Fans are understandably apprehensive when Netflix picks up classic franchises, and its latest announcement has fans up in arms as they worry about how the top-billed streaming service will adapt a 50-year-old canine icon.
On Wednesday, March 26, Netflix confirmed via tweet that it's order to series a TV adaptation of Scooby-Doo, sharing a script page penned by Citadel's Josh Appelbaum and Venom's Scott Rosenberg. You can see it at the top of this article.
Scooby-Doo is a long-running kids' franchise about Mystery Inc., a gang of four adults (along with the titular dog, of course) who solve horror-themed mysteries. Could Scooby-Doo become one of the new best Netflix shows? The streamer probably hopes so, but fans aren't convinced.
As per some earlier reports, Netflix's Scooby-Doo will be a "modern reimagining" of the show, rebooting its premise a a gang of kids meet at summer camp to investigate mysteries. It'll also be live-action, not animation.
There have been almost too many Scooby-Doo adaptations to count, most recently the poorly-received Velma, as well as the feature-length Scoob!, however there have only been two live-action entries: 2002's Scooby-Doo movie and its 2004 sequel, Monsters Unleashed.
While poorly received by critics, these two movies were both commercial hits and remain classics amongst audiences who grew up with them. They starred Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardinelli as the main cast and among many viewers, this quartet has remained synonymous with Mystery Inc.
That's evident in responses to Scooby-Doo's adaptation, with many demanding that original cast:
if it’s not with the cast in the photo i do not care.March 26, 2025
Need the whole original castMarch 26, 2025
Many are also dubious about Netflix's ability to deliver quality programming, and it's already arrayed quite a roster of poorly-received live-action adaptations of tales like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Death Note, Watership Down and Cowboy Bebop.
Another childhood classic ruined by nostalgia-driven cash grabs at Netflix.March 26, 2025
I’d be excited for this if it weren’t for the fact that 90% of the original content produced by Netflix is cheaply made and/or terribleMarch 26, 2025
Some commenters, however, were optimistic about the show, or at least hoping for more than Velma (which currently sits at a 9% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes).
There's no news on when Scooby-Doo will come to Netflix but, judging by the fact that a series has only just been ordered, it'll almost definitely be out in 2026 at the earliest, or perhaps even later.
If this news has rekindled your interest in Scoob (or if you want to cleanse your palate) then the live-action Scooby-Doo is available to rent digitally in the US here or stream on Sky TV in the UK (though it leaves at the end of March).
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