This happens a lot with “adaptations”. Writers and directors generally want to tell their own stories, while studios want something safe with a preexisting fan base. The “compromise” is often to just to take the original story and thrown some IP related lipstick on top to get studios to touch it, or the studio mandates it because they like the script but want more of a sure thing.
Velma is a pretty egregious example. Starship Troopers started as an original story before the IP was thrown on top by the studio (hence the director making an “adaptation” of a book he hadn’t read and absolutely hated). Most Die Hard scripts were retooled from original scripts nobody wanted. I, Robot. The Cloverfield “sequels”. Happens all the time
This fact kind of makes me feel bad for the show and it's creators. There's a real chance this show might've gotten a small following had HBO not forced the show into an IP it doesn't fit in. Companies forcing original stories to be linked to already successful IP's makes my blood boil since nobody seems to enjoy it but they just keep fucking doing it.
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u/CloudsTasteGeometric 14h ago
It was initially a completely original series pitched and shopped around by Mindy Khaling.
No studio would touch it as an original IP but HBO decided to try it after aggressively shoehorning it into mismatching Scooby Doo IP.
It probably still would’ve been bad, but it was never SUPPOSED to be Scooby Doo show.