South Asian Led Series and Films to Watch Instead of ‘Velma’

It doesn’t take a sleuth to uncover that HBO Max’s new Scooby-Doo spin-off Velma is receiving a ton of bashing online. In what is arguably the worst-reviewed program on air right now, the casting, reimagined characters and their new personalities, and the writing have all been panned by the general public, and as the time of writing, the show sits at a woeful 1.4 out of 10 stars from user reviews on IMDb. 

In contrast to the overwhelming backlash, it is reportedly on the verge of being renewed for a second season, and whether or not this is due to the network’s faith that the series will eventually pick up among watchers, or the surge in viewership numbers due to hate-watching, the fact of the matter is that Velma might not be going anywhere, anytime soon. 

What are some of the problems with Velma?

For starters, many have deemed the program a slap in the face of the iconic franchise, and have called out executive producer Mindy Kaling for some of the jokes that have appeared on the show, which range from uncomfortable and misogynist, to downright unfunny (there’s a #MeToo joke that should have definitely stayed in the drafts). Besides taking out the central and beloved character Scooby-Doo from the story, fans had an issue with the stark deviation from the personalities of the original characters that make up the iconic team of young mystery solvers.

While the series does offer a few positives, particularly the voice acting of Glenn Howerton as Fred Jones, there’s a lot more lacking. Velma is a South Asian American girl who has given up solving mysteries since the disappearance of her mother, but has to put on her sleuthing cap once more after she becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her classmate, Brenda. In what was most likely a way to increase South Asian representation on screen, Kaling’s work has ultimately backfired, as the portrayal of the lead character has been met with severe criticism from viewers. Not only is the lead character an extremely rude person, but she is a bully who differs greatly from the original character many have grown to love over literal decades. 

It’s pretty much established that the new character gains some sort of twisted pleasure from tearing others down. From her verbal lashings at Fred while in court, which could have been for no other reason than to bash his self-confidence and present him highly incapable, to poking fun at Norville in order to escape a panic attack, our protagonist isn’t exactly scoring high points from the public.

In regards to the latter scenario, Velma is having what can only be explained as a form of panic attack, and the only way out of it is to nudge Norville into cracking more jokes to take her mind off the situation. The only problem is that there are no jokes being told here, as Norville was simply declaring his feelings for her. While she isn’t obliged to reciprocate these feelings, the writing of this series takes the insurmountable weight of a panic attack and turns it into a façade of how people who struggle with panic disorders and episodes actually feel. It’s more than a little twisted that the only way for Velma to get out of her head is to laugh at her friend.

But Velma isn’t the only character who’s been greatly botched with this new series, and that’s what lands the final blow for many, as all four main characters are a tad insufferable.

Daphne, who has always been portrayed as sweet and tender-hearted, is now a mean girl with a brash attitude, and Fred is everything but bright and courageous. He’s essentially a bumbling buffoon in the new series, and to top it off, the laid back Shaggy now goes by his birth name, Norville, and is an overachieving journo whose endless appetite has been replaced by an elite palate.

One major question on the lips of many who have seen either the trailer or the show is: Why didn’t Kaling just create the show as a brand new effort, and not disrupt the canon of the long-running franchise that has been around since as far back as 1969? 

There seems to be a light at the tunnel though; due to the poor reception of the show, and the backlash from South Asian watchers, there are users on social media recommending other films and TV shows for some delightful South Asian representation, while encouraging others to stay away from the animated series.

So if you’re over the antics and shenanigans of Velma, and are determined not to watch the new and unimproved Mystery Inc. gang, here are some South Asian-led films and series to spend your time with.

Churails

If you’re more interested in keeping up with the sleuthing activities of a much more interesting foursome, then the Pakistani web series Churails is a must-watch! Churails, an Urdu word which translates to “demons” or “witches,” is about four vastly different women who lead a secret detective unit with one goal in mind — to catch and expose cheating husbands in the city of Karachi. It’s a fun and thrilling ride, and at 10 episodes long, is a quick binge that hooks the viewer in from start to finish. Hailed for its portrayal of women who seek to break patriarchal problems, Churails is a phenomenal series with strong South Asian women at its center.