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** Replacing a drug addict's stash with placebos is [[GoingColdTurkey incredibly dangerous for their health]] under the best of circumstances, never mind the massive amounts of different substances Esther is supposedly dependent on. The fact that she seems perfectly healthy after being forced to go cold turkey for a whole day without warning is a sign she's not just got superhuman tolerance but superhuman recovery.
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* DrugsAreBad: The eventual {{Aesop}}, although not nearly as {{Anvilicious}} of one as usual given that Esther's "drug problem" is exaggerated way, way beyond any realistic scenario, her reasons for being on drugs are expressed much more sympathetically than usual, and even after her epiphany at the end it's implied she's not going to give them up cold turkey overnight.
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* CharacterDevelopment: The whole theme of the show. All of the Solve-It Squad members have been wildly altered since their idyllic childhoods to the point where fans would likely be screaming CharacterDerailment if there actually were an original Solve-It Squad show; everyone TookALevelInJerkass over the past twenty years, with lovable goofball Scrags becoming an uptight, embittered FBI agent, bundle of sunshine ChildProdigy Esther becoming a GeniusBurnout AddledAddict, adorable {{Ingenue}} Gwen becoming an openly materialistic and selfish WhiteDwarfStarlet, and lovable ButtMonkey Keith being... [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers exactly the same guy he was when he was a teenager]], which is somehow [[{{Manchild}} saddest of all]]. The show is about unpacking how and why this happened and how they can start to forgive each other for it.
** [[spoiler: It turns out {{Manchild}} Keith actually had the most CharacterDevelopment of all, as the one who {{Mastermind}}ed this whole plot behind a mask of ObfuscatingStupidity -- and, most surprisingly, his ultimate reason for doing so was an [[PetTheDog altruistic]] one. Even though he and Scrags never got along and Scrags and Cluebert obviously held him in contempt, he felt the duty to help Scrags make peace with Cluebert's death.]]
** [[spoiler: It turns out {{Manchild}} Keith actually had the most CharacterDevelopment of all, as the one who {{Mastermind}}ed this whole plot behind a mask of ObfuscatingStupidity -- and, most surprisingly, his ultimate reason for doing so was an [[PetTheDog altruistic]] one. Even though he and Scrags never got along and Scrags and Cluebert obviously held him in contempt, he felt the duty to help Scrags make peace with Cluebert's death.]]
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* TheCaseOf: The Solve-It Squad's past cases apparently all had cheesy titles like this; the ones we hear of are "The Case of the Hairless Werewolf", "The Case of the Witch in the Wings", "The Case of the Fast-Food Ghoul", "The Case of the Swim-Meet Swamp Thing", and "[[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers The Case of the Demonic Apostle]]". (We see the them solve the first two of these -- and [[MyGreatestFailure their total failure to solve the last one]] -- in the OpeningChorus.)
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* TheCaseOf: The Solve-It Squad's past cases apparently all had cheesy titles like this; the ones we hear of are "The Case of the Hairless Werewolf", "The Case of the Witch in the Wings", "The Case of the Fast-Food Ghoul", "The Case of the Swim-Meet Swamp Thing", and "[[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers The Case of the Demonic Apostle]]". (We see the them solve solving the first two of these -- and [[MyGreatestFailure their total failure to solve the last one]] -- in the OpeningChorus.)
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* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: Obviously everything about Esther's drug consumption is DontTryThisAtHome, but the stated amount of diazepam (Valium) she takes goes beyond her being an addict with a hardened tolerance to her being some kind of ''superhuman''. (Valium is one of the drugs it's difficult to actually kill yourself with, but the normal dose is 20 mg per day and she takes ''15,000''.)
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* HellHotel: The Mayberry Gardens Hotel and Spa is one, thanks to the nasty reputation it got due to the Demonic Apostle attacks that broke up the Solve-It Squad twenty years ago and have recently started up again. It seems like it's been reduced from its former glory to a seedy NoTellMotel as a result, leading Esther to speculate its current owner/manager might be behind the new Demonic Apostle attacks to try to commit insurance fraud and free herself from her financial obligations.
