Velma' review: Mindy Kaling and company try to milk grown-up laughs out of 'Scooby-Doo's' pre-dog days on HBO Max

“This is my story, told my way,” the title character narrates at the outset of “Velma,” an adult-oriented take on “Scooby-Doo” that demonstrates the limits of stretching what amounts to a one-note joke into a series. 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.

Velma' spinoff divides critics: Lame jokes, prequelitis, and bad meta

Mindy Kaling To Play Velma In Scooby-Doo Prequel

Cheeky 'Velma' is Less Scooby-Doo and More Mindy Kaling – IndieWire

Mindy Kaling's Velma HBO Max Adult Animated Series Trailer

The Velma controversy just got a little worse for Mindy Kaling & HBO Max

Velma' Isn't Edgy. It's Just Mean. - The Atlantic

Mindy Kaling Doesn't Care if You've Got a Problem With Her South Asian Velma

Cheeky 'Velma' is Less Scooby-Doo and More Mindy Kaling – IndieWire

Velma' Review: HBO Max's Scooby-Doo Prequel Starring Mindy Kaling – The Hollywood Reporter

Mindy Kaling's new Velma series slammed for sexualizing its 15-year-old characters

Scooby-Doo Spin-off Starring Mindy Kaling Will Be For Adult Audience, Reveals Actor - FandomWire

HBO Max's 'Velma' Could Have Had it All - Black Nerd Problems

Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' Animated Show Cast and Who They're Playing