Mindy Kaling’s Scooby Series Sets Release Date on HBO Max

Mindy Kaling‘s successful path with HBO Max continues as she is about to voice an iconic character in IP history: Velma. The series of the same name has a premiere date set for the New Year — Thursday, January 12 — to be specific.

The Scooby-Doo character will finally receive her spotlight, giving fans of the smartest Scoob alum what they’ve long been wishing for.

According to the official logline, Velma tells “the origin story of Velma Dinkley (Kaling), the unsung and underappreciated 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.”

The series is not without controversy though—Kaling spoke about the backlash when it was announced that Velma would be of South Asian decent to Seth Meyers, and mentioned it again in October at NYCC, noting:

“I think of the characters as so iconic, but nowhere is The Gang defined by their whiteness, except for Fred. So I was a little bit surprised. I think most Indian American girls, when they see, you know, this skeptical, hardworking kind of underappreciated character that they can identify with her.”

The first scene in the teaser smartly pokes fun at this kind of toxic fandom that can lead to such unnecessary backlash, with Velma writing an angry letter to HBO Max about a Judy Jetson origin story series where Judy isn’t boy crazy, writing “If there’s ONE thing the internet agrees on, it’s that you should never change anything ever!”

The series also stars Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Russell Peters, Melissa Fumero, Stephen Root, Gary Cole, Ken Leung, Cherry Jones, Fortune Feimster, Yvonne Orji, Sarayu Blue, Nicole Byer, Ming-Na Wen, Shay Mitchell, Debby Ryan, Kulap Vilaysak, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Frank Welker.

Watch the teaser below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHdtsWn7sgE

Velma, Series Premiere, Thursday, Jan. 13, HBO Max