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* HellHotel: The Mayberry Gardens Hotel Motel and Spa is one, thanks to the nasty reputation it got due to the Demonic Apostle attacks that broke up the Solve-It Squad twenty years ago and have recently started up again. It seems like it's been reduced from its former glory to a seedy NoTellMotel as a result, leading Esther to speculate its current owner/manager might be behind the new Demonic Apostle attacks to try to commit insurance fraud and free herself from her financial obligations.
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* InsideJob: The most obvious possibility for the identity of the Demonic Apostle is that it's one of the staff (or the owner) of the Mayberry Gardens Hotel and Spa trying to sabotage the business for some reason. [[spoiler: It turns out this was the motive of the original Demonic Apostle 20 years ago -- Camille's uncle -- and that one of the two people playing the current Demonic Apostle is the concierge, Ricky, but the true mastermind of the copycat Demonic Apostle is ''Keith''. It's an InsideJob on the Solve-It Squad itself!]]
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* InsideJob: The most obvious possibility for the identity of the Demonic Apostle is that it's one of the staff (or the owner) of the Mayberry Gardens Hotel Motel and Spa trying to sabotage the business for some reason. [[spoiler: It turns out this was the motive of the original Demonic Apostle 20 years ago -- Camille's uncle -- and that one of the two people playing the current Demonic Apostle is the concierge, Ricky, but the true mastermind of the copycat Demonic Apostle is ''Keith''. It's an InsideJob on the Solve-It Squad itself!]]
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* ArtisticLicenseLaw: Murder, in and of itself, is not a federal crime (unless state lines were crossed in the process or it took place on a body of water), and therefore not under the FBI's jurisdiction. A state or local police force can ask for the FBI's assistance in a murder investigation, but the FBI agents would be working with the local cops rather than taking ownership of the case the way Scrags does. And that's before we get into the fact that [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman killing Cluebert is, technically, not murder, since he's a dog]].
** One of the circumstances in which murder ''does'' automatically become a federal crime is if the murder is of a law enforcement officer, which leads into hilarious WildMassGuessing that in this universe the Solve-It Squad were somehow deputized as police officers (despite being [[KidDetective minors]]), having the same vague jurisdiction to investigate supernatural-seeming crimes that Mystery, Inc. did.
** One of the circumstances in which murder ''does'' automatically become a federal crime is if the murder is of a law enforcement officer, which leads into hilarious WildMassGuessing that in this universe the Solve-It Squad were somehow deputized as police officers (despite being [[KidDetective minors]]), having the same vague jurisdiction to investigate supernatural-seeming crimes that Mystery, Inc. did.
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* DeconReconSwitch: The show starts with portraying the Solve-It Squad as a bunch of {{Failure Hero}}es and a DysfunctionJunction whose lives have been ruined by their petty personal issues -- and then shows them remembering [[ThePowerOfFriendship how much they actually do care about each other underneath it all]], finding out they're the ones who know how to take care of each other best in their own messed-up way, and coming back together as a team.
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* SpotlightStealingSquad: Cluebert was this for the Solve-It Squad, much like Scooby-Doo was in his [[CharacterTitle titular franchise]]. Part of the {{Deconstruction}} is revealing that this actually did make the rest of the squad feel bad, especially Keith, who was unceremoniously displaced as TheLeader by a talking dog, and part of their coming back together after Cluebert's death was learning that [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre all of them matter as part of the team]].
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* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Part of the confusion of doing a parody of a FunnyAnimal cartoon in a more realistic setting. Cluebert is obviously sapient, can speak, and is a famous celebrity -- but Scrags is still his "owner", and Scrags' boss talks about his death like it's the death of any other animal. This gets extra weird with the implication that, despite this, the FBI is treating Cluebert's death as a "murder". [[spoiler: Even though it turns out the Demonic Apostle killed Cluebert and not one of the other Squad members because [[FantasticRacism Cluebert was only a dog and not a human]].]]
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* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Like the original Mystery, Inc., but with each of their character flaws wildly increased after twenty years of trying and failing to adapt to adult life, they're this to the point of DysfunctionJunction. The show ends with a surprisingly heartwarming and sincere {{Aesop}} about this trope:
-->'''Keith''': [[IJustWantToHaveFriends I just wanted to be part of the group.]]
-->'''Scrags''': It's funny, I -- I always thought I was the outsider.
-->'''Esther''': Me too, actually.
