The "Scooby Doo Show" was the third iteration of Scooby Doo following the original "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" show of 1969-70 and "The New Scooby Doo Movies" of 1972-73. This show, which ran from 1976-78, was undoubtedly one of the very best. It succeeds more than the hour long movies and the later Scrappy Doo cartoons because it keeps the basic 30 minute story format of the original show, which is part of what made Scooby so successful. When I was a kid, I had no idea these were all different shows with different productions, etc. (I had to look it up to realize that these old shows came out years apart from each other). As an adult, it's interesting to see how the creators had different ideas and themes for each new Scooby show they would make.
This "Scooby Doo Show" lasted 40 episodes and the monsters are very entertaining and mostly all memorable. The vampire is definitely one of scariest vampires of any cartoon up until that time. The Tar Monster is one of the greats. The maniac doctor at the sanitarium is very scarily drawn. The scariest one for me as a kid was the Diabolical Disc Demon - that one stuck with me for years. Even the weaker monsters are fun in a nostalgic way. Joe Ruby and Ken Spears had a wonderful technique and formula for this show. The formula essentially starts with the introduction of the monster. The gang then comes to town and gets on the case and they start investigating. Velma says, "Jinkies!"; Fred says, "Let's split up"; They find a clue; Shaggy and Scooby look for something to eat; Daphne says, "Jeepers"; Shaggy says, "Zoinks!"; Fred makes Shaggy and Scooby trap the villain and they overcome their fear and catch them in some crazy chase. Once caught, the villain is unmasked and tells everyone, "I would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for you meddling kids"; Scooby then says, "Scooby-dooby-dooooo!!!" and it ends. This formula is Scooby Doo at his very best and this 1976-78 show followed it to a "T".
As the previous reviewer rightly stated, the mysteries are actually pretty good and complex for a kids show and the animation is classic Hanna Barbera. Scooby Doo was never ha-ha funny, but there's always several funny bits in every episode and the magic comes from that Scooby is such a good-natured and lovable character. Scooby never once gets mad and he always overcomes his fears to somehow (and sometimes accidentally) catch the villain. I once saw that the characters of Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy are loosely based on their counterparts in the old Dobie Gillis show and that they included the Great Dane and made him the star of the show. Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy act like kids from that generation and always accept each other and work together and we never see them argue or fight. It works perfectly as a kids show as kids never question why these young adults never go to work - they just solve mysteries. I see kids today still getting engrossed in and enjoying these classic episodes that are now 50 years old! The hook is the mystery and the spooky atmosphere that make it stand out from other cartoons. And the endings are always wonderful with the capture and unmasking of the villains.
If you like Scooby Doo and don't know where to start, this and the original two seasons of "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" are the definitive shows to watch. I'll always appreciate the good natured character of Scooby and his friends, especially Shaggy, who is his closest pal. These kinds of characters are like old friends and when you're a kid, you simply enjoy it. When you're an adult and you look back, it's a good memory. Cheers to the creators of this show!
