Every Scooby-Doo Series Ranked By Their IMDb Score
Who doesn't love "Scooby-Doo?" One of the world's most famous talking dogs, Scooby has made a massive impact on popular culture and become a fan favorite across the globe, going strong as a paragon of hunting ghosts and eating snacks ever since his debut on CBS in 1969. With 13 different television shows, three theatrical films, countless direct-to-video movies, and various comic books and video games, there's enough "Scooby-Doo" content for everyone. As the "Scooby-Doo" franchise evolved over the years, plenty of different animation styles, plotlines, characters, and mysteries came along to help make each iteration just as unique and interesting as the last. While the usual "Scooby-Doo" formula generally remains intact, many of these "Scooby" shows look and feel different from one another.
Here, we've ranked every "Scooby-Doo" series – not counting crossovers or Saturday morning cartoon blocks — by their IMDb scores to create a better picture of which "Scooby-Doo" series is the most loved of the bunch.
13. Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! (2006-2008)
According to IMDb's 4.4 rating, "Shaggy & Scooby-Doo, Get a Clue!" is the worst "Scooby-Doo" series out there. While it's certainly a departure from the traditional series format, it's not nearly as bad as you might think. Sure, the animation style is a bit strange, and the lack of Fred Jones, Velma Dinkley, and Daphne Blake is unfortunate, even if they do show up every once in a while. Nevertheless, there are some pretty fun additions to the "Scooby" story here. In "Shaggy & Scooby-Doo," Shaggy's wealthy Uncle Albert goes missing, leaving his fortune, robot butler, and the secret formula for Scooby Snacks to his nephew Shaggy Rogers, which sends Shaggy and Scoob on a strange adventure of their own. Before they know it, this dynamic duo find themselves on a mission to save the world from the evil mad scientist Dr. Phibes.
In this iteration of "Scooby-Doo," each Scooby Snack gives Scooby a different, limited-time superpower, which could irk traditionalist fans of the franchise. But since Scooby and the gang have been around doing more or less the same thing for so long, it's nice to shake it up every once in a while. Plus, the series has a super-catchy theme song that'll easily get stuck in your head "all day long."
12. Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979-1983)
Oddly enough, there are two "Scooby" shows named "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo." While these two series have entirely different formats and main characters, they've often been considered a single series, including by IMDb which gives two series a single 6.3 rating.
The original 1979 version continues the traditional half-hour "Scooby-Doo" format with the introduction of Scrappy-Doo to the Mystery Inc. gang that already includes Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby. Over the course of these 16 episodes, Fred, Daphne, and Velma are phased out, leading to the following series of the same name.
The 1980 "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo" show switches up the format, opting for 12-minute mini-episodes that follow Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy as they travel around and stumble upon random mysteries, often with real paranormal twists, that need solving. Many of these episodes played during "The Ri¢hie Ri¢h/Scooby-Doo Show" programming block (which also has a 6.3 on IMDb) during its first and second season, and on "The Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Puppy Hour" (which has a 6.6 on IMDb) during the third. While Fred, Daphne, and Velma show up on rare occasions, this marked the beginning of an era where Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy were the franchise's only regular characters. This trend encompasses a series of television movies including "Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers," "Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School," and "Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf."
11. The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show (1983-1985)
In an effort to return to the old "Scooby-Doo" format, "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo" was relaunched and rebranded as "The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show" which brings Daphne back into the fold to help Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy solve paranormal mysteries across the country. With a 6.4 on IMDb, fans seem to like this one a bit better than its trio-centered predecessor, as the return of Daphne makes each episode a bit more interesting and her comparatively grounded personality helps balance Scrappy-Doo's hyperactivity more effectively than Shaggy and Scooby manage on their own. This series truly paves the way for the future of "Scooby-Doo," establishing a brief but memorable era when Scooby, Shaggy, and Daphne were the primary characters in "Scooby-Doo" cartoons.
What makes "The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show" unique is Daphne's new job as a reporter. Recruiting Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy specifically to help her document and solve some supernatural mysteries, Daphne becomes the bedrock for this incarnation of the show. Meanwhile, "Scooby-Doo" media began phasing Scrappy-Doo out as of "The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show." This couldn't come soon enough for some folks, as many fans couldn't stand Scrappy and hoped he'd go away even sooner. Happily, Fred and Velma eventually return in this series, though not in the first season.
10. Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! (2015-2018)
Following the tradition of some of the more modern cartoons that have graced the Cartoon Network screens, "Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!" is one of those shows that leans more heavily into the slapstick comedy than the spooky nature of the adventures the Mystery Inc. gang is typically known for. While not everybody was enthusiastic about the modern, vaguely "Family Guy"-ish redesigns of the characters, "Be Cool" is still a fun series that strips "Scooby-Doo" to its basics while still striving to keep things fresh.
Riding off the heels of "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," "Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!" ditches the overarching mystery and the relationship drama in exchange for a somewhat more meta version of the classic "Scooby" story, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. There are plenty of must-watch episodes of "Be Cool" for sure, including an adaptation of the classic "Scooby" episode "A Night of Fright Is No Delight." If you love "Scooby-Doo" and can get past the character designs, be sure to add this Boomerang series to your list.
