What Parents Should Know Before Letting Their Kids Watch HBO Max’s Velma

Don’t let the Scooby-Doo IP address fool you – HBO Max’s Velma is definitely not a kids’ show. The series is rated TV-MA, indicating that it is intended for adults and may not be suitable for viewers under the age of 17 (via IMDb). As is immediately clear from his revelation, “Velma” is doing just about everything in her power to earn that mature rating.

Just a minute into the Velma pilot, viewers will see an image of two cartoon cockroaches having sex. This scene is followed by Daphne and her classmates taking a shower in the girls’ locker room. There is some nudity here, as well as verbal allusions to sex. The group then discovers a brainless, lobotomized corpse, emphasizing that the show won’t skimp on blood either.

The content remains risqué throughout the rest of the series. The characters often fight. Norville, the show’s version of Shaggy, is a heavy smoker. Velma finds herself juggling attractions for Daphne and Fred, among other characters. Even the fear can get unexpectedly strong, replacing some of the classic ghost shenanigans with disturbing episodes related to Velma’s panic attacks.

In terms of content, Velma has all the mature elements you’d expect from an adult TV show. Parents may find it more like other adult animated series like Rick and Morty and Harley Quinn than something from the typical list of Saturday morning cartoons.