Despite debuting over five decades ago, the Scooby-Doo franchise is expanding once again with Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series in development at Netflix. Premiering in the fall of 1969, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! follows a group of youngsters who drive around in their brightly colored van solving mysteries with their faithful canine sidekick, Scooby-Doo. With its mix of late-'60s pop culture, fun spooky settings, and instantly beloved characters, the Scooby-Doo franchise quickly became one of the most popular children's series of all time and is still going strong today.

The original Scooby-Doo series ran until 1976, but was quickly supplemented by reboots and spinoffs throughout the ensuing decades. Perhaps the most recognizable Hanna-Barbera cartoon of all time, there hasn't been any significant amount of time without a new Scooby-Doo TV series or movie since the character first appeared in 1969. Even the realm of live-action has seen its fair share of Scooby content, and Netflix's newly-announced plan to resurrect the Mystery Inc. gang in live-action is far from the first time. However, with such a large platform, Netflix's Scooby-Doo could be the franchise's first big win of the 2020s.

Scooby-Doo: The Live-Action Series Latest News

Story Details Are Revealed For The Netflix Adaptation

While all the details aren't hashed out yet, it's clear that Netflix's show will reset the canon once again.

Coming nearly a year after the project was announced, the latest news confirms the story details for Netflix's live-action Scooby-Doo series. Coming along with the announcement that the eight-episode series was officially green-lit by the streamer, Netflix reveals that the live-action show will take viewers back to the origins of the Scooby gang. Netflix's VP of Scripted Series, Peter Friedlander, described the show as "opening up a world of groovy adventures for a new era of meddling kids." While all the details aren't hashed out yet, it's clear that Netflix's show will reset the canon once again.

Friedlander, producer Greg Berlanti, and Warner Bros. Television President, Creative Affairs Clancy Collins White issued the following statement about the show:

Peter Friedlander: Mystery, Inc. is back in business! We’re excited to bring Scooby-Doo to TV as a live-action series for the first time. The beloved franchise has had an impact on pop culture that is undeniable — it’s rich with universal themes of friendship that generations of fans have long embraced. Together with creative powerhouses Berlanti Productions and Midnight Radio, we’re committed to delighting longtime fans and opening up a world of groovy adventures for a new era of meddling kids.

Greg Berlanti: One of my first and favorite jobs in Hollywood was sitting with Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera while they signed animation cells. Josh and Scott and everyone at Midnight Radio have crafted a story that captures their amazing spirits and their genius creation. We are grateful to them and everyone at Warners and Netflix for the partnership in helping bring this iteration of Scooby-Doo to life!

Clancy Collins White: We’re thrilled to collaborate with our longstanding partners at Berlanti Productions and with Midnight Radio to bring the legendary Scooby-Doo franchise to a live-action series for the first time. It’s no mystery why audiences continue to love these iconic characters after more than a half century. We’re excited for a new generation to discover Mystery Inc. And we’re grateful to our partners at Netflix for the opportunity.

Scooby-Doo: The Live-Action Series Is Confirmed

The Project Was Announced In April 2024

With the franchise in a weird spot in the first few years of the 2020s, Netflix's move marks another major change as the characters find themselves reinvented over and over again to suit modern tastes

Coming as something of a surprise for long-time fans, Netflix announced their live-action Scooby-Doo series in April 2024. With the franchise in a weird spot in the first few years of the 2020s, Netflix's move marks another major change as the characters find themselves reinvented over and over again to suit modern tastes. Details about Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series are only just beginning to come in a year later, but Riverdale producer Greg Berlanti's Berlanti Productions will oversee the project for Warner Bros. Television.

Netflix formally announced the project in March 2025, and it's clear that the live-action show has taken the next step creatively. However, no production details are known, and it's unclear exactly when the show will begin casting and shooting.

See Related: Netflix President of Games Suggests Kids Aren't Interested in New Game Consoles

Who Is Making Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series?

Riverdale & Cowboy Bebop Creatives Are Involved

None of the cast have been announced, and it isn't clear if any of Scooby-Doo's classic villains will appear, but Netflix's Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series already has a stacked crew behind the scenes. Overseeing the project for Warner Bros. Television will be Riverdale producer Greg Berlanti through Berlanti Productions. The scripts will be penned by the writing duo of Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg who helped create Netflix's divisive Cowboy Bebop live-action series.

Netflix's Cowboy Bebop is based on the eponymous anime series and lasted for 1 season in 2021.

Perhaps most telling about the tone of Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series is the involvement of Berlanti who helped bring the Archie Comics into the modern day with a refreshed approach in Riverdale. It hasn't been revealed yet, but it's assumed that Netflix's Scooby-Doo will be darker in tone than its cartoon predecessors, and Berlanti Productions is no stranger to adapting something for an older audience than it was originally intended.

Scooby-Doo's Live-Action Franchise Explained

Netflix's Adaptation Isn't The First Live-Action Scooby-Doo

The beloved cowardly canine has appeared in a slew of Scooby-Doo TV shows over the years, and nearly every piece of media with the characters has been animated. However, the franchise made its first jump to live-action with the hit 2002 film, Scooby-Doo, and helped spur a renewed interest in the cartoon at the turn of the new millennium. The theatrically released film was followed by a sequel in 2004 but the live-action franchise switched to TV movies with the release of Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins in 2009.

Scooby-Doo's live-action adventures include:

Several more TV movies and straight-to-video films were produced throughout the 2010s, but the scale was much smaller than the earlier blockbusters from 2002 and 2004. With reboots like Velma attempting to take the franchise in a decidedly more adult direction, it's unclear exactly how Netflix's Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series will fit into the half-century-old series. However, the past has clearly shown that live-action is a viable medium for the Scooby-Doo characters if done correctly.

Scooby-Doo: The Live-Action Series Story Details

A Prequel That Explores The Origins Of The Scooby Gang

Though story details concerning the live-action Scooby-Doo series were scant for the better part of a year, Netflix has finally revealed crucial plot information. Unsurprisingly, the show will be a prequel that takes things back to the origins of Mystery Inc. and explores how the youngsters, and their great dane pal, came to become such a tight-knit group of sleuths. However, the official synopsis also seems to suggest that the show will be slightly darker in tone than the usual Scooby-Doo fare.

Read the official synopsis here:

During their final summer at camp, old friends Shaggy and Daphne get embroiled in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely lost Great Dane puppy that may have been a witness to a supernatural murder. Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie, Velma, and the strange, but ever so handsome new kid, Freddy, they set out to solve the case that is pulling each of them into a creepy nightmare that threatens to expose all of their secrets.

With a murder at the heart of the story, it's clear that Scooby-Doo: The Live-Action Series is closer to Greg Berlanti's Riverdale than to the more kid-friendly installments in the long-running franchise. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and it offers an opportunity to modernize the series without totally abandoning and alienating many fans. If handled deftly, the live-action series could begin a great new chapter in Scooby's illustrious history.