BE COOL, SCOOBY-DOO! is the Best Iteration of the Franchise

I know what you all are thinking based on my title alone, and yes, I’m being serious when I say that I think Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! is the best version of Scooby-Doo and Mystery Incorporated. I’ve previously taken a brief moment to share how I love this show. Before we get too far though I do want to remind you that this is my personal opinion, and you may feel differently and that’s okay. Please share in the comments what you think the best Scooby-Doo show is and why you’re right.

Be Cool premiered in 2015 on Cartoon Network and was the 12th iteration of the Scooby-Doo series. Like most other iterations, Be Cool follows Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Shaggy Rogers, and Scooby-Doo as they travel the world in the Mystery Machine and solve mysteries. The voice cast includes Frank Welker as Fred and Scooby, Grey DeLisle as Daphne, Kate Micucci as Velma, and Matthew Lillard as Shaggy. The series ran for two 26-episode seasons with each season broken into two smaller halves. The character models are based on the original Scooby-Doo, Where are You! although they’re drawn and animated in a more modern fashion.

I’m sure that many of you have looked at pictures of Be Cool and immediately written it off. I was originally like that too. I didn’t like the art style for the characters. However, I’ve come to really appreciate it. It also helps that Be Cool was made to be a lighthearted and more humorous entry in the franchise. In fact, the humorous tone requires this kind of bright animation style and goofy character design. Try imagining the designs from any other version of Scooby-Doo pull off the bit from “Do Not Disturb” about the letter “s”. It doesn’t work. Once again, this is going to turn some people off, especially since its immediate predecessor was Mystery Incorporated which is often praised for the dark and complex turn it took and rightly so. Mystery Incorporated is really well done for the most part. However, I still think Be Cool is better.

The first episode is “Mystery 101” which was written by Jon Colton Barry and directed by Shaunt Nigoghossian. It is one of the most perfect first episodes I’ve ever seen. It immediately introduces you to everything about the show. You learn about the portrayals of each of the characters, you hear the killer music, you see how they utilize classic villains like the Ghost of Elias Kingston, you see the group dynamic, you are quickly introduced to the fabulous humor, and more. It also has my favorite Daphne quirk: puppets!

Here’s a quick breakdown of the characters in Be Cool, Fred is obsessed with solving mysteries. It’s just who he is. Instead of solving mysteries because its convenient, this Fred lives to solve them and in many ways is really the main character of the series. He’s the driving force for the gang and Velma describes is perfectly in a moment from “Screama Donna” when she’s explaining the purpose a drummer serves to a band. It is the engine, it keeps everyone in time, and is the foundation of the band. Daphne has a different quirk each episode that is usually some form of comedic relief but also somehow always helps the gang in some way while solving the mystery. Velma is the walking encyclopedia. Shaggy and Scooby are comic relief, bait, and obsessed with food. As I already mentioned, Fred is the main character in many ways, but each member of the gang gets multiple times to shine throughout the series. They aren’t just confined to a single episode of glory.

One of the great things about Be Cool is that throughout the series, we get to know Mystery Incorporated’s personalities and interests beyond the aforementioned stereotyped roles. For instance, Daphne can fly planes! Velma used to be addicted to video games. They like the musician Bones Malone. Oh, and they have internal spats like in “Mystery 101” when they all get mad at each other. We get to see them just be friends possibly better than any other adaptation. All romantic subplots are thrown out although there are a few things here and there in the occasional episode, but it doesn’t really carry over and it’s never between members of the gang.

I’ve already hinted at this next one and if you follow me on Twitter you’ll see me mention it every now and then. The music is absolutely incredible! Warner Bros., if you’re reading this, PLEASE RELEASE A SOUNDTRACK WITH ALL THE SONGS! I WILL BUY IT! The music is a little varied, but mostly falls in the Alternative Rock/Indie Rock veins. Even the intro song is great! Check out some of these samples.

Be Cool doesn’t shy away from its heritage. A number of villains in the series come from older entries in the franchise, but it does bring some excellent new villains like Dorsal Foot, The Spirit of El Bandito, and Professor Huh. That last one is especially brilliant, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but it is the only two-parter episode and is done so freaking incredibly well. There’s lead up to it that you don’t realize is lead up. It is so intense and so tight that I have to tip my hat to Barry, James Krenzke, Ron Rubio, and Kyle Stafford for making it. While there are a couple of shorter episodes after these episodes, they are considered the finale of the series and just like “Mystery 101” is a perfect beginning, this finale is a perfect finale. My biggest gripe about Mystery Incorporated was that the finale fell apart in my opinion and lost its way. That is not the case in Be Cool.

If you have HBO Max or Boomerang, I highly recommend that you check out Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!. It is a brilliant series that brings a lot of laughs with tons of heart. The voice cast is absolutely phenomenal, the characters are familiar with some fresh tweaks, and it deserves all the love. Sadly, you can only buy the first season on DVD and even then it’s hard to find a copy of the second half of the season in the U.S. (thanks region locks!). If I could have anything for the holidays from Warner Bros., it would be that they release Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! on DVD/Blu-ray as a complete set and they release a soundtrack with all of the music!