Mindy Kaling Clarifies Concerns About Velma

5/19/2022

After the first look at Velma yesterday was revealed, including a nude woman and someone with their head cracked open, series creator Mindy Kaling took to Twitter to clarify some backlash the series was receiving about being too edgy. Mindy explained that the plots revolve around "legit scary mystery stories where [Velma]'s the protagonist" to ensure the audience that Velma would not be put in overly inappropriate situations just for the sake of doing it. Mindy also assured everyone that the story is intended to be authentic to high school life and that she is a real teen, presumably responding to criticisms that Velma would only be a one-dimensional racial stereotype rather than a real three-dimensional person. Mindy additionally shared that "her past isn't troubled, it's sPooOoKy!" A screenshot of her tweets have been posted above.

34 Comments

whackman

5/19/2022 11:09:14 am

So they're back to being teens again? Wonder why they don't stick to them being adults, gives them more to work with if they're trying to go more mature.

James Dixon

5/19/2022 12:38:08 pm

I actually feel like that's the opposite. Because when the Riverdale cast started playing adults, it went downhill.

WildwindVampire link

5/19/2022 04:23:13 pm

I think it had been announced previously that this would take place during high school, but I can't remember for sure.

Mr Neither

5/19/2022 11:24:19 am

Basically, you've totally messed up and now we're trying to save face to avoid this series becoming an instant flop. For me they have one episode. If that is meh, I'll pass.

WildwindVampire link

5/19/2022 04:24:04 pm

I'll definitely give it an episode before judging it. Honestly, I'm a bit of a completist so unless it's absolutely horrendous, I'll probably watch the whole series.

whackman

5/19/2022 11:25:28 am

I'm upset that we're still seeing shock value adult cartoons in this day and age. I mean, shows like The Great North, Close Enough, even Tuca and Bertie (among others) show you can do adult cartoons without shoving in a bunch of gore and other "shock" jokes. I was hoping that would be the direction adult cartoons were moving in, and I still have hope and that stuff like this will be the exception.

I have an unpleasant thought. Is it possible Kaling released that image because she thought that's what adult animation fans are all about? That we'd love it and find it edgy and hilarious? That not only says nothing good about her, but it unfortunately might actually say something bad about how we are perceived by nonfans. I think what gets me is that it feels like Mindy Kaling cares less about Scooby-Doo than she does making a show about a South Asian main character like herself. This is for her more than it is for anything Scooby-Doo related.

Here is what pisses me off the most. THAT'S the first image Mindy Kaling sends out. THAT'S the thing she's proudest of and wants us to know about the series. And if that's so Kaling really isn't competent at either writing or comedy.

She seems unaware of why that specific image was so upsetting, or is simply ignoring the fact that it was. Her response is so much happy b.s.. I am not satisfied with it at all

James Dixon

5/19/2022 04:29:56 pm

Mindy did actually want to do something with Ms. Marvel, but nothing came from that, so she turned to Velma, instead.

WildwindVampire link

5/19/2022 04:31:41 pm

I hadn't realized that, actually. Interesting to know.

WildwindVampire link

5/19/2022 04:31:09 pm

The "shock value" of them releasing this as the first image does worry me a bit, but I'm trying to remain optimistic. I haven't seen any of those shows you mentioned, but I have thought about checking out the Great North. I think it's admirable that those shows are setting out to show "adult" doesn't have to mean gore and inappropriateness, as that's one of the things I dislike about a lot of adult animation, tbh. It feels like a lot of it is just edgy for the sake of being edgy, which isn't something I enjoy.

I think it's possible, but I certainly hope that wasn't her thought process. I agree with you that it would kind of not say great things about how fans are perceived by those unfamiliar with it. Another thought I had is that it was sort of a "screw you" to those prematurely hating on it?

I'm remaining open-minded about the show for now until we hear more, as there's nothing I'm gaining from worrying about it, but I wouldn't enjoy it if it falls into the Family Guy, "edgy just to be inappropriate" category.

Gibby Norton

5/19/2022 04:56:52 pm

I do hope you don’t think that Mindy Kaling is the sole person in charge of this show. You do know she answers to WB corporate right? I can hardly imagine from how much she has discussed making this about Velma that her first choice for a release image would be this.

