Velma


 * This article is about the TV series. For the first episode of Velma, see "Velma." For the character herself, see Velma Dinkley.

Velma, also known as Velma: The Series, is an American adult animated mystery/dark comedy television series created by Charlie Grundy. It is being produced by Warner Bros. Animation, in association with Charlie Grandy Productions, Kaling International, Inc., and 3 Arts Entertainment, for HBO Max in 2023. It is the fourteenth Scooby-Doo series after Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Velma is the prime suspect in the murder of one of the popular girls at Crystal Cove High School. To clear her name, she must recruit her former best friend and current bitch Daphne, her boyfriend and Velma's crush, Fred, and Norville, a fellow nerd who has the unrequited crush on her.

Development
The "Velma" name was trademarked and the series was announced on February 10, 2021 with a 10 episode order from HBO Max, with Warner Bros. Animation producing. The same day on Instagram, Mindy Kaling one of its executive producers who will also star as its lead, shed some light on the above-mentioned plot, while also making a point of mentioning Velma's budding sexuality.

On June 8, 2021, Tom Ascheim, President of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, claimed the series was in a "different world," that Velma would be of East Asian descent, and would include Shaggy, Fred, and Daphne, but not Scooby, or the Mystery Machine. Scooby's absence was because the producers felt that he didn't belong in the adult world they were creating, combined with the fact that Warner Bros. Animation forbade it. Although dogs like him may be alluded to.

Production officially began on June 1, 2021.

On May 18, 2022, Kaling presented the first look of the series at the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront.

Two months later on July 11, the trademark of "Velma" was abandoned for unclear reasons, but was reinstated on October 5, after a grant extension was approved.

The first episode premiered at New York Comic Con on October 3.

Twitter and Instagram social accounts were launched on September 3.

On October 6, 2022, a teaser trailer was released, mocking the negative fan reactions to the changes, by using Velma to complain about an in-universe change surrounding Judy Jetson, but relieved she was still kept white. The trailer ended with the announcement that the series would be streamed in 2023.

Deadline reported on February 13, 2023, that a second season was underway.

Casting
On the same day the series was announced to be in development, Mindy Kaling was confirmed to be the voice of Velma.

At New York Comic Con, Glenn Howerton, Constance Wu, and Sam Richardson, who were revealed to be playing Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy (or rather, Norville), respectively.

In December 2021, Frank Welker, the original voice of Fred from the original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, revealed he would be playing a new character, which turned out to be none other than Fred's dad, William.

Music
The music was composed by Craig DeLeon, and edited by Todd Dahloff.

Cast

 * Mindy Kaling as Velma Dinkley
 * Constance Wu as Daphne Blake
 * Sam Richardson as Norville Rogers
 * Glenn Howerton as Fred Jones

Celebrity guests

 * Cherry Jones
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic
 * Russell Peters
 * Wanda Sykes
 * Melissa Fumero
 * Stephen Root
 * Gary Cole
 * Fortune Feimster
 * Yvonne Orji
 * Sarayu Blue
 * Nicole Byer
 * Ming-Na Wen
 * Shay Mitchell
 * Debby Ryan
 * Jane Lynch
 * Kulap Vilaysack
 * Karl-Anthony Towns

Videos
Teaser trailer:

Full-length trailer:

Snapchat
On January 13, 2022, Snapchat launched a filter that gives the user the appearance of Velma's glasses and the hallucination effects of monster arms grabbing for the user.