The Perfect Ingredients for a Scooby-Doo Series

9/4/2020

There are a lot of different ideas of what constitutes a "good" Scooby-Doo series out there. Many fans love Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! for its wit and strong three-dimensional characters, while somewhat disliking the latest series, Guess Who, for playing it too safe and nostalgic. Some fans love Guess Who for going back to the classic formula, and hate Be Cool for the animation style. Other fans love them both.

This discrepancy seems to be a common thread for any Scooby series - some fans love certain series, while others hate the very same series. This seems to be a struggle for WB as well, as they are clearly trying out different things to attempt to please the fans.

So how can WB please the vast majority of fans? What is the perfect recipe for a successful Scooby-Doo series?

Strong character development: In both Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! in particular, all characters have their own distinct three-dimensional personalities. In some shows like Guess Who, and early Scooby-Doo series, Daphne and Velma get very little character development, or even screen time, and are mostly silent. I think all of us can argue that we need strong character development for all characters, not just Shaggy, Scooby and Fred, to make a good Scooby series. Strong, character-driven plots like the ones Be Cool, Scooby-Doo is what makes us love the gang and really relate to them on a personal level.
Darker tone Movies like Zombie Island, Witch's Ghost, and Alien Invaders continue to be favorites of most Scooby-Doo fans to this day. It's worth noting though, that a dark tone doesn't necessarily have to correlate with the use of real monsters. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and The Scooby-Doo Show are universally thought of as classic, and both of those routinely used very dark atmospheric traits, particularly in season 2 of The Scooby-Doo Show. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated also utilizes this concept of an underlying dark tone very well, without any sort of real monsters included until the last few episodes of this series. This brings us to our next point.
Mostly fake monsters While many Scooby fans don't care too much, there are definitely some fans who genuinely feel that real monsters do not stay true to the classic person-in-a-mask formula that Scooby prides itself on. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we shouldn't have any sort of real monsters, but I think a good balance is necessary for a series. Again, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated does this very well, and actually only featured 8 real monsters over the duration of the series. None of these monsters replace the fake ones, rather, they simply supplement the plot and contribute to the overarching mystery.
Overarching mystery Speaking of that, I think another thing that makes for an engaging Scooby series is an overarching mystery. Shows like 13 Ghosts and Mystery Incorporated keep fans on the edge of their seats, and keep them interested in watching every episode of the series, in order to find out what's going to happen. Mystery Incorporated perfectly incorporated this with the classic fake monster-of-the-week format, in a balanced way.
References, but not too many Everyone loves a good Easter Egg, but in moderation. This goes for both real eggs and the metaphorical Easter Egg reference...too many can make you feel sick of them. You want to make fans feel nostalgic, but not by bombarding them with references, or forcing nostalgia like, IMO, Guess Who sometimes does with things like the recurring door gags every single episode.
Keep the characters consistent with their classic selves, somewhat While there's the occasional fan who may enjoy a sharp deviation from the norm, I think the majority of fans don't like when a character is changed so much that they no longer feel like themselves anymore. A good example of this is with Get A Clue. Shaggy and Scooby were completely different than the cowardly duo we were used to, and most fans didn't like it with the exception of the very rare fan (i.e. myself, I enjoyed that series for its uniqueness). While I've been praising Mystery Incorporated a lot, since it did so many things right, this is where it went a bit astray. It's rare to find anyone who liked the abusive, sadistic girlfriend that Velma became in the first 22 episodes of the show. She was very cruel to Shaggy throughout the majority of the first season, and most people did not like the drama that ensued when Shaggy had to choose between her and Scooby. Though SDMI corrected this in the second season, probably, due to the fans' backlash, this was an aspect of SDMI that I hated. Some change is necessary so the characters can develop, and not become two-dimensional cardboard cutouts like Daphne and Velma sometimes are in the earlier series and Guess Who (and to an extent, Fred). However, when you change things too much, you always risk fans not liking it.
Comedy Though it's an element that is often taken for granted, Scooby wouldn't be Scooby without some sort of comedy! Just a constantly dark Scooby series, filled with horror and no sort of comedy or cuteness would disappoint many a Scooby fan.
Music By this, I don't necessarily mean "chase music" or anything of the sort, but just a good, spooky score pushes the show along smoothly and really helps build that dark tone and atmosphere within the show.