“…but it unfortunately might actually say something bad about how we are perceived by nonfans.”
I find this highly doubtful. They aren’t trying to appeal to fans necessarily with this one image release at a press announcement thing. They probably figure fans are won over already if they’ve stuck with the 50-year franchise thus far. This is more than likely to appeal to the general press and public who would otherwise not be interested. It’s been known for a while that this is a murder mystery show, so seeing a body isn’t surprising. The naked people is certainly more alarming, but again it isn’t being overly gratuitous I don’t find. And again, it’s out of context. And if one out of context image gets more investors/viewers than it would have initially, then that’s fine with me. But I highly highly doubt this unofficially released image is an impression of what they think of Scooby fans.

From everything I have seen, Mindy does care about the character. She has been more vocal about the ethnicity of this take ever since the immense backlash came about, because it’s absolutely ridiculous to complain about. And I think it’s a rather hasty assumption that that is all she cares about, considering there’s an entire crew behind this thing as well who have been tweeting recently about their love for their work and the character. This isn’t solely Mindy’s baby and her being a POC doesn’t mean her characters only have that as their one personality trait.

Mindy owed no one any sort of explanatory tweet, especially to those who were being so rude and hasty with the absolute minimum amount of information they could possibly have. This was a nice thing for her to reach out and do, when ultimately it’s a whole new show with a whole new tone meant to deliver a new take on a fictional, non-objective character that has fluctuated in personality and ethnicity over the course of 53 years. If this Velma is going to even be the slightest bit different in perception, people are going to hate it regardless of if the core characteristics are still all there I fear. And Mindy cared enough about the hardcore fans, who ultimately probably aren’t the sole audience for this after all, to try to alleviate worries that are mostly speculation at this point.

Mindy Kaling is well accomplished whether you like anything she has worked on or not. To call her incompetent is ridiculous. There are 53 years worth of child-friendly, mostly caucasian Scooby gang content. And more is undoubtedly on the way. Simply go enjoy those instead if you can’t fathom the idea of this series existing.

WildwindVampire link

5/19/2022 05:19:06 pm

Thank you so much for this really detailed and insightful post. I agree with you that it's best to remain optimistic and not jump to conclusions, like many people are doing. I was a bit surprised they released naked people as the first image, but it didn't cloud my view of the show. The only real concern it brought up for me, is what you mentioned yesterday in your other comment, about how I wouldn't want it to be overly edgy just for the sake of being inappropriate. It's not a serious concern, though, and I remain optimistic about the series.

I interpreted the "nonfan" comment to be about adult animation in general, not Scooby, but if it was intended to be about Scooby then I can't say I agree with it. I don't think for a moment that Mindy or anyone involved in the show thought "I know what Scooby fans want to see: nudity and violence!" It's certainly a bit provocative, but maybe this was the intent, to get the attention of people who aren't fans who may want to check out the show.

I agree with you that I don't understand where the "Mindy doesn't care about the character" comments are coming from. I haven't seen any evidence of this from the little that's been announced, and there's no reason to jump to conclusions yet about this. From what's been shared, I doubt the series is going to focus on Velma's race to the point where it's the only characteristic/personality trait of her in the show. I think you also brought up a great point that Mindy isn't the sole person in charge of the show. There's no way WB is just letting Mindy do whatever she wants without anybody else's input.

I also thought it was really nice of her to post that tweet. It shows she does care about the show, since if she didn't care, she wouldn't have bothered to reach out. Sadly, I think many people have already written off the show, which is unfortunate because I don't think we know enough about it yet to make any judgements. There's a difference between being skeptical about an aspect of it, and going into the series with a closed mind and not giving it a chance at all. I'm a little skeptical about the "edgy" aspect, but there's nothing I'm gaining from judging it with so little information, so I'm reserving all judgement until the first episode.

That being said, your last point is excellent and admittedly what I don't understand about a lot of people's reactions. There's so much Scooby content out there, and this is just a standalone series in an alternate universe. Nothing in the main continuity is going to change from this, and they're not suddenly going to shift to making adult-only content. There's still all the past 53 years of content to enjoy, and there's still going to be more DTVs and content to come. This is why I don't understand where the "this ruined my childhood!" comments are coming from, because nothing is going to be permanently impacted by this series' existence. It's just a standalone thing that's easily ignorable if you really can't stand the idea of it, so there's no reason for people to get so upset about something that's not going to affect any other franchise content.