9. A Pup Named Scooby-Doo (1988-1991)
The only "Scooby-Doo" show to hit a fourth season, "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" is obviously influenced by the baby-fication trend in animation that existed in the late 1980s through the early 1990s. It's weird that "Tiny Toons Adventures," "Muppet Babies," and "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" all exist, but this series is actually really great. With a 6.7 rating on IMDb, "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" is a Saturday morning classic that always entertains. Following the very young members of the Scooby-Doo Detective Agency as they solve the strange happenings around their town of Coolsville, these short episodes are loads of fun for all ages and bring the original "Scooby" gang back together, mercifully without Scrappy-Doo. This is one of the only "Scooby" shows where Frank Welker doesn't provide the voice of Fred Jones.
But probably one of the funniest parts of "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" is the inclusion of a brand-new character named Red Herring. Yes, just like the idiom, Red Herring is often the initial suspect — at least, he's always accused by Fred — only to be proven innocent by the end of the story. Well, except for the one time he actually does turn out to be the monster, but one time out of 27 episodes don't make for especially good odds. No doubt "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" is one of the strangest additions to the "Scooby-Doo" mythos, but it keeps everything we love about "Scooby" intact while also doing something completely different.
8. The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries (1984)
There's some ambiguity as to whether "The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries" counts as the second season of "The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show" or a whole new series. IMDb lands on categorizing "The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries" as its own thing. Whatever the case, its 7.2 rating indicates that a sizable fraction of "Scooby" fans like it better than the iteration of "Scooby-Doo" that was on the air in 1983. With a new "Thriller"-inspired theme song — they even do a version of Michael Jackson's dance in the mind-bending intro — the classic Mystery Inc. lineup is back in action. Of course, even though he was dropped from the title, Scrappy is still around, but Fred and Velma also return to the series after their few years away.
There are some pretty strange mysteries that occur on "The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries," including cases involving the ghosts of Sherlock Holmes and the most famous U.S. presidents, a villain called the Red Skull (not associated with the Marvel villain of the same name), and even Count Dracula himself. These 13 episodes are loads of fun and bring "Scooby-Doo" back to its former status quo in a very positive way, especially in the episodes where Fred and Velma return to help our heroes. "The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries" might be a short blip in the overall canon, it's still an exciting batch of episodes that feel very "Scooby-Doo."
7. What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002-2006)
Hoping to modernize the standard formula perfected by "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" and it's immediate sequels, "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" also holds a 7.2 rating on IMDb, and there's a good reason why. With an amazing theme song by Simple Plan, and the core Mystery Inc. team back together again, "What's New" sees Scooby and the gang solving exciting mysteries around the world in the same vein as the original "Scooby-Doo." After almost a decade away from the character, the original Shaggy voice actor Casey Kasem returned to the role, though it would be the last time he'd voice Shaggy before his death. Live-action "Scooby-Doo" actor Matthew Lillard has voiced Shaggy in most of his subsequent appearances.
"What's New, Scooby-Doo?" – which was the first new "Scooby" series in nearly a decade — ran for three seasons and 42 episodes and it had a lasting impact on the greater "Scooby-Doo" canon, especially the direct-to-video movies that initially sparked the series. The "What's New" character designs remained the franchise standard until the 2010s. "What's New" was also originally the longest-running "Scooby" series, only to be overshadowed two incarnations later by "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," a semi-franchise reboot. Like most versions of "Scooby-Doo," there's a lot to love about "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" Possibly its best aspect is how close to the original "Scooby" format it gets, albeit with some modern updates.
6. The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985-1986)
With a 7.3 on IMDb, "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo" is one of the strangest and most interesting versions of the "Scooby" story you'll ever see. Featuring real demons, ghosts, and sorcerers, "13 Ghosts" is a pretty unique show that's become a cult classic among "Scooby" fans. A mini-series that lasts a fitting 13 episodes, "13 Ghosts" follows Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Daphne, Scrappy, and their new pal Flim Flam as they travel the globe hoping to track down and capture 13 ghosts that Scooby accidently released from a mythic Chest of Demons. Aided by the warlock Vincent Van Ghoul — voiced and inspired by horror icon Vincent Price — Scooby and company capture most of the ghosts by the time the series ends. The gang doesn't capture all the ghosts during this show's run, but a 2019 direct-to-video movie continuation, "Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost" finishes out the "13 Ghosts" saga in 2019, this time with Fred and Velma included.
5. Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (2019-2021)
Bringing the franchise back to its classic character designs and incorporating one an interesting formula, "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?" is something of a spiritual sequel to "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" from the early 1970s. Just like the retro movies, each episode sees Scooby and the gang team up with a new guest star, often a real-life celebrity or an iconic fictional character, who can help them solve their latest mystery. These guest stars range from imaginary adventurers like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Sherlock Holmes, to performers like Sean Astin, Morgan Freeman, and "Weird Al" Yankovic.