So these are my proposed ingredients for a good Scooby series, that weren't already obvious like "cool villains!", "all five characters," and "spooky chases!". Of course, you can never please every single person, because there's always going to be that one person who hates something. I argue, however, that these are the core ingredients for making a good Scooby series beloved by all, and this is the direction WB should be going with the franchise. This is purely my opinion, however, and should not be interpreted as reflecting the wishes of every person in the general fandom.

Do you agree? Disagree? Have something to add? Let me know in the comments!

38 Comments

Becker

9/4/2020 09:34:06 am

May I add no shitty romance lol. I agree with all of your points (even though not necessarily every example for them). I feel like What's New did a lot of these things very well too, I'd say that's my favorite WB Scooby show, with Be Cool in close second place.
I guess out of all these elements, I don't really require an overarching mystery. I'm perfectly fine when a Scooby series doesn't have one, but it would be a nice bonus at the same time. Most Scooby shows don't have one, except for 13 Ghosts, Mystery Incorporated and Get A Clue, and they don't miss having one. If I wanted an overarching mystery, I'd wish for a 13 Ghosts reboot (seems unlikely, but still). The concept is great! It's funny how Matthew Lillard has been in 2 movies about 13 ghosts that are not connected at all lmao.
The music especially in WAY is iconic, it added to the tone and atmosphere of the show. So a good musical score is important. As far as chase scenes, I don't think an accompanying song is a requirement, but at least one chase scene in general is always a must-have.
Dark tone, horrorish vibe, creepy villains (most fake, some real), good humor, funny gags, nice and likable character portrayals, interactions and moments, with some development/arcs, feeling similar and consistent to the classic gang.
Yes, the main 5, obviously. But what about a 6th member like Scrappy-Doo, Scooby-Dum, Vincent Van Ghoul, Flim-Flam, Robi etc, or just a recurring one, like Gibby Norton, Sheriff Bronson, Red Herring etc?
Here's a good question, what would be the perfect voice cast for a future Scooby-Doo series? It can be from the current, past or parody actors and even ones that haven't voiced the characters yet. It can't be people that have passed away or that can't voice them anymore.

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 02:55:02 pm

Haha that's fair that you don't feel an overarching mystery is necessary. Be Cool and What's New are indeed great examples of shows that didn't need these aspects to be excellent, Yes! A dark/horrorish vibe makes for a great episode. I think there needs to be a little bit of development, if possible, within the characters, as it helps them be three dimensional. Be Cool did a great job of this.

I don't mind recurring characters, but I don't know if it's necessary to have for a good show. Be Cool did fine without anyone recurring for the most part.

I would say my perfect voice cast, that's still alive would be Scott Innes for Shaggy and Scooby, Mindy Cohn for Velma, Frank Welker as Fred (who else?) and Grey Griffin as Daphne. How about you?

Becker

9/5/2020 06:12:52 pm

Agreed, some character development is definitely a great thing. I'd love to see the return of Dum and Scrappy, but more as just recurring characters, just like how Dum was in TSDS.
That's exactly my voice cast! Strange to think that exact line-up has only been in video/DVD games from late 2002 till 2008. It's clear Scott Innes and Mindy Cohn would love to continue playing these characters, so it's not that impossible to see this in the future, especially with Innes slowly making his way back in the last few years (and Cohn was in the Halifax commercial with Innes too).
I still really like Matthew Lillard and Frank Welker's Scooby, and even Kate Micucci when it's not Curse of the 13th Ghost or Return to Zombie Island. As far as Frank's Fred, I can hardly think of someone who could replace him, he IS Fred. I'd probably say Zac Efron would be a good full-time replacement, but I don't know if he would go the Matthew Lillard route with the franchise. He was very good in Scoob though, the best new voice, along with Amanda Seyfried. Now that's someone who I could see go full-time Daphne more than Zac as Fred. But Grey is still killing it for 2 decades now!