-->'''Gwen''': Aw, guys, I'm gonna cry! Me too! ''(disbelieving stares)'' Seriously!
-->'''Scrags''': Oh, come on, Gwen, you were so popular!
-->'''Gwen''': [[UnpopularPopularCharacter Oh, like popular people don't have feelings?]]
-->'''Esther''': Man, it's weird! It's like... [[LonelyAmongPeople It's like none of us ever felt like we were part of the thing that brought us together!]]
-->'''Scrags''': And even weirder, we didn't even realize it until we were apart!
-->'''Keith''': [[IJustWantToHaveFriends I just wanted to be part of the group.]]
-->'''Scrags''': It's funny, I -- I always thought I was the outsider.
-->'''Esther''': Me too, actually.
-->'''Gwen''': Aw, guys, I'm gonna cry! Me too! ''(disbelieving stares)'' Seriously!
-->'''Scrags''': Oh, come on, Gwen, you were so popular!
-->'''Gwen''': [[UnpopularPopularCharacter Oh, like popular people don't have feelings?]]
-->'''Esther''': Man, it's weird! It's like... [[LonelyAmongPeople It's like none of us ever felt like we were part of the thing that brought us together!]]
-->'''Scrags''': And even weirder, we didn't even realize it until we were apart!
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** Keith's actual role on the team is TheBigGuy, although much like Scooby-Doo, the degree to which he TookALevelInDumbass means he's not actually very good at this role. (Ironically, in the way they interact, Keith and Cluebert are almost like Fred and Scooby switched, with Cluebert being more of a confident leader bordering on TheBully and Keith being a seemingly useless goofball who surprisingly turns out to be TheHeart of the team.)
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** Keith's actual role on the team is TheBigGuy, although much like Scooby-Doo, the degree to which he TookALevelInDumbass means he's not actually very good at this role. (Ironically, in the way they interact, Keith and Cluebert are almost like Fred and Scooby switched, with Cluebert being more of a confident leader bordering on TheBully and Keith being a seemingly [[TheLoad useless goofball goofball]] who surprisingly turns out to be TheHeart of the team.)
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* AlliterativeName: The Solve-It Squad. All of the proposed new names in the ending also follow the pattern ("The Bust-It Band", "Cluebert's Conundrum Crew", "The Puzzle Posse").
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* MeaningfulRename: A meaningful ''un''-rename. Keith proposes that with the team reforming as adults they should rebrand, especially since [[SocialMediaBeforeReason he lost control of their Twitter handle]], but Scrags shuts that down right away.
-->'''Scrags''': We are, and have always been, the Solve-It Squad.
-->'''Scrags''': We are, and have always been, the Solve-It Squad.
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* CastOfExpies: All of the main characters are, of course, an {{Expy}} of a member of Mystery, Inc. Keith is Fred, Gwen is Daphne, Esther is Velma, Scrags is Shaggy, and Cluebert is Scooby-Doo. Unlike Mystery, Inc.'s Mystery Machine, the Solve-It Squad's SignatureTeamTransport is just called "the van", although Keith proposes renaming the team "The Puzzle Posse" so he can call the van "[[IncrediblyLamePun the Posse Wagon]]".
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* FiveManBand: Like the original Mystery, Inc., although this time the roles are a bit mixed up:
** Keith ''thinks'' he's TheLeader, but this role probably actually goes to Cluebert (in much the same way that Fred has been [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]] into a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} and TheMillstone in more recent versions of Scooby-Doo).
** Scrags is TheLancer to Cluebert.
** Gwen is still the Chick.
** Esther is still TheSmartGirl, now taken UpToEleven where she could basically do the Solve-It Squad's job by herself (if not for her [[BlindWithoutEm one crippling weakness]], now increased to ''two'' crippling weaknesses with the [[AddledAddict drug addiction]]).
** Keith's actual role on the team is TheBigGuy, although much like Scooby-Doo, the degree to which he TookALevelInDumbass means he's not actually very good at this role. (Ironically, in the way they interact, Keith and Cluebert are almost like Fred and Scooby switched, with Cluebert being more of a confident leader bordering on TheBully and Keith being a seemingly useless goofball who surprisingly turns out to be TheHeart of the team.)
** Keith ''thinks'' he's TheLeader, but this role probably actually goes to Cluebert (in much the same way that Fred has been [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]] into a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} and TheMillstone in more recent versions of Scooby-Doo).
