TV: Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated

"You realize you were speeding?"
"Y-yes, I do, Officer."
"Okay, as long as you know."

The town of Crystal Cove is the "Most Hauntedest Place on Earth" and is rumored to be cursed.  While the town thrives on the tourism aspects of their reputation, most of the problems are not supernatural.  Teenagers Fred Jones (Welker), Velma Dinkley (Cohn), Daphne Blake (DeLisle), and Shaggy Rogers (Lillard), along with Shaggy's dog Scooby-Doo (Welker), enjoy solving the mysteries of the town.  They regularly get to the truth faster than the adults of the town, to the frustration of Sheriff Stone (Warburton).  Their parents and classmates do not understand their love of mysteries.

They soon learn that there is a darker history to their town.  A mysterious man, known only as Mr. e (Black) begins leaving them clues and alluding to secrets from the past.  Finding the truth won't be easy, especially as darker forces stand in the way. 


Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated is the 11th TV series to feature the beloved Hanna-Barbera characters.

The Good:

This series gives the Scooby gang a modern update and a darker twist.  It pays homage to the prior series, with callbacks to prior villains and jokes about polarizing characters (like Scrappy Doo).  The voice cast is great, and includes well-known actors from the franchise.  For example, Casey Kasem was the original voice of Shaggy, and voices his father in this series, and Matthew Lillard played Shaggy in the live-action films and voices the character in this series.

Unlike previous versions, this series has an overarching story that connects to each episode.  You can watch each episode individually, but you get drawn into the story and want to see what happens next with the bigger picture.

The Bad:

The series is not long enough.  It is only 2 seasons, 52 episodes total.  Each episode is strong, and they tell a complete story, but I wish it was longer.

Other Comments:

-I have enjoyed the Scooby-Doo cartoon shows by entire life.  I grew up watching A Pup Named Scooby-Doo and reruns of the original series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?  I have seen most of the other versions of the show, but this is definitely my favorite.

-The series also features other characters from the Hanna-Barbera collection, including Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon, among others.

-The show also features characters from pop culture, including the Griswold family from the National Lampoon's Vacation film series.

-There series is fun and takes a different approach to the characters and setting.  The creators clearly love the franchise and want it share that love with a new generation.  I highly recommend this show!

Scooby-Doo!: Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013)
Creator: Joe Ruby & Ken Spears
Starring: Frank Welker as Fred Jones, Scooby-Doo
Mindy Cohn as Velma Dinkley
Grey DeLisle as Daphne Blake
Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers
Patrick Warburton as Sheriff Stone
Lewis Black as Mr. E
Gary Cole as Mayor Fred Jones Sr.

Vivica A. Fox as Angel Dynamite

Udo Kier as Professor Pericles
Linda Cardellini as Hot Dog Water (Marcie Fleach)