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 08:09:17 pm

I'd love to see Scooby Dum back! Scrappy too, if they could do him right and not just make it a big joke like they've been doing the last 18 years. That's so cool we have the same voice cast picks!

Eh, I guess I agree on Zac Efron. he's probably the best of the live action /theatrical voice actors IMO. With Kate Micucci, she's an okay Velma, but I like Mindy better. It sucks she was forced out, when Kate was only intended to play Velma to fit more with the Be Cool version of her, and then Mindy was supposed to take over again. It bugs me they just completely disregarded JCB's intention of just having Kate for that one series and got rid of Mindy because they misunderstood that.

Drakosleuth

9/4/2020 01:27:48 pm

I agree with this, but I'm going to be honest, I always go in with an optimistic attitude and give it a fair chance, might have some little criticisms at the end, but if I really enjoyed it, then I really enjoyed it.
But still, I 100% agree with this.

I do want to add that in some parts of the franchise, I like how Scooby and Shaggy sometimes end up on their own journey and/or being the ones to save the day in some episodes and movies. I myself really enjoyed Get a Clue because how Scooby and Shaggy go from mystery solvers to heroes, but still retaining some of their cowardice while fighting Dr. Phineas Phibes (one of my favorite main villains). Other examples comes from Where's My Mummy, Goblin King, Samurai Sword, and, one of my favorite moments of Scooby and/or Shaggy showing some courage and saving the day, Mask of the Blue Falcon.

Amber noel

9/4/2020 01:52:33 pm

Yeah I like it when shaggy and scooby go on their own adventures too I prefer it when the gang are together but if shaggy and scooby do go on their own adventures I would like that too

Drakosleuth

9/4/2020 02:29:20 pm

I think it would be cool if that happens, not all the time, but at least sometimes.

WildwindVampire

9/5/2020 03:00:29 pm

Oh of course! This article was just meant to document the ideal Scooby-Doo show in a perfect world. It's not to say the series that don't have all these things aren't good or that I don't enjoy them, because there are very few Scooby episodes I dislike.

That's interesting that you like them going off on their own. It's a trope that was enjoyable for the few DTVs they kinda had a trend of doing that in (Chill Out, Goblin King, Samurai Sword), but I wouldn't want it to be in every single series or movie. I think it would get a bit much and I'd want to see more Fred, Daphne and Velma after a short while.

Drakosleuth

9/5/2020 06:50:19 pm

Maybe not every movie or series, but at least some of them to give a new fresh spin now and then so sometimes the plot doesn't feel too standard, perhaps like they did with those movies.

Drakosleuth

9/5/2020 06:51:57 pm

The plots of these current movies and series are fantastic, but it probably wouldn't hurt.

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 07:24:33 pm

Agreed, I would enjoy it if was done in moderation!

John Locke

9/4/2020 03:01:09 pm

I honestly feel that Scooby Doo has hit the point like with Doctor Who and Pokemon that fans are only going to complain about it. Too many different groups want too many differing things, I just sit back and enjoy the ride as best I can and ignore the parts I don't really care about (Get a Clue, the scooby/Shaggy/Scrappy epiosdes). I'm ok with darkish but only like PG dark, the James Gunn Screenplay for the original Scooby Doo went too far, this is a series for kids first and foremost and it should ALWAYS be appropriate for all ages.

This does not mean dumb it down, there's a reason Scooby has survived when so many imitators have crashed and burned and been forgotten. Honestly, I just wait a bit, stay out of the day to day discourse and just try to watch the series as a whole, I didn't see Mystery Inc till it was on DVD, same with Be Cool and I loved both (despite feeling that MI gets a bit too much love, Fred is a bit too dumb, they force some of the references (lines after Mystery Machine Death adapted from Star Trek 3 just feel awkward), and BC is one of my favorites due to having well realized characters and making each character...a character which is difficult with 5 in a 20 minute episode.

If you don't like this, there will be another Scooby, when they said that about Star wars, it was depressing but with Scooby, we've had 20 years of more Scoob than we've ever had, and even the ones I don't like are still watchable, that is a miracle, and thanks scooby for still being around.

