HBO Max just released the official trailer for Velma, an all new adult animated series in which Velma Dinkley, the brightest member of Mystery Inc. The new trailer arrives on streaming just ahead of the show’s arrival with the premiere scheduled for January 12. The trailer runs for two and a half minutes and lets viewers get to know the new Velma a little better, along with other reimagined members of Mystery Inc. , without a particular dog. Watch the trailer below, via HBOMax on YouTube.
Velmawas created by Charlie Grandy and executive produced by series star Mindy Kaling alongside Sam Grandy, Howard Klein and Sam Register. Kaling provides the voice of Velma with the voice cast also featuring Sam Richardson as Norville “Shaggy” Rogers, Velma’s best friend who has a crush on her; Constance Wu as Daphne Blake, Velma’s former best friend who also has certain feelings for the titular mystery solver; and Glenn Howerton as Fred Jones, whom Velma has a crush on. The voice cast also includes Russell Peters, Melissa Fumero, Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Gary Cole, Ming-Na Wen, Shay Mitchell, Fortune Feimster, Stephen Root, “Weird Al” Yankovic and original Scooby-Doo voice actor Frank Welker.
An official description of Velma is reading:
“The origin story of Velma Dinkley, the unsung and underappreciated mastermind of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang. This original and humorous spin exposes the complex and colorful past of one of America’s most beloved mystery solvers.”
Velma omits Scooby-Doo
While some of these characters are getting new looks, everyone from Mystery Inc. present except for Scooby-Doo. The dog is not present in the new series and his absence was previously addressed by the show’s creators. At NYCC last year, they explained that this was for two reasons: they couldn’t think of a suitable way to include the cartoon puppet in the adult series, and apparently they shouldn’t have done so anyway.
“When we went into the show and thought about adapting it, we wanted to be respectful,” said a producer. “We didn’t want to just put these beloved characters in outrageous or gross situations and say, ‘Isn’t it crazy that we did that to Velma?’ So when we thought about what made it a kids show, and what makes it an adult show, the dog, Scooby, what really seemed to… are we doing this in a fun modern way?'”
It added: “It felt like what made [the original version] a children’s show was Scooby-Doo. That coincided with Warner Bros. Animation that said, “Hey, you can’t use the dog.” So we’re like, ‘Great! This is convenient!'”
Velma and the gang will have to solve this mystery without Scooby-Doo. See how it ends when Velma will premiere for streaming on HBO Max on January 12, 2023.