New Velma Series Starring Mindy Kaling

By now I'm sure you have heard about the new not-for-kids animated Velma series coming to HBO Max. There has been a lot of speculation as to how the series is going to be, if it will be any good, and what we can all expect. 

Image from Shape.com

I'm not going to go into my thoughts on the show, as I really need to see it to know what it's going to be like. So I'm just going to stick to the facts and let you decide how you feel about it. 

In February, 2021, it was announced that Mindy Kaling would be executive producing a show called Velma, and that it would be an adult animated comedy series that tells the origin story of Velma Dinkley. 

The 10-episode series is described as "an original and humorous spin that unmasks the complex and colorful past of one of America's most beloved mystery solvers."

Image from HBO Max

Yesterday, we got a little more information about the new Velma series when Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, revealed new details at the TV Kids Summer Festival, a very odd place to reveal new information on a series that is not made for kids. 

“We have a not for children, Mindy Kaling project called Velma because she was excited to reimagine what Scooby-Doo would be like if Velma were of East Asian descent and lived in a different world. And in that version, which is going on HBO Max first, there’s no dog and no van but we have our 4 key characters through a different lens and I think it’s great. Allowing our creators to play with our IP is super powerful.” said Ascheim.

When Mindy Kaling was referring to the new Velma series, she said “I’m so excited about that. I’ve been wanting to do an animated show forever. I think I sound like a 15-year-old girl when I talk, so it’s great to finally be able to use it in a show. She is such an amazing character because she has this cult following,” Kaling added “She’s a queer icon for so many people. She’s the brains behind the Scooby gang. I just love her. She’s not skinny. She’s a huge nerd. She’s smart and unabashedly so. So I’m excited. I feel honored to portray her in an animated show. And it’s fun to play.”

That is all the information we have so far on the series. What are your thoughts? Are you excited for it?