Amber noel

9/4/2020 04:01:20 pm

Yeah I agree scooby doo can't please everyone and even if a scooby doo series or a movie is well beloved their is still going to be some people who don't like it

Becker

9/4/2020 04:48:20 pm

I would honestly enjoy seeing an R rated Scooby movie. Not sure about a show, but I'd like to see that idea on screen after >50 years.

John locke

9/4/2020 04:59:07 pm

I disagree, I don't mind it if they filed the serial numbers off like when scooby expies showed up in Venture Bros and were all based on Serial killers, but not actually using the Scooby characters. Same problem I have with the new Star Trek stuff, mature is not blood and gore, you can tell mature stories and still have it appropriate for kids.

WildwindVampire

9/5/2020 03:10:27 pm

I'm not sure if I agree on that...depends on what you mean by R rated. If you mean R rated as like a horror movie, then maybe, but I don't want tons of drugs and sex or anything to be in Scooby.

Becker

9/5/2020 06:18:10 pm

Oh God, definitely NOT drugs and sex lmao. Leave that to the weird fanfics. Yes, I meant like a horror movie, the idea lends itself to it, and it would be a nice one-off or two.

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 07:25:27 pm

Okay, good haha.

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 03:02:30 pm

Yes, I agree Scooby's reached that Doctor Who point. I personally try to give everything a fair chance and enjoy it for what it is. My mindset is also "if I don't like this, there's going to be tons more coming soon." The only Scooby episodes/films I flat out dislike are a few of the Scrappy shorts, Ghastly Goals, Blowout Beach Bash and the two from last year.

John Locke

9/5/2020 03:16:45 pm

Agreed on Blowout Beach... I was so disappointed in that! especially when the Lego DC movies have been getting better, and the first scooby one was decent!

WildwindVampire

9/5/2020 03:32:50 pm

That one was terrible IMO. That song at the beginning goes on forever, and the plot seemed kinda thin and rushed to me.

Shadowscooby

9/4/2020 03:20:53 pm

I’m one of those fans that like both series as well. When I first saw be cool Scooby doo. The first thing came to my mind is that animation style is like family guy, American dad, the Simpson’s, Cleveland Brown. I also thought that this looks a lot like a pup named Scooby doo. I was 100 percent right. The comedic style in both series are great. A lot of people didn’t really like be cool Scooby doo but I think we all can agree that the writing in that series was phenomenal and creative. The series also have the funniest chase scenes. Scooby doo and guess who is great. When I was younger I always thought would they make another series like new Scooby doo movies with current famous icons and my dream has been made. I like how some of the guest stars and episodes are similar to some new Scooby doo movies episodes. In the end both series I really love.

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 03:13:24 pm

The writing in that series was indeed phenomenal. The head writer, JCB, did a great job researching all the characters and the show's tropes super in-depth (fun fact: that's why he originally joined the ScoobyAddicts forum, for those of you that know he was on there for a while). I like Guess Who as well, but I think the episodes are pretty hit or miss depending on the guest star's personality in the episode. I think they also overuse some classic tropes, such as the door scene every single episode.

Amber noel

9/4/2020 03:30:49 pm

Yeah but I doubt that they would do it every single time yeah they did it during the scrappy doo era and shaggy and scooby doo get a clue but yeah I hope that they don't do it all the time

Greybishop

9/4/2020 06:40:53 pm

I have two ideas that I personally would like to see.

I have no doubt that they won't be popular with hardcore fans but I think both would be fun twists on the formula.

First, I think they should do a senior citizen Scooby-Doo. The gang have to come out of retirement to catch the ghost haunting their retirement community. The jokes write themselves, from Velma's dangerously strong glasses prescription to Shaggy and Scooby dealing with their elderly metabolisms.

My other franchise fresher-upper would be a gender swap. Don't do it as a tongue in cheek, wink-wink variation but create real characters based on the gang if the girls were boys and the boys were girls. Keep Scooby as he is though.

Yeah, I know. Not the traditional fan's cup of tea but it's a 50 year old franchise and it wouldn't hurt to shake things up a bit. One man's opinion.

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 03:14:19 pm

Honestly, both of these ideas sound really interesting to try out. I'd watch both of those series haha.

