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This season, like the previous, is a full 26 episodes, with the producers saying the 52nd episode ties into the first somehow. At Comic-Con, it was also confirmed that Blue Falcon and Dynomutt will be appearing in some capacity, continuing the first season's tradition of including other Hannah-Barbara characters in bit parts, such as Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw, Captain Caveman, The Funky Phantom, and the entire the main cast of Johnny Quest. Aside from that, however, not much is known about this season.
Mystery Incorporated has taken the entire Scooby-Doo concept in an entirely new direction. To begin with, there are character arcs and overarching plots, as well as recurring minor characters such as Mr. E. (the guy with all answers, voiced by Lewis Black), Mayor Jones (Fred's father, voiced by Gary Cole), Sheriff Bronson Stone (whose first name is actually "Sheriff," voiced by Patrick Warburton), Professor Pericles (a diabolical sometimes-ally talking parakeet, like Scooby, voiced by Udo Kier), and Angel Dynamite (basically Foxxy Cleopatra from Austin Powers 3, voiced by Vivica A. Fox.)
Unlike previously established canon, this show takes place in the town Crystal Cove instead of Coolsville. A southern Californian town with heavily Mexican-inspired architecture, Crystal Cove has had a long history of bad guys dressing up as spooks and then being busted, and even has tours and a museum dedicated to its rich "haunted" history. This causes trouble for the members of Mystery Incorporated, as the town derives a lot of tourist income from the mysteries the gang is trying to solve.
Most notably, Mystery Incorporated makes several key changes to the main cast in order to make them feel more like actual people. Fred is obsessed with building traps, even subscribing to magazines about it (that he tries to hide from others), Velma starts dating Shaggy but they break it off because he can't choose between her and Scooby, Daphne is devoted to Fred and not as much of a damsel, and Scooby... actually hasn't changed much, but he's also not the spotlight character he used to be now that equal time is being given to the others.
Here's some cool things from the first season (light spoilers): Vincent Van Ghoul (an obvious homage to Vincent Price and his character in The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo) is a minor character and actor in many low-budget classic monster movies that Shaggy and Scooby often watch. H.P. Hatecraft, a character based on Lovecraft, who writes novels about "Char Gar Gothakon, the beast which hath no name." Scrappy and Flim-Flam showing up in the first episode... as statues, with Fred remarking that they "never speak of that again." The return of the Hex Girls, including some kickass songs and a risque costume for Daphne.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
If you want to get up quick, I suggest watching the first two and final two episodes of the first season. They go over why the gang is broken up at the start of this one, as well as cover the macguffin they (and the villains) are after. You'll also learn about the original Mystery Incorporated crew, and why they disappeared 20 years ago.
Oh and as a post-script, the show looks awesome in HD. Some of the best of any cartoon I've seen. It's a damned shame there's currently no Blu-ray for the first season, making Amazon Instant Video the only place you can buy the HD goodness.
Unlike previously established canon, this show takes place in the town Crystal Cove instead of Coolsville. A southern Californian town with heavily Mexican-inspired architecture, Crystal Cove has had a long history of bad guys dressing up as spooks and then being busted, and even has tours and a museum dedicated to its rich "haunted" history. This causes trouble for the members of Mystery Incorporated, as the town derives a lot of tourist income from the mysteries the gang is trying to solve.
Most notably, Mystery Incorporated makes several key changes to the main cast in order to make them feel more like actual people. Fred is obsessed with building traps, even subscribing to magazines about it (that he tries to hide from others), Velma starts dating Shaggy but they break it off because he can't choose between her and Scooby, Daphne is devoted to Fred and not as much of a damsel, and Scooby... actually hasn't changed much, but he's also not the spotlight character he used to be now that equal time is being given to the others.
Here's some cool things from the first season (light spoilers): Vincent Van Ghoul (an obvious homage to Vincent Price and his character in The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo) is a minor character and actor in many low-budget classic monster movies that Shaggy and Scooby often watch. H.P. Hatecraft, a character based on Lovecraft, who writes novels about "Char Gar Gothakon, the beast which hath no name." Scrappy and Flim-Flam showing up in the first episode... as statues, with Fred remarking that they "never speak of that again." The return of the Hex Girls, including some kickass songs and a risque costume for Daphne.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
If you want to get up quick, I suggest watching the first two and final two episodes of the first season. They go over why the gang is broken up at the start of this one, as well as cover the macguffin they (and the villains) are after. You'll also learn about the original Mystery Incorporated crew, and why they disappeared 20 years ago.
Oh and as a post-script, the show looks awesome in HD. Some of the best of any cartoon I've seen. It's a damned shame there's currently no Blu-ray for the first season, making Amazon Instant Video the only place you can buy the HD goodness.
The series airs weekly on Cartoon Network, however if you can't watch it as it airs episodes will be available on Amazon Instant Video shortly after they hit television. The first 15 episodes are now available here, in HD, on Amazon Instant Video!
The first episode actually debuted on Cartoon Network Video weeks before the show began airing on television, however it appears to be gone now.
The first episode actually debuted on Cartoon Network Video weeks before the show began airing on television, however it appears to be gone now.
- Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated - Official Cartoon Network Site
- The Complete First Season [HD] - Amazon Instant Video
- The Complete Second Season [HD] - Amazon Instant Video
- @MBorkowski (Michael Borkowski) - Former animator on the show
- @ScoobyAddict (ScoobyAddict) - Up-to-date Scooby news
- Scoobypedia
