Even thoughVelmais part of theScooby-Doofranchise, it is not a strict mystery show. There are mystery bits to it like what happened to Velma’s mom, or who the Crystal Cove killer is. However, those are secondary plot points surrounded by the core of the series: jokes.
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Jokes that are aimed at adults will hit the hardest for fans that grew up with the various iterations of theScooby-Doofranchise. There’s a lot of meta-humor in the show along with some strong female empowerment. Those themes make the following other cartoons worth seeking out for various reasons. Some choices will be obvious while others are a bit more obscure.
8Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated
Velma is the first pure adult-oriented entry in the series, butScooby-Doo Mystery Incorporatedwas also a meta-influenced show. It began airing in 2010 and was another reboot for the franchise.
There was a central mystery involving their town of Crystal Cove, but the gang did go out and solve adjacent crimes that looped together. There were a lot of good reoccurring jokes such as Fred’s obsession with traps. Some crimes were committed by criminals in masks while others were harder to explain because of the supernatural.
7Jellystone
Jellystonewasanother recent Hanna-Barberareboot on HBO. It starred Yogi Bear, but it also cobbled together many other Hanna-Barbera characters such as Magilla Gorilla, Jabberjaw, and Yakky Doodle.
It was still aimed primarily at kids but there was plenty of silly humor that was more for adults that grew up watching the original cartoons on Cartoon Network. It also did some gender-swapping to make things a bit more current. Doggie Daddy, for example, had a daughter instead of a son who was one of the best characters in the show but is still referred to as Augie Doggie.
6The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros.was an early Adult Swim original that was way beyond its years and it’s alsoturning thirty this year. It was a parody of old Hanna-Barbera cartoons likeJohnny Questbut it was so much more than that. It also didn’t hold back on touching upon Marvel and DC trends as well.
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It was, and still is, one of the best meta cartoons out there even if it did get canceled. Hank and Dean Venture would certainly get along with Velma although her language may make their ears bleed, or at least early season versions of the brothers.
5Birdgirl
Birdgirlis a spinoff ofHarvey Birdman: Attorney at Lawwhich transformed the Hanna-Barbera superhero into a lawyer. Birdman covered cases involving old Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters, including Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, and Birdgirl helped him out.
However, in her own show, she’s the CEO of a giant mega-corporation and each episode sees her try and solve a new issue within the company like a toilet that eats people. It’s a hilariously absurd show that also tackles women’s issues. Birdgirl is a superhero women can look up to who isn’t afraid to showcase her insecurities.
4Big Mouth
Big Mouthhas to be one of Netflix’s biggest hits. It currentlyhas six seasonsand a spinoff show as well calledHuman Resources. It’s a look at adolescence that tackles all issues including puberty, gender roles, keeping friends together through fights, and so much more.
It’s a ridiculous comedy but there is some thought put behind the absurd situations. Velma could learn a lot about people and herself if she watched this cartoon.
3Beavis And Butt-Head
The immature humor of these two titular characters may feel like they should stay trappedin the 90s. However, both Beavis and Butt-Head reboots that have occurred, including the latest one from 2022, prove that they’re still relevant today.
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They’re not bad kids, so much as they are misguided which leads them to a lot of misadventures through high school. They just don’t know any better besides thinking about one thing: scoring. The best thing about each iteration of the show is when they watch other content from bad MTV shows likeJersey Shoreto music videos.
2Case Closed
Case Closedisa recommendation forScooby-Doofans that wished that the gang solved real murders back in the day. This anime stars an ace high school detective, Shinichi Kudo, who gets turned into a child from a mob’s super pill by accident.
He calls himself Conan now and has to keep his identity a secret to stay hidden from this mob as he solves murders for his adopted family. This kid has seen enough murders to traumatize an entire school for life, but somehow Shinichi/Conan keeps his cool. It’s a good foot-in-the-door type of anime that mystery lovers will eat up as it isn’t too wild, unlikeDragon Ball Z.
1Persona 4: The Animation
Persona 4: The Animationis another great anime to bring up since the game was recently re-released. The story behind this one involves Yu Narukami transferring to a new school while his parents are away at work.
Yu stays with his uncle and niece and he is eventually roped into a murder case that is infecting the town. It’s supernatural as well once Yu and his new friends discover they can warp into otherworldly dungeons. It’s a bit more high-minded thanCase Closed, but it is another good high school murder series at its core.