** Scrags is TheLancer to Cluebert.
** Gwen is still the Chick.
** Esther is still TheSmartGirl, now taken UpToEleven where she could basically do the Solve-It Squad's job by herself (if not for her [[BlindWithoutEm one crippling weakness]], now increased to ''two'' crippling weaknesses with the [[AddledAddict drug addiction]]).
** Keith's actual role on the team is TheBigGuy, although much like Scooby-Doo, the degree to which he TookALevelInDumbass means he's not actually very good at this role. (Ironically, in the way they interact, Keith and Cluebert are almost like Fred and Scooby switched, with Cluebert being more of a confident leader bordering on TheBully and Keith being a seemingly useless goofball who surprisingly turns out to be TheHeart of the team.)
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* {{Squick}}: The glorious moment when we find out what the Gas Station Attendant found so horrifying about his stay at the Mayberry Gardens Hotel and Spa.
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': There was just so much, so much...
-->'''Scrags''': What?
-->'''Esther''': Pain?
-->'''Gwen''': Blood?
-->'''Scrags''': Death?
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': [[ScreamingAtSquick JIIIIIIIIIZZ!]]
-->'''Esther''': Well, that was my next guess.
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': All over the sheets. Just caked in semen, you hear?!
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': There was just so much, so much...
-->'''Scrags''': What?
-->'''Esther''': Pain?
-->'''Gwen''': Blood?
-->'''Scrags''': Death?
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': [[ScreamingAtSquick JIIIIIIIIIZZ!]]
-->'''Esther''': Well, that was my next guess.
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': All over the sheets. Just caked in semen, you hear?!
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* HollywoodSatanism: The Demonic Apostle was a serial killer and satanic cultist who went around in a horrifying devil mask and practiced ritual [[OfferingToTheGods animal sacrifice]] in order to cast BlackMagic. [[spoiler: Subverted. As with all the other villains, the Demonic Apostle was just a scammer using this trope to try to intimidate people and scare them away from a business he wanted to acquire; he was just the only one who went too far and actually killed a person -- [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman well, a dog]].]]
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* HollywoodSatanism: The Demonic Apostle was a serial killer and satanic cultist who went around in a horrifying devil mask and practiced ritual [[OfferingToTheGods [[OfferingsToTheGods animal sacrifice]] in order to cast BlackMagic. [[spoiler: Subverted. As with all the other villains, the Demonic Apostle was just a scammer using this trope to try to intimidate people and scare them away from a business he wanted to acquire; he was just the only one who went too far and actually killed a person -- [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman well, a dog]].]]
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* BreakingTheFellowship: Cluebert's death when the Solve-It Squad were in high school marked the end of not just their crimefighting careers but their friendship; after the TimeSkip Scrags reveals they haven't even spoken to each other in twenty years. The rest of the show is about Scrags PuttingTheBandBackTogether.
* CollectiveIdentity: [[spoiler: The solution to the mystery turns out to be that there's more than one Demonic Apostle. In fact, there's ''three'' -- the original Demonic Apostle from the '90s who died a while ago, Keith, who decided to adopt the Apostle's identity as a hoax to get the Solve-It Squad back together, and Ricky, whom Keith paid off to dress up as the Apostle to maintain the deception while Keith was with the rest of the Squad.]]
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* InsideJob: The most obvious possibility for the identity of the Demonic Apostle is that it's one of the staff (or the owner) of the Mayberry Garden Hotel & Spa trying to sabotage the business for some reason. [[spoiler: It turns out this was the motive of the original Demonic Apostle 20 years ago -- Camille's uncle -- and that one of the two people playing the current Demonic Apostle is the concierge, Ricky, but the true mastermind of the copycat Demonic Apostle is ''Keith''. It's an InsideJob on the Solve-It Squad itself!]]
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* HellHotel: The Mayberry Gardens Hotel and Spa is one, thanks to the nasty reputation it got due to the Demonic Apostle attacks that broke up the Solve-It Squad twenty years ago and have recently started up again. It seems like it's been reduced from its former glory to a seedy NoTellMotel as a result, leading Esther to speculate its current owner/manager might be behind the new Demonic Apostle attacks to try to commit insurance fraud and free herself from her financial obligations.
