For better or worse, Scooby-Doo's been an everlasting popular culture entity. Within a span of over fifty years, there's been nearly twenty series and over forty films produced about the talking mutt and his team of (usually) teenaged-sleuths.
The infinite relevance of Scooby-Doo was attributed to its characters, villains, music, and spooky atmosphere. While some iterations followed the original series others offered earlier interpretations or even changed the show's format entirely. These programs' reception ranged from favorable to mediocre to downright despised. The lineup of said shows below was based on their IMDB scores.
10 WORST: Shaggy & Scooby Get A Clue (4.5)
After inheriting a massive fortune, Scooby and Shaggy lived the high-life while also battling dastardly crooks. Despite the headliners being the most popular characters from the original series, they weren't enough to compensate for the show's faults.
Some fans were dismissive of Fred, Daphne, and Velma's absence, obnoxious theme song, uninteresting recurring characters, and bland mysteries. The show ran for two seasons.
9 BEST: Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics (7.5)
This show was a welcomed change of pace. The series featured forty-five Hanna-Barbera characters as they competed in their version of the Olympics.
One of the biggest TV crossovers to date, fans were delighted to not only see Scooby but other prominent Hanna-Barbera characters such as Captain Caveman, Muttley, and Yogi Bear. The highlight of the series was seeing these varied individuals interact with each other.
8 WORST: Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! (6.3)
Following the success of Teen Titans Go!, Cartoon Network produced a Scooby-Doo by-product. While the gang still solved mysteries it was more comedic and non-sensical. Some viewers praised the show for its voice acting and sometimes successful jokes.
However, others were turned off by its downgraded animation and character design, Family Guy-esque humor, and Daphne being portrayed as a moron when she has previously proved herself to be capable and intelligent. Despite mixed reviews, the series had fifty-two episodes.
7 BEST: Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (7.6)
Despite lasting one season, fans generally enjoyed this iteration. Unlike The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show, the two title characters had cross-over episodes. While Scooby and the gang solved mysteries, the Blue-Falcon and Dynomutt upheld justice and fought baddies.
The Scooby episodes were similar in format to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Thus it continued the show's hallmark of memorable foes and also had a laugh track.
6 WORST: Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo! (6.4)
Featuring the introductory appearance of the franchise's most controversial character, the cartoon's main cast was Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, and Scooby's nephew Scrappy-Doo. The other mystery incorporated members sporadically appeared.
During its initial run, younger viewers were drawn to the brave and rascally Scrappy-Doo, but others thought he was annoying and missed the frequent involvement of the other mystery crew. At the time, Scooby-Doo's ratings were plummeting and without the resurgence from this show and Scrappy's induction, it's possible Scooby wouldn't continue. Obviously, though, the franchise got over this hump and continued on.
5 BEST: The New Scooby-Doo Movies (7.7)
This was another refreshing change to Scooby's formula. In this show, the gang was joined by celebrities/well-known characters of the time including Sonny and Cher, The Addams Family, and Don Knotts. They were even voiced by their real-life counterparts whilst the Addams were mostly portrayed by their original actors. Fans praised the series for its catchy opening and marvelous guest appearances.
A modern version titled Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? was released in 2019 and had a 7.3 score on IMDb.
4 WORST: The New Scooby And Scrappy-Doo Show (6.5)
Following Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo!, this iteration followed the same formula but added Daphne back into the cast. While some fans were pleased to see her return, others criticized the continued leave of Fred and Velma and Scrappy's irritating presence.
By the second and final season, the show was renamed The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries.
3 BEST: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (7.8)
This is the show that kicked off the Scooby-Doo franchise, though it may not have known it at the time. Despite its cheap budget, the series would become a game-changer for TV animation.
Following its triumphant release, Hanna-Barbera produced over ten duplicate shows including Josie & The Pussycats, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels and Jabberjaw. Fans were (and still are) enamored by the cartoon's cast, opening theme, gallery of monsters, and corny jokes.
2 WORST: The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show (6.5)
Noted for its debut of Richie Rich, the series featured three Richie Rich segments and three Scooby-Doo segments. Richie Rich would run for four seasons and shared its timeslot with three other Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
Except for the show's intro, their worlds never collided. While some appreciated Richie Rich others were disappointed by Scooby's continued dynamic from Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo.
1 BEST: Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (8.0)
This was the first Scooby-Doo TV show iteration of the 2010s. Mystery Incorporated took the Scooby-Doo formula and turned it a linear, story-driven noir. The series also featured a personal look into the lives of the gang and their families, mainly Fred and his family.
Some viewers weren't keen on the show's new angle, dark themes, or pairing of Shaggy and Velma. However, others hailed the series' mythology about Crystal Cove, the fleshed-out characters, and high stakes (people were maimed or even died). These aspects were what made it a worthy adaptation of the original cartoon.