entitled Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, is coming to an end in just a few days, on March 18. Most likely, however, you probably didn't get the memo unless you read my post earlier this week. Sadly, I still have yet to see any promotion on either Boomerang or Warner Brothers part informing fans about the conclusion of this series.

I still remember all the hype 5 years ago that Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated was airing its final episodes on April 5, 2013, and how much people were looking forward to seeing how the series would end. Maybe this is why I'm disheartened to see that Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! is ending without much excitement from fans. As someone whose been so passionate about Scooby for years now, it's so crazy to see that this series is just going to air its final episode without anyone even really noticing. Like, I've not even seen a single person talk about it, which from my experience in the fandom is unheard of. In fact, I still remember when the announcement came out on ScoobyAddicts that SDMI was ending. There were pages and pages of replies and chat between fans, reminiscing about the series and how much we all enjoyed watching. The other day, I posted something on the ScoobyAddicts forum to the effect of what I posted on the blog about Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! ending, and as I write this, there is still not a single person who has replied, or even acknowledged that the show is finally ending in the US. (Please note, however, that I'm definitely not blaming anyone and didn't feel discouraged that no one replied. Just trying to illustrate the point that no one is interested in the show because Boomerang and WB don't promote it at all.)

Of course, this is definitely not the fault of the fans. A network has a lot of power in creating awareness and excitement about a show. So far, Boomerang has done a worse job promoting the show than I even thought possible. Less than three weeks after the show began airing, back when the show was still airing on Cartoon Network, they switched the show's timeslot to mid-days without bothering to mention anything or promote it. This, as many of you know, was  only the beginning of the show's mistreatment. After several lengthy hiatuses and an eventual airing of the final six episodes of season 1 in an overnight 2 a.m. slot on Boomerang (without promotion, I might add), the show was officially moved to the streaming service for the full second season. Just this past December around Christmastime, the first fifteen episodes were added to the service. Per the previous announcement, most US fans expected that the final eleven episodes would be added sometime on the streaming service. However, just this past Thursday, Boomerang made a last-minute decision to air the final eleven episodes on television, but in another overnight slot without so much as even a bit of promotion or heads up to the fans.

In the process of keeping the blog update, I try to stay as up to date as possible on any Scooby news there may be. Due to the poor promotion, I was completely unaware of the episodes airing until yesterday (despite that they began airing on Thursday). Sadly, the promotion isn't even the worst part this time. Even when airing the episodes in an overnight death slot, when virtually no one is watching, they can't even keep the timeslot consistent. The final episodes are airing at random times throughout the overnight period every day, with the timeslot changing every single day for an unknown reason. As you can imagine, I was quite confused when I saw this. I still am. Boomerang literally has nothing to air in that overnight slot, so to make it nearly impossible to figure out when the episodes are airing just seems like they're intentionally trying to ensure the show's final few episodes won't actually be watched.

This is why it is so depressing to see how badly Boomerang is abusing the show, even when there's really no reason to. Whilst typing up the post yesterday announcing the show was ending, I admittedly was a bit emotional. Being so passionate about the show and the franchise in general, it was really frustrating to see what a horrible way the show would be airing its finale episode (which should be a huge landmark for any show). It felt like the fans were powerless to Boomerang's extensive mistreatment of the show, and no one would even bother to acknowledge the show was ending, or remember fond memories of the show like was done with SDMI. 

It quickly occurred to me, that we actually aren't powerless at all. As fans, we have still have the power to remember the show fondly, and give it as special of a final sendoff that any other Scooby show has gotten in the past. Even if the poor promotion won't allow many fans to truly appreciate the show and celebrate its finale episode, doesn't mean we can't still remember the show fondly. 

Because of this, I've decided to do a bit of a special event on the site and blog beginning on the day the finale airs. The whole week will be centered around Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, as a way to celebrate the show. Each day, I will post a new article highlighting and discussing different aspects of the show. In addition to Monday's article, the Fun Fact post will also be BCSD-themed to celebrate the finale. Ideally, I would have liked to have some of the BCSD writers contribute an article or two as well. However, due to the very short timing, I don't think I'll be able to do this, as they all likely have very busy schedules and I don't want to throw a request at them without any notice.

So, be sure to check back on the blog often next week, as there will be a new article every day to celebrate the show! Instead of letting the show fade away without mention, let's celebrate the end of Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! in style! :)