Scooby-Doo, Where Are You Now! is a 2021 special that aired on The CW in October 2021, commemorating the 52nd anniversary of the Scooby-Doo franchise.
In the special, the Mystery Inc. gang visits the Warner Bros. studio to record a reunion special with Janel Parrish, but an old foe returns to threaten the production. In between the storyline, we get interviews with various professionals about the history and legacy of the series.
This special includes examples of:
- Animated Actors: The Mystery Inc. team are portrayed as simply actors who share everything with their characters.
- The Cameo:
- Jabberjaw and the Great Gazoo appear in a reel of screen tests for the show.
- Daphne and Fred run into Captain Caveman on the studio lot.
- To lure out the Snow Ghost for the inevitable trap, Shaggy and Scooby dress as Drooper and Bingo.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The actress interviewed about being cut from the pilot episode turns out to be the monster.
- Deleted Role: In-Universe. One of the interviewees is an actress who played the mechanic for the Mystery Machine in the pilot episode but was left out of the final cut.
- Hypocritical Humor: Shaggy complains about he and Scooby being typecast as cowards mere moments before the two are frightened by the Snow Ghost.
- Laugh Track: It wouldn't be Scooby, without this traditional trope.
- Mythology Gag:
- The monster scaring people around the studio is the Snow Ghost from the "That's Snow Ghost" episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!.
- The theme of Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo plays in the beginning and then during the Scooby-Dooby Doors chase.
- "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" plays in the end during the dance party.
- The special celebrates the franchise's 52nd anniversary. The three Scooby-Doo series which had run just before (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, and Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?) each ran for exactly 52 episodes.
- Noodle Incident: Apparently, Scooby has illegitimate children we never get to meet.
- Roger Rabbit Effect: Mystery Inc. are animated characters walking around the real Warner Bros. studio lot and interacting with live actors.
- Scooby-Dooby Doors: Done when the Snow Ghost chases Shaggy and Scooby around the prop department.
- Stock Footage:
- The messages from Batman, Jonny Quest, Speed Buggy, and others are recycled from existing footage.
- Parodied when Shaggy and Scooby walk through the backlot and the live background repeats as it would in the cartoon.
- Take That!: When Scrappy-Doo is brought up, everyone groans.Daphne: More like Scrappy-Don't!
- Toilet Humor: Shaggy and Scooby are dressed as Drooper and Bingo posing as bait for the Snow Ghost. Velma tells Scooby not to pee in the costume.
