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I Watched the First Two Episodes of Mindy Kaling’s ‘Velma’ So You Don’t Have To
You can thank me later
It has been evident for some time that the decision makers in the entertainment industry are terrified to try anything that doesn’t already have a proven track record of success. As a result, we have been inundated with remakes, sequels, and adaptations of stories we’re all familiar with; The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, House of the Dragon, Riverdale, and Avatar: The Way of Water are just a few examples of this. I understand this to a degree, given the vast amounts of money involved in producing films and television shows, though like most everyone else I would prefer some new stories at least occasionally.
The adaptation angle can work when done right, as was the case with Mike Flanagan’s superb adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting of Hill House (following one fine film version in 1963 and a horrible one in 1999). It has also worked in the past with the greatest cartoon series ever: Scooby-Doo Where Are You! The classic series that began in 1969 has spawned countless spinoffs and adaptations, both animated and live action; I especially enjoyed the two origin story films Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009) and Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster (2010).
