'Velma' reviews: Critics deem Mindy Kaling's Scooby-Doo spinoff 'tedious' and 'silly'

It appears HBO Max's 'Velma', a spinoff of the Scooby-Doo franchise and a reimagining of the nerdy, bespectacled titular character as an American-Indian, has failed. Featuring Mindy Kaling as Velma, a member of Mystery Incorporated, a group of amateur sleuths and ghost hunters, the series, created by Charlie Grandy, was an adult, violent spin on the typically child-friendly franchise. The other members are Scooby-Doo (the titular Great Dane dog), Shaggy Rogers, Fred Jones, and Daphne Blake. Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, and Glenn Howerton also lend their voices. They voice Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy, respectively. The series has not pleased critics.

On the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, 'Velma' has received a rating of 50 per cent after 14 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "Jinkies! This radical reworking of the beloved Mystery Team has plenty of attitude and style, but it doesn't have the first clue for how to turn its clever subversion into engaging fun."

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Variety's Joshua Alston wrote, "It’s been done before, and much better, using unique takes on the gang that maintained their essence, so Velma is never as groundbreaking as it seems to think it is. More than that, these characters are just really unpleasant to spend time with."

CNN.com's Brian Lowry wrote, "Sporadically witty but ultimately rather tedious, the HBO Max comedy leverages more than a half-century of name equity to yield an animated prequel that’s definitely not for kids, meddling or otherwise."

The Guardian's Lauren Mechling was mildly positive. She wrote, "Look past the copulating cockroaches and anatomy jokes that hinge on baby carrots, won’t you? Velma is a supernatural spoof at its most beautifully chaotic."

San Francisco Chronicle's Carla Meyer wrote, "Nostalgia goes a long way, especially when “Velma” maintains its predecessor’s overarchingly silly tone."

The official synopsis of 'Velma' reads, "VELMA is an adult animated comedy series telling the origin story of Velma Dinkley, the unsung and under appreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang. This original and humorous spin unmasks the complex and colorful past of one of America’s most beloved mystery solvers."

Velma premiered on January 12 on HBO Max in the US.