HBO and actress Mindy Kaling's "Scooby Doo" spin-off series "Velma" added more controversial content to its repertoire in its latest episode, this time treating sexualizing kids as a joke.
During episode four, titled, "Velma Makes a List," the new series makes multiple jokes about children in a sexual manner. The first involves the local town mayor lusting over attractive high school teenage girls, and the other involves lead character Velma’s impression of young boys and their talent for drawing male genitalia.
After Velma is tasked with thwarting a local murderer who seems to be targeting only pretty high school girls, the middle-aged town sheriff suggests that she rank the hottest girls in her school and help them be less attractive to save their lives.
SCOOBY-DOO' CHARACTERS DAPHNE AND VELMA GETTING LIVE-ACTION SPINOFF FILM
Though the town mayor’s salivating reaction to Velma’s makeover reveal shows she has failed in her task, and gives "Velma" viewers an uncomfortable scene of a middle-aged white man lusting over underage girls.
Talking to the mayor and sheriff during the reveal, Velma says, "Mayor Dave, Sheriff Cogburn, I want you to remember this moment. For far too long, we have told girls that pain is beauty. Well, today you will see these painfully beautiful girls transform from ‘Damn’ to ‘Eh...’"
As noted by NewsBusters, once Velma reveals the girls, who don’t appear to have changed their appearance in any way, the mayor says, "Ooh, they are so hot. Daddy likey...Wait. You were supposed to do the opposite. What the h---, Velma?"
In another scene from the same episode, Velma attempts to make a comment on sexism to her friend but accidentally makes a bizarre statement on little kids and genitalia.
She says, "Our whole lives, girls are told by guys there's a right way to be hot, and I'm not it. Guys even teach us to be ashamed of our own bodies. Every little kid knows how to draw a penis, but make a little kid draw a vɑgina, and what happens?" Her friend Norville replies, "You go to jail?" to which she says, "Exacty."
The R-rated humor is just the latest stunt from the HBO animated series, which has already been the subject of many headlines for flipping the concept of the beloved "Scooby-Doo" Mystery Gang on its head in an attempt to appeal to modern audiences.
The show has been blasted for its over-the-top woke themes. For example, it has race-swapped several of the main characters, most notably Shaggy, who is now an African American male named "Norville." It also features lesbian scenes between the titular character, who is now of Asian/Pacific Island descent, and Daphne, who is now half Asian, half White.
In addition, the series devotes story beats to portraying former beloved character Fred as a rich White male who gets taken down a peg because of his privilege.
VELMA IS OFFICIALLY REVEALED TO BE A LESBIAN IN NEW 'SCOOBY-DOO' FILM
As Fox News Digital previously reported, "Velma" also "features limbs being severed, one of the main characters going to a strip club with her dad, and two teenage boys making out at their high school."
These elements have added up to a show that has been annihilated by critics. Fox noted, "Though the critic reviews are bad, the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is even worse with most giving it a half a star (out of five). One viewer called it ‘so insulting to the Scooby-Doo fan base.’ Another observed, ‘Very current year. This culture sucks so bad.’"
Reviews have been so bad that some have wondered whether the show was a conspiracy to annoy right-wingers. Forbes contributor Paul Tassi mentioned this notion, writing, "Velma is so bad in fact, that it’s spawning conspiracy theories that creator Mindy Kaling made what is essentially a parody of what the right wing thinks left wing comedy is like."
The Daily Mail even reported that "Velma" is "now the third worst rated TV show in IMBD history, having aired just four episodes of its first season."
Fox News Digital spoke to conservative Hollywood and entertainment critic Christian Toto about why creators would push a raunchy Scooby-Doo spinoff, just for it to get slammed by audiences. He said, "Hollywood artists don't appreciate the frustration many feel about these woke makeovers. In their circles, diversity and social justice are vital tools in their storytelling kits."
Toto – who runs the popular conservative film and entertainment commentary site Hollywoodintoto.com – explained that bad reviews entice producers to double down on their creative decisions.
He said, "What's more interesting is that when confronted with angry viewers the response is often to double down and slam critics as racist, sexist, etc. We saw that with the backlash against ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ on Amazon Prime."
Though Toto did acknowledge that "audiences in turn, often overreact. They're angry at not just one show but a cultural landscape that pushes these reboots. So they lash out on properties like ‘Velma’ by slamming them on TV review sites and social media."