* HollywoodSatanism: The Demonic Apostle was a serial killer and satanic cultist who went around in a horrifying devil mask and practiced ritual [[OfferingToTheGods animal sacrifice]] in order to cast BlackMagic. [[spoiler: Subverted. As with all the other villains, the Demonic Apostle was just a scammer using this trope to try to intimidate people and scare them away from a business he wanted to acquire; he was just the only one who went too far and actually killed a person -- [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman well, a dog]].]]
* InsideJob: The most obvious possibility for the identity of the Demonic Apostle is that it's one of the staff (or the owner) of the MayberryGarden Gardens Hotel & and Spa trying to sabotage the business for some reason. [[spoiler: It turns out this was the motive of the original Demonic Apostle 20 years ago -- Camille's uncle -- and that one of the two people playing the current Demonic Apostle is the concierge, Ricky, but the true mastermind of the copycat Demonic Apostle is ''Keith''. It's an InsideJob on the Solve-It Squad itself!]]
* HollywoodSatanism: The Demonic Apostle was a serial killer and satanic cultist who went around in a horrifying devil mask and practiced ritual [[OfferingToTheGods animal sacrifice]] in order to cast BlackMagic. [[spoiler: Subverted. As with all the other villains, the Demonic Apostle was just a scammer using this trope to try to intimidate people and scare them away from a business he wanted to acquire; he was just the only one who went too far and actually killed a person -- [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman well, a dog]].]]
* InsideJob: The most obvious possibility for the identity of the Demonic Apostle is that it's one of the staff (or the owner) of the Mayberry
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* LoadsAndLoadsOfRoles: Brian Rosenthal has the same "Everyone Else" role that Creator/JoeyRichter did in ''Theatre/TheTrailToOregon'', playing all of the {{NPC}}s in the cast with nothing more than a WigDressAccent quick-change. (With one exception: Creator/LaurenLopez plays the role of Chief O'Brien's secretary in the FBI headquarters scene.) This gets taken UpToEleven when the staff of the hotel have a climactic dramatic confrontation with each other ''without the Solve-It Squad present'', just Brian rapid-fire switching costume pieces and accents in order to carry on a one-man scene.
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* OnlyInItForTheMoney: It's a recurring theme of Franchise/ScoobyDoo that this motive is more common than any other, and that was certainly true of the Solve-It Squad's cases until the horrifying ForTheEvulz SerialKiller who derailed their career. [[spoiler: In the end it turns out to be true of him too -- and both of the copycat Demonic Apostles were in it for financial gain too, Ricky so he could buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend, and Keith so he could have gainful employment again by restarting the Solve-It Squad.]]
* OxymoronicBeing: "The Case of the Hairless Werewolf", since [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolves are generally known for having more hair than humans]]. It's because, of course, it's a guy wearing a werewolf mask who turns out to be bald underneath.
* OxymoronicBeing: "The Case of the Hairless Werewolf", since [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolves are generally known for having more hair than humans]]. It's because, of course, it's a guy wearing a werewolf mask who turns out to be bald underneath.
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* ScoobyDooHoax: As a parody of the TropeNamer, of course this is the Solve-It Squad's wheelhouse, and we see four examples of it in the ThemeTune OpeningChorus. Their BreakingTheFellowship moment is when they realize they're in over their heads and their friend Cluebert is killed by a [[KnightOfCerebus real serial killer and demonic cultist]]. [[spoiler: Which is subverted in the end; the first Demonic Apostle was originally just another grifter who took his scheme too far, and the new one is a poseur through and through.]]
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* {{Squick}}: The glorious moment when we find out what the Gas Station Attendant found so horrifying about his stay at the Mayberry Gardens Hotel and Spa.
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': There was just so much, so much...
-->'''Scrags''': What?
-->'''Esther''': Pain?
-->'''Gwen''': Blood?
-->'''Scrags''': Death?
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': [[ScreamingAtSquick JIIIIIIIIIZZ!]]
-->'''Esther''': Well, that was my next guess.
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': All over the sheets. Just caked in semen, you hear?!
