There is no shortage of Scooby-Doo shows and movies to enjoy. Given that the franchise is over 50 years old, it makes sense. Despite that, there are still plenty of shows and movies that can be overlooked, including The New Scooby-Doo Movies.
For some background, The New Scooby-Doo Movies premiered in 1972 and, surprisingly, only ran for one year until 1973. During that time, the show produced 2 seasons, with season 1 airing 16 episodes while season 2 only aired 8 episodes. Sounds like a pretty weird schedule, but it's what they had.
If you haven't watched the show before, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Velma, and Daphne all meet their special guest, aka a celebrity who is starring in the episode. For the most part, the show featured real celebrities, but some of the guests were other cartoon characters. Even so, the episodes were incredibly entertaining.
We'll talk about some of the guests in a second, but The New Scooby-Doo Movies hit that sweet spot by being longer than a regular episode but not as long as a movie. It's perfect to put on and watch while enjoying your time off or while getting ready to take a nap. This is a show I watched and loved as a kid, so I remember watching it and sometimes napping on and off during it.
The New Scooby-Doo Movies is a show worth revisiting.
Since this was a show I liked so much as a kid, I decided to rewatch some of the episodes, and what a treat it was. The show was funny, over-the-top, and just plain bonkers. However, it made the series all the more entertaining. In particular, one of my favorite episodes was season 1's "A Good Medium is Rare," which had Phyllis Diller guest-starring. She was already so funny, but add in the Scooby gang, and it was even better.
However, Phyllis Diller wasn't the only big name to be featured on the show. Some of the other famous guest stars included Sonny and Cher, The Harlem Globetrotters, Don Knotts, Cass Elliot and Dick Van Dyke. In addition to the celebrities, some cartoon characters appeared, including Josie and the Pussycats, Speed Buggy, The Addams Family, and Batman and Robin. As you can see, there were stars left and right on the show.
Even though the series only ran for two seasons, the episodes are so fun and easy to get into that they're worth watching over a weekend. Honestly, if you want a dose of nostalgia, The New Scooby-Doo Movies will give you that. Thankfully, this is one of the shows still available to stream on Max, so if you have Max, then make sure to revisit The New Scooby-Doo Movies.