Lance Rutt

9/4/2020 07:28:37 pm

The original show was so bare bones and yet it had a strange spooky quality that all other reboots never came close to. It was very similar to Roger Corman films. The HB reboots toned down the creepy aesthetic and the WB reboots are too self aware (even the ones that go for horror). DC has done numerous comics that are written in the flatter style of gold/silver age stories and I would really like to see something like that attempted with Scooby.

Amber noel

9/4/2020 08:09:45 pm

Yeah I'm kind of curious about these ideas.

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 03:16:00 pm

Totally agreed on this and this is why I feel Guess Who falls flat somewhat. They're trying to force the original Where Are You tone into Guess Who, but it lacks that "strange spooky quality" you're talking about (in addition to the forced tropes).

Bigscoobydoofan

2/13/2021 05:49:48 am

I feel like in that series, every scene is brightly lit,and there are quite a few stupid sound effects. I think this is very apparent in the unmasking sequence, and there's that one chord jingle. Compare that to the solemn music when they unmasked the black knight and creeper in WAY.

WildwindVampire link

2/13/2021 12:19:28 pm

That's a great point! I hadn't thought about that before.

Shadowscooby

9/4/2020 07:39:42 pm

How about a sequel to mystery incorporated. Like the ending where the went of to solve more mysteries after talking to Harlen Ellison.

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 03:17:12 pm

That could be cool!

Carson Maitland - Smith link

9/4/2020 10:56:08 pm

A workout spin off would make an awesome Scooby-Doo series 💜

Jason

9/5/2020 02:28:18 am

I agree with all this. My 3 favorite series is 13 Ghosts, Mystery Incorporated and Be Cool Scooby Doo because they didn't follow the same classic formula.

13 Ghosts had real ghosts. Fred and Velma weren't in this and Daphne became,somewhat, the leader of the group. The show also had Flim Flam and Scrappy Doo. I know I'm not the only one who want Scrappy to come back, but in a respectable way this time! And I don't care what they made Velma say in the 13th Ghost Movie, the ghosts were REAL and she wasn't THERE!!!

Mystery Incorporated had the overarching plot. Each episode the Mystery got bigger and bigger and it all came together in the end.It had a dark story that worked. But you gotta love sarcastic Velma! Probably the best version of her character!

Be Cool Scooby Doo of course had controversy because of the artstyle. Still don't get how people compare it to Family Guy when its not the same animation. But I have to say it's just Daphne's face and some other female faces that looks like Francine from American Dad, but thats it. The animation honestly worked with the comedy and thats what made the show better at being funny. I like how each character got a chance to be funny in every episode and not just Scooby and Shaggy. But I honestly was driven to watch the show because of Daphne. When I watched the first episode and she had puppets I thought it was really funny. Then the next episode she did something else. Then I was like "Wait, is she gonna do something different in every episode?" And she did. It was nice getting a Daphne that wasn't obsessed with her looks.

The recent Scooby Doo movies also became more lighter in tone and it makes them feel like long episodes rather than movies.

But if they take everything you listed and incorporate it into a series, then Scooby Doo will definitely be on the right track!

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 03:20:25 pm

"And I don't care what they made Velma say in the 13th Ghost Movie, the ghosts were REAL and she wasn't THERE!!! " Hahaha my thoughts exactly!

Sarcastic Velma in SDMI was a lot of fun, with the exception of the overdramatic relationship crap in part of the first season.

I agree about the animation working well with the comedy in Be Cool Scooby-Doo. And quirky Daphne is the best! That was my favorite version of her character, and it's a great message for kids that it's cool to be unique.

Amber Noel

9/5/2020 03:37:37 pm

I agree with you but imo just because the dtv movies have a lighter tone doesn't mean they are longer episodes than a movie and I think thats kind of an unfair assessment but other than that I agree with most of the things you said.

WildwindVampire link

9/5/2020 05:40:06 pm

Yeah, I guess that's one thing I didn't agree with there either. I feel like the recent DTVs have still been very movie-like even if they are a bit lighter.

The Perfect Ingredients for a Scooby-Doo Series

Leave a Reply.

Author

Categories

Archives