James Dixon

5/19/2022 07:18:21 pm

No, Mindy isn't the sole driving force, but this is also Mindy Kaling. I don't pretend to know who she is, as I've never watched her in anything before, but she has made a name for herself in Hollywood.

She's not just doing the voice, but has put stock into the character, probably a lot more than Kaley Cuoco did for Harley Quinn, and Elizabeth Banks for Pebbles Flintstone (despite the fact Cuoco and Banks have got their own studios involved, not sure if Kaling is doing the same).

I wasn't saying this to argue, of course, but I just wanted to say that, no Mindy isn't the only person there, telling others how things will be, but she has a bigger stack than simply being hired to do a voice and nothing more.

Matt

5/21/2022 09:08:07 am

This is it, this is the best comment related to the show on any post. Thank you, Gibby Norton. Completely agree on all accounts

James Dixon

5/19/2022 12:40:09 pm

I just hope this accomplishes what it sets out to do. Everybody's obsessed with making Scooby-Doo edgy. They had that with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. But forbid we ever go back to that.

The Stooges at WBA did go back to that, though, and tore it inside out with Return to Zombie Island.

whackman

5/19/2022 12:46:28 pm

Like, what part of this is Scooby-Doo? A teenage girl murdered? Nudity? Graphic violence?

I'm not against maybe a more adult take on the property but the more I've read about and seen of this the more it seems like it has no business being attached to the Scooby-Doo brand.

James Dixon

5/19/2022 01:08:52 pm

I totally agree. I feel the energy could be well spent with talents like Mindy Kaling doing regular Scooby-Doo, and reinventing that for both old and new audiences. But it's the same as Scooby Apocalypse, it had big comic book talents who only did this gore-ish nightmare version of Scooby-Doo. (Although DeMatteis interestingly did both that and Be Cool.)

WildwindVampire link

5/19/2022 04:33:32 pm

I hope so too. I am not a fan of making Scooby-Doo edgy, and I'd argue there's a difference between darkness and being edgy. The dark tone really fit with Zombie Island and created the amazing atmosphere that so many fans have grown to know and love. That's why Return to Zombie Island didn't work, and that's why this won't work if it goes for the "edgy for the sake of doing it" type tone.

Carson Maitland - Smith link

5/20/2022 03:47:56 am

The Velma series is still too mature for the Scooby-Doo Universe

Colin

5/20/2022 07:23:04 am

I just think it's inappropriate to do a rated-R type Scooby project while still making kid-focused material elsewhere. It worked for Adult Swim on franchises like Space Ghost and Birdman which were defunct, but Scooby is an active franchise.

It would be like Disney making kid Donald Duck cartoons while also making racy Huey, Dewy and Louie cartoons.

Just my 2 cents as a lifelong Scooby fan and father to a 7-year old. I'm also a huge Adult Swim fan, so I have nothing against there being racy cartoons in general.

Carson Maitland - Smith link

5/20/2022 07:59:00 am

Scooby-Doo doesn't mix with the R-rating

WildwindVampire link

5/20/2022 02:14:42 pm

That's a fair opinion, and I respect it even though I don't agree with it. One example that comes to mind of it being done successfully, at least in my opinion, is The Flintstones. Flintstones was actually originally created for adults when it first came out in 1960. However, they later realized that children enjoyed watching it too, so they shifted to more kiddish-plots in later seasons. You can sort of tell this by the fact that many of the episodes in the first few seasons are more violent, and also revolve around more adult plots, such as Fred and Barney trying to sneak out to wrestling matches to get a night away from their wives; and Fred thinking his wife has cheated on him. There's one episode in particular where Fred is so angry about his wife getting a job that he literally smashes a TV at a restaurant and is sent to jail. (As a side note, I'm a bit surprised that one (and a few other episodes) is on the Boomerang app, tbh). In later seasons, the plots were much more lighthearted and involved things like Fred running into Moby Dick or spending a night in a haunted house. It's a bit different I guess, since The Flintstones started out as an adult franchise and shifted to one for kids, but IMO it shows that it can be done. That's just my opinion, though, and I respect yours as well.

Colin

5/20/2022 06:10:44 pm

Right, but that's the opposite situation - an adult cartoon that they made more child friendly because kids were watching it. That's a good thing, as far as appropriateness for kids go. I guess the only other option if they were worried about kids would be to cancel it.

But even then, Flinstones wasn't gory with nudity. It was on regular broadcast TV.