Holding a 7.3 on IMDb, "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?" will keep you, um, guessing as to who's going to show up next. As the Mystery Inc. gang travel across the globe, they encounter more danger, more excitement, and more celebrity friends. As a tribute to one of the greatest "Scooby" shows from the '70s, "Guess Who?" is an excellent addition to Boomerang's ever-growing collection of "Scooby-Doo" media and a fun series to sit down and binge. Who would've ever thought that Scooby and the gang would team up with The Flash?
4. The Scooby-Doo Show (1976-1978)
A strange outlier in the "Scooby-Doo" canon, but one with significant impact and acclaim, is "The Scooby-Doo Show" which was released under various names and banners throughout its three-season and 40-episode run. This series continues the format of the original "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" series and does a lot of world building for the franchise. For example, it introduces lesser-known characters like Scooby-Dum. With an IMDb rating of 7.6 under the banner of "The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour," "The Scooby-Doo Show" is still relevant to this day as the source of monsters that made their way into the 21st century through movies like "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" and "Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase."
As stated before, "The Scooby-Doo Show" is an odd one because every season was promoted and released differently. The first season was a part of "The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour," while Season 2 was released as a part of "Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics" (which holds a 7.4 on IMDb). The first half of the third and final season was retroactively released as a revival of the original "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" cartoon, making it the "official" third season of that series as well, while the second half of Season 3 went back under the "Scooby's All Stars" banner. For a series that was promoted and released in such a convoluted manner, it's a wonder that "The Scooby-Doo Show" is nevertheless as beloved as it is today.
3. The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972-1973)
The original "Scooby-Doo" sequel show, "The New Scooby-Doo Movies," contrary to what the title would lead you to believe, aren't actually movies. In fact, "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" are a 24-episode series that happens to be the final "Scooby" program to air on CBS. Each new episode of "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" features a celebrity guest who helps Mystery Inc. solve their latest mystery. As the gang travel across the country, they meet more and more famous guest stars who turn out to be pretty good detectives themselves. If it's not obvious, this concept carries on with "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?" produced decades later.
Holding an IMDb rating of 7.6, "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" is still one of the most favored and rewatched "Scooby" shows out there. Luckily, there are plenty of mysteries to go around for heroic guests like Batman and Robin, sports superstars like the Harlem Globetrotters, and others like the Three Stooges, the Addams Family, Don Knotts, Sonny and Cher, and even Dick Van Dyke. Who doesn't love a great Scooby-Doo team-up, anyhow? In fact, "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" would be so popular that besides its spiritual sequel "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?" this same format would be reused countless times, including on "Batman: The Brave and the Bold," and in various direct-to-video movies.
2. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969-1970, 1978)
The original — and some would argue, still the very best — "Scooby-Doo" series, "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" is one of the greatest cartoons to ever air on Saturday mornings or any other time. Not only are all five members of the classic Mystery Inc. lineup here, but "Where Are You!" also features some of the most memorable monsters in the history of family-friendly animation — from The Creeper and the Snow Ghost to the Black Knight and the classic Swamp Witch, there are plenty of familiar spooky faces in this incarnation that still come back in "Scooby-Doo" tales of today. In fact, "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" was so popular that the series was revived in 1978 for a third season with new episodes broadcasted under the "Where Are You!" name, though these episodes are also considered part of "The Scooby-Doo Show."
With an IMDb score of 7.9, it's a genuine wonder that "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" doesn't rank higher. With incredible chase sequences, spooky monsters, and well-written mysteries, "Where Are You!" is Scooby at the top of his game. This isn't even mentioning the cultural impact of the original series, which sparked an entire cartoon genre of teens with talking animals solving mysteries. Though, at the end of the day, no matter how hard Hanna-Barbera tried, there was no replicating "Scooby-Doo." The chemistry between Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo took on a life of its own.
1. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013)
Easily one of the best cartoons of the 21st century, "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" is the best incarnation of the "Scooby" mythos since "Where Are You!" by a mile. With an IMDb rating of 8.1, many "Scooby" fans agree that there's a lot more to "Mystery Incorporated" than meets the eye. The first "Scooby" series with its own unique overarching mystery, "Mystery Incorporated" seamlessly blends the traditional monster-of-the-week mystery with a series-long investigation that combines all the staple elements of "Scooby-Doo" together. What's especially interesting is the deeper development we get from our main characters, with interpersonal relationships and conflicts between the gang that round them out a bit more than your average "Scooby" series.
Set in the spooky town of Crystal Cove, the show features these teenage sleuths getting into a lot more trouble than they'd probably like, but it's all for a good cause. Unable to stop themselves from solving mysteries, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo all do their absolute best to save their town on a consistent basis, all while navigating their own lives and potential futures. "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated" is a series that genuinely honors all the "Scooby-Doo" history that came before while unraveling a new and exciting mystery that takes some pretty crazy turns. If you're looking for an edge-of-your-seat "Scooby-Doo" series, then "Mystery Incorporated" is it.