* WeWereYourTeam: Cluebert's death twenty years ago was the end of the Solve-It Squad (even though he was, technically, only the TeamPet). Very much TruthInTelevision for the Franchise/ScoobyDoo franchise, which has never even tried to do a show without the [[CharacterTitle title character]]. That said, we get a hint of a subversion when Scrags reveals the Solve-It Squad already existed with just Keith, Gwen and Esther before Esther invited him and Cluebert to join. [[spoiler: The ending reveals that Keith always hated Cluebert and never thought he was as necessary to the team as he was cracked up to be, and that he finally gets his wish when the Solve-It Squad agrees to reunite as a team without him, even though Scrags insists they keep the same name to honor his memory.]]
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': There was just so much, so much...
-->'''Scrags''': What?
-->'''Esther''': Pain?
-->'''Gwen''': Blood?
-->'''Scrags''': Death?
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': [[ScreamingAtSquick JIIIIIIIIIZZ!]]
-->'''Esther''': Well, that was my next guess.
-->'''Gas Station Attendant''': All over the sheets. Just caked in semen, you hear?!
* WeWereYourTeam: Cluebert's death twenty years ago was the end of the Solve-It Squad (even though he was, technically, only the TeamPet). Very much TruthInTelevision for the Franchise/ScoobyDoo franchise, which has never even tried to do a show without the [[CharacterTitle title character]]. That said, we get a hint of a subversion when Scrags reveals the Solve-It Squad already existed with just Keith, Gwen and Esther before Esther invited him and Cluebert to join. [[spoiler: The ending reveals that Keith always hated Cluebert and never thought he was as necessary to the team as he was cracked up to be, and that he finally gets his wish when the Solve-It Squad agrees to reunite as a team without him, even though Scrags insists they keep the same name to honor his memory.]]
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** One particularly notable way this show's marketing deviates from the Franchise/ScoobyDoo franchise is that it's not named after the TeamPet {{Mascot}}, but the team as a whole. (There wasn't even a show where "Mystery, Inc." was the ''subtitle'' until [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated 2010]].) This turns out to be significant to the plot -- the story is about how Cluebert died twenty years ago, and how the Solve-It Squad learns to move on from this as a team without him.
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* TheCaseOf: The Solve-It Squad's past cases apparently all had cheesy titles like this; the ones we hear of are "The Case of the Hairless Werewolf", "The Case of the Witch in the Wings", "The Case of the Fast-Food Ghoul", "The Case of the Swim-Meet Swamp Thing", and "[[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers The Case of the Demonic Apostle]]". (We see the them solve the first two of these -- and [[MyGreatestFailure their total failure to solve the last one]] -- in the OpeningChorus.)
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* YouMeddlingKids: The show [[WritingAroundTrademarks carefully avoids actually using this stock phrase]], even though it's so commonly referenced now as to be a cliché. In the opening scene, Clyde Buchanan calls the Solve-It Squad "you meddlesome hooligans", Harold Pendergast calls them "you nosy nitwits", Melanie Butler calls them "you foolish brats", and Keith [[CatchphraseInterruptus cuts off]] Prof. Baxtresser saying "And I'd have gotten away with it too--" with "No one cares, bro."
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* YouMeddlingKids: The show [[WritingAroundTrademarks carefully avoids actually using this stock phrase]], even though it's so commonly referenced now as to be a cliché. In the opening scene, Clyde Buchanan calls the Solve-It Squad "you meddlesome hooligans", Harold Pendergast calls them "you [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal nosy nitwits", nitwits]]", Melanie Butler calls them "you foolish brats", and Keith [[CatchphraseInterruptus cuts off]] Prof. Baxtresser saying "And I'd have gotten away with it too--" with "No one cares, bro."
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Deleted line(s) 33 (click to see context) :
** Keith is described as running his Solve-It Squad merch store through Etsy and ordering supplies for it from Alibaba.
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** Keith is described as running his Solve-It Squad merch store through Etsy and ordering supplies for it from Alibaba.
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** The three-letter acronym name of Gwen's TV show, ''ICU: Internal Crime Unit'', is a reference to the many {{Police Procedural}}s with similar names, like ''Series/LawAndOrderSVU'', ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' and ''Series/{{CSI}}''.
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** Keith seems particularly prone to this -- his line of the opening to the ThemeTune has him calling out "[[Film/{{Ghostbusters}} I ain't 'fraid of no ghosts!]]", and his verse includes the line "Hotty Toddy!" ([[https://www.hottytoddy.com/2014/07/29/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-hotty-toddy/ a traditional campus cheer at Ole Miss]]).