I think Zombie Island was a good approach- going for a PG style rating content-wise, and it and Mystery Incorporated appealed to older audiences without being inappropriate.

WildwindVampire link

5/21/2022 10:24:53 am

Fair point. I'm keeping my mind open for Velma right now, but I would love to see another series in the style of Zombie Island! That would be a dream come true for me.

Becker

5/21/2022 12:43:37 pm

A comeback to the Innes era style of movies is maybe the one thing that would get virtually all fans excited. Too bad the executives at WB don't realize it, even when they make a literal sequel to ones of those films...

Becker

5/21/2022 12:44:13 pm

One of*

WildwindVampire link

5/21/2022 01:00:18 pm

I’ve never understood that either. You wouldn’t have thought it’d be that hard to do some research to ensure the sequel stayed true to Zombie Island. Hopefully if they try again with another sequel someday, it will stay more true to the tone and continuity of the original.

Carson Maitland - Smith link

5/20/2022 11:55:40 pm

The PG rating's the best way to keep Scooby-Doo clean

James Dixon

5/21/2022 06:34:39 am

The one thing about doing a mature Scooby-Doo is the fact that you can't sell it. How are you going to sell this overseas? You have to think realistically and, yes, maturely in what you're creating based on a CHILDREN'S CARTOON.

I think if you take into account you don't have Scooby (which is a dumb idea), then maybe that's justification, but when you're promoting Velma who looks like Velma Dinkley, and Daphne, Shaggy, and Fred, who are gonna look like Daphne, Fred, and Shaggy, it just confuses things.

Carson Maitland - Smith link

5/21/2022 08:44:04 am

What if Mindy Kaling spoke about the Velma series at Supanova?

WildwindVampire link

5/21/2022 09:40:46 am

I've mentioned it before, but one thing that bothers me about WB is it can be overly US-centric at times. I know you and others have mentioned it's taken you forever to get theatrical films and specials that we've gotten here, SCOOB! and Where Are You Now being examples (I'm still not even sure if the latter of those has officially aired anywhere but the US). I wish they'd come up with a better strategy for where to air content like this internationally.

Becker

5/21/2022 12:41:30 pm

It's funny, because WB seems to be anything but US-centric when it comes to the shows lately. The last 3 Scooby series had all finished airing in the US later than most of the world. And particularly Be Cool and Guess Who got mugged off by Murica before the halfway point of the whole number of episodes. They would air an episode in US a year after it had already been out in half the world. Those two got wrecked hard.

WildwindVampire link

5/21/2022 12:58:15 pm

“Murica” lol. I didn’t phrase my comment well, as you’re right about them airing series in other countries months (or in some cases a year) before we get it here until the US. It’s strange that other countries get the series so much earlier than the US, but for theatrical stuff and specials, other countries get the short end of the stick. From what I’ve gathered, that’s because some other countries don’t have a routine place to air some of the more obscure content like SCOOB! and Where Are You Now. I wish they could streamline everything so it airs at around the same time in each country.

James Dixon

5/21/2022 04:27:05 pm

If SCOOB had been released in theaters regularly, it would've come to the UK in a routine manner. But then COVID happened, and it's like WB didn't know what to do with it. Suddenly, SCOOB was put on an indefinite hold, however brief it was.

I don't think it was that much of a spanner in the works, that WB were so thrown off by COVID, that they had to put SCOOB on hold in the UK. If anything, it should've been immensely easier.

TV shows wise, this has become more unpredictable since WB started streaming. Guess Who still hasn't finished in the UK, despite airing a Season 2 episode earlier than the rest of the world, and the first episode of Be Cool aired in the UK before anywhere else in the world.

Despite this, though, I remember the second half of Be Cool season 1, and all of season 2, taking a really long time to get to added to all Prime and iTunes. And I think this is because the change to the Boomerang Pay Site and HBO Max in the US had an unexpected affect on us UK viewers.

WildwindVampire link

5/21/2022 04:40:52 pm

I would have thought COVID-19 would have made the process much easier too. I didn't realize Guess Who still hadn't finished airing there! That's shocking, particular given you got "Lost Soles of Jungle River!" a year and a half before the US (July 25, 2020 as compared to October 1, 2021). I hope you get the rest of the series soon.

I feel like it took a while for Be Cool to be on iTunes here as well (like maybe 6 months), although maybe it was longer in the UK.

Mindy Kaling Clarifies Concerns About Velma

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