Is the character Scooby-Doo in Velma on HBO Max?

Have you ever wondered just how the Mystery Inc. group was formed? Well, HBO Max’s new animated adult comedy, Velma, answers that question!

The new series tells the origin story of the smartest gal in the gang, as well as portrays how everyone came together to become the best spooky mystery solvers, per the synopsis. The voice actors include Mindy Kaling as Velma Dinkley, Sam Richardson as Shaggy Rogers, Glenn Howerton as Fred Jones Jr., Constance Wu as Daphne Blake, among others.

All of our favorite human characters are in the new iteration. What about everyone’s favorite dog? We’ve got the answer for you below!

Is Scooby-Doo in Velma on HBO Max?

The iconic Great Dane that is such an integral part of the original cartoon and films is not in Velma. And there’s a few reasons for that.

At New York Comic Con 2022, showrunner Charlie Grandy shared why Scooby-Doo isn’t in the HBO Max series. He said when it came to adapting the show, they “wanted to be respectful,” to the original story, Insider reports.

Also as this is an adult comedy and not a kids show, Grandy said they felt like adding in the animated dog wouldn’t help make that differentiation. And finally, though the animation is produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the studio didn’t give the modern series permission to use Scooby-Doo.

Some other changes you’ll see in this version of the story are Velma Dinkley is South Asian and Shaggy Rogers is Black. It’s great to see the representation. And like many reimaginings, there’s bound to be changes.

What do you think about the new show? Have you checked it out? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Velma releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.