DVD Review: Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who?: The Complete First Season

You would be hard-pressed to find somebody that didn’t know who Scooby-Doo was. First introduced in 1969 (with Scooby-Doo, Where Are you?) Scooby has pretty much been around without interruption in some format or another. That includes a couple of live-action films as well. 

The latest entry to the group is Scooby-Doo and the Guess Who?, which premiered on Boomerang in 2019 with a slew of special-guest-heavy mysteries. As we have all come to expect, these stories stay true to the zany mysteries that a group of teenagers work to solve, often through many wacky moments and the ever-popular Scooby-Doo ending where there is a big reveal. 

The most significant difference I see in these and the ones from my childhood reflect the changes in society found in technology. The gang uses tablets, smartphones, and wi-fi to investigate; however, they ultimately rely on the classic Scooby plot twists that feature ghosts, monsters, and clue searching.

Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? is definitely a celebrity-driven series. Back in the old days, celebrity guests were no strangers to Scooby-Doo. I remember seeing the Harlem Globetrotters and Batman and Robin (voiced by Adam West and Burt Ward). In this series, it seems to be the premise of the show with a special guest in pretty much every episode. 

The series seems to be geared towards children while giving a little wink to the parents through little inside references and jokes the children won’t get. They also seem to be appealing to the parents/adults through their selection of celebrity guests. For example, the show has contemporary celebrities like Chris Paul, Halsey, as well as Batman and Wonder Woman, but it also has a slew of guests that I don’t think kids would have much interest in but would be of interest to the adults in the room. George Takei, Ricky Gervais, and Steve Urkel (voiced by Urkel himself, Jaleel White) seem much more like a nod that the parents will get a laugh out of.

The original teen cast is still fun and relatable, though their jokes may still be stuck in the ‘60s. Old fan or new, chances are you’ll have a good time tuning in. A lot of that is thanks to the cast itself. I was pleased to see Matthew Lillard return as Shaggy (he played Shaggy in the film version in 2002) and Kate Micucci (from Garfunkel and Oates) as Velma, who plays the role with a little more snark than previously seen. The rest of the cast is solid, but those two are the standouts.

 Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who? The Complete First Season is in an 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The episodes are clean and vibrant, with good definition and not obvious video coding issues. The DVD release includes a 384 Kbps 5.1 channel Dolby Digital soundtrack on all episodes and takes advantage of that function. It often uses all sound channels and blends them well with no sounds overwhelming or drowning out the others.

Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who? The Complete First Season contains 26 episodes, but unfortunately, no bonus materials on the disc.

For those fans of Scooby-Doo, this will probably be a fun addition. There is enough to keep the kids and adults alike interested and keeps the tone of the series clean and similar to the original while taking minor steps to keep it contemporary.

Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who? The Complete First Season is currently available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.