Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated

I happen to quite like this series (thus far) as does my family and yet I can see why some people have a problem with it. First a bit of background: both my wife and I grew up with Scooby-Doo and our kids independently decided they liked the various instances of the show as well so, for good or bad, I've seen probably 99% of the Scooby oeuvre.

Certainly it should first be noted that this series is a "reboot" and not inherently placed in temporal or any other relationship to previous series. On the other hand, it is also often parodies what has come before. This has been done to some extent in the live action movies and the direct to video animated movies but in the present case, the basic world that the characters inhabit is more of an alternate reality. In the original series the chief fantastical element was that Scooby could talk; the present series supposes a town where monsters are big business and the kids get in trouble for SOLVING mysteries, for example. Structurally the show is more about action and character arcs with the mystery element largely on the second tier. In could be argued that the mysteries in Pup Named Scooby-Doo were a bit less obvious than some in S-D:MI (but the obviousness is also part of the parody, e.g., the gator episode).

As to the characters, Fred, Daphne and Velma all are pretty different from previous incarnations, as is Scooby who evidences far more social insight and complex dialog. Shaggy has never really varied much series to series and nothing much changes here (One has to go back to his very earliest existence to find him more adept and only mildly fearful). In general, these are not realistic or even particularly functional characters; great role models, they are not. If you are looking for that, the direct to video movies will be more your cup of tea. But if you are open to a different mythology with a more oddball yet somewhat more adult approach, you might find it a cool take.

I personally like the animation style and think the direction is on par with the upper echelon of current animated action shows. There's a bit of an irony in that the original Scooby-Doo was created in response to parental pressure against violence in animated shows of the 60's (e.g., Space Ghost, Jonny Quest) while this show is probably the most dark and violent Scooby yet. I guess things have come full circle.

In summary, I'd say give it a chance for a few episodes but if it isn't to your liking and you want something more classic/less dark/more realistic, I believe they are on a schedule of at least one new direct to video movie each year. Further, it appears we can probably count on new series productions for another 40+ years so you can always wait for the next one...

Finally, character development for the Scooby-Doo Gang. Despite the fact that Fred and Daphne are back in their old late 60's outfits, new life has been breathed into Scooby's supporting cast. Norville "Shaggy" Rogers and his pet Great Dane, Scooby-Doo, have always been the most developed of the five characters and display their usual hijinks and slapstick, with one exception...Shaggy has a secret involving one of the members of the gang. Freddy Jones, the son of the town's Mayor in this story line, no longer has the Mr. Perfect persona, but is a precocious and eager yet likable teen who loves the thrill of mystery solving to the point that he gets carried away. Daphne Blake's personality is very sweet and endearing. Her character is more reminiscent of the original Daphne from the sixties only this Daphne is a cheerful optimist when it comes to her friends but is easily dishearten when it comes to Fred's cluelessness of her affections. The real surprise is Velma Dinkley! Her appearance seems to be modeled after the live-action version as her features looks more feminine. Although she's still extremely short in stature, Velma has more of a slender build making her noticeably busty. And though Velma still wears the usual outfit, her turtle neck sweater plunges slightly lower, revealing her neck. She now sports a fluffier hairstyle with small hair ribbons. As for her personality, she is sarcastic, opinionated, slightly quick-tempered, and (surprisingly) flirtatious. This new change in her character is well suited for the flow of the show and rounds out the cast quite nicely. Even with all the changes, "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" takes you back to the original Scooby-Doo roots, with enough of it's own originality to bring it up to date. However, with more attention directed towards the lives of the characters rather than the mystery, it leaves the story of how the mystery was executed half explained. Still, the writers seem to know what their doing and if they keep to this format, this show has the potential to be almost as popular as the classic "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?".

I am surprised by some of the negative reviews on here. This is the best incarnation yet of the original show. The Scooby Doo Mystery ones with the special guests were pretty horrible, the Scooby/Scrappy show was a disaster, and the most recent "What's New Scooby Doo's" were decent but a little too trendy and trying to be hip to the 2000s. Therein lies the beauty of this show. It is a new show, with new stories, new relationship drama, and new villains and mysteries. However, it keeps the old look & feel too. The show is darker now than it's been since the original series (when almost every episode happened in the creepy night time) and you feel that darkness when you watch it. It's spookier than the hackneyed villains of "What's New" and certainly far less goofy than the ones with the special guests. I cringe when I see those awful episodes with The Globetrotter and Phyllis Diller. Sure, the relationship stuff is more "adult" than the past but for those of you pointing out that the costumes are 70s again ... that's cool! So is Fred playing an 8-track on a record player ... that was funny, and meant to be! You've got to get the joke. Look, no one likes change all that much. I'm a marketing exec and I know this more than anything but change, when presented with elements that make us still feel comfortable, is great. Kudos to the writers for this fresh take on a great show that still makes me feel at home. (Oh, and I love the "Mr. E" stuff. It's a nice creepy sub-plot that now has me tivo'ing the show for myself, not just my kid!)

I don't know how I ever missed this gem of a show. Seeing in how it was made in 2010 I'm super disappointed there won't be new episodes.

That being said, I've been a fan of scooby doo since I was a kid, and out of all the shows I've seen, this has one of the best stories ever. If your a scooby doo fan, you've got to watch it!

I say this as a big fan of Scooby Doo. I watched Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated not expecting much, and I was shocked at how surprisingly good it. To me while not as good as the classic Scooby Doo! Where Are You?, Mystery Incorporated is one of the better Scooby Doo incarnations, and much better than Shaggy Doo: Get a Clue!(the worst of anything to do with Scooby Doo)

If there is one thing that I wasn't crazy about, I did find at first that Velma's personality here took a while to get used to. However, I loved the animation, the colours and backgrounds are very colourful and stylistic while having a glossy sheen to them. In general Mystery Inc look similar in design to the other incarnations, except for Fred and to a lesser extent Velma, and they are convincing. Plus I found the villains funky in look.

The music is great as well, the main theme is memorable and the background music sometimes has a cinematic feel to it. The writing is funny and moody and in one episode poignant too(when Fred finds out about his father), while the stories are set up quite nicely with the darkest atmosphere of any Scooby show since the original, something refreshingly new in idea to mixing some elements of what made the original work so well and trying something different and one of the least predictable and hackneyed of any show to do with the iconic character.

The characters are great. Velma as I have said takes some getting used to, but I loved the development to Fred, I liked how they made Daphne stronger and more resourceful here and Shaggy and Scooby still make me smile and laugh. In terms of villains, most are great, but some are disappointing, especially the Creepers/Gators who were very predictable and obvious. The voice acting is fine too, the new voice actor for Shaggy does a very worthy job in particular and Frank Welker is still going strong.

Overall, I wasn't expecting to like Mystery Incorporated, but I actually love it. It made the most of a good idea and got/is getting stronger. 9/10 Bethany Cox