A 1970s throwback in 2019
If you feel like you’ve seen this before, it’s because you have. Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? is a spiritual successor to the 1972 series The New Scooby-Doo Movies. While most modern reboots try to "deconstruct" the source material or add gritty backstories, this show leans hard into the formula. It’s the ultimate low-stakes background noise.
The animation style is clean and bright, ditching the experimental looks of other recent iterations for something that feels "classic." It’s the kind of show you can put on during a long car ride or a sick day without worrying about a plot-heavy cliffhanger that requires actual attention.
The celebrity guest gamble
The "Guess Who" hook is where the show gets its personality, but it’s a weird mix. You’ll get a modern athlete in one episode and a fictional detective or a comedian your kid has never heard of in the next. For the 5-to-9-year-old demographic, the guest’s identity usually doesn't matter. They just treat the celebrity as a temporary sixth member of the Mystery Inc. gang who happens to have a very specific skillset.
For parents, the guests are the only thing keeping you from zoning out completely. It’s fun to see how the writers shoehorn a celebrity’s persona into a world where a Great Dane talks. But don't expect your kid to suddenly become a fan of classic pop culture just because a legend showed up to help unmask a ghost. The cameos are a bridge for the adults, while the kids are just there for the hijinks.
Choosing your Scooby flavor
If you’re looking at this and thinking it looks a little too "kiddie," you’re right. This series exists to be the safe option. If your kid finds this too repetitive or wants a story that actually goes somewhere, you might want to check is Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated actually for kids. That series is the polar opposite: it has a dark, overarching plot and genuine character development.
Guess Who? is the better choice for the "scaredy-cat" phase. The monsters are never truly threatening, and the logic is always circular. It’s comfort food. If your kid is obsessed with the core mechanics of "clue, chase, unmasking," this is the purest version of that loop available today. It’s not trying to be prestige TV; it’s trying to be a cartoon, and it hits that mark consistently.