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** Chief O'Brien has a habit of referencing movies about dogs, finding a contrived reason to bring up ''Film/HomewardBound'', ''Film/HotelForDogs'' and ''Film/AirBud'' in one conversation.
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** Chief O'Brien has a habit of referencing movies about dogs, finding a contrived reason to bring up ''Film/HomewardBound'', ''Film/HomewardBoundTheIncredibleJourney'', ''Film/HotelForDogs'' and ''Film/AirBud'' in one conversation.
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* BigBadFriend: [[spoiler: Keith is the true identity of the "returned" Demonic Apostle. Although since he didn't really assault or kill anyone, and his goal was to help the Solve-It Squad work through their issues and get back together, he's not a ''Big'' Bad. It is still a pretty dick move, though.]]
* EverytownAmerica: The Solve-It Squad's childhood hometown of [[Series/TheAndyGriffithShow Mayberry]], which the TitleCard only tells us is in "[[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield Middle America]]".
* InsideJob: The most obvious possibility for the identity of the Demonic Apostle is that it's one of the staff (or the owner) of the Mayberry Garden Hotel & Spa trying to sabotage the business for some reason. [[spoiler: It turns out this was the motive of the original Demonic Apostle 20 years ago -- Camille's uncle -- and that one of the two people playing the current Demonic Apostle is the concierge, Ricky, but the true mastermind of the copycat Demonic Apostle is ''Keith''. It's an InsideJob on the Solve-It Squad itself!]]
* EverytownAmerica: The Solve-It Squad's childhood hometown of [[Series/TheAndyGriffithShow Mayberry]], which the TitleCard only tells us is in "[[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield Middle America]]".
* InsideJob: The most obvious possibility for the identity of the Demonic Apostle is that it's one of the staff (or the owner) of the Mayberry Garden Hotel & Spa trying to sabotage the business for some reason. [[spoiler: It turns out this was the motive of the original Demonic Apostle 20 years ago -- Camille's uncle -- and that one of the two people playing the current Demonic Apostle is the concierge, Ricky, but the true mastermind of the copycat Demonic Apostle is ''Keith''. It's an InsideJob on the Solve-It Squad itself!]]
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* TheReveal: As is traditional for a KidDetective whodunit; there are, as Esther points out, [[{{foreshadowing}} tons of clues along the way]], but plenty of fans were still surprised when it turned out the Demonic Apostle was [[spoiler: Keith]].
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* ShoutOut: Obviously the whole thing is one big love letter to the Franchise/ScoobyDoo franchise, but there's also some other pop culture references in the script:
** Chief O'Brien has a habit of referencing movies about dogs, finding a contrived reason to bring up ''Film/HomewardBound'', ''Film/HotelForDogs'' and ''Film/AirBud'' in one conversation.
** The Solve-It Squad's hometown is called [[Series/TheAndyGriffithShow Mayberry]].
** Chief O'Brien has a habit of referencing movies about dogs, finding a contrived reason to bring up ''Film/HomewardBound'', ''Film/HotelForDogs'' and ''Film/AirBud'' in one conversation.
** The Solve-It Squad's hometown is called [[Series/TheAndyGriffithShow Mayberry]].
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* WritingAroundTrademarks: The show is relatively careful with this, using names that are thematically but not actually similar to the original characters. There's a sly one with "Cluebert" being the name of the dog -- Scooby-Doo's full first name is in fact "Scoobert", a fact revealed in ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'', and which is referenced in the soundtrack with the hard-rock version of the ThemeTune being called "[[CatchPhrase Clueby Booby Doobie Doo]]".
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* WritingAroundTrademarks: The show is relatively careful with this, using names that are thematically but not actually similar to the original characters. There's a sly one with "Cluebert" being the name of the dog -- Scooby-Doo's full first name is in fact "Scoobert", a fact revealed in ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'', and which is referenced in the soundtrack with the hard-rock version of the ThemeTune being called "[[CatchPhrase Clueby Booby Doobie Doo]]".Doo]]".
* YouMeddlingKids: The show [[WritingAroundTrademarks carefully avoids actually using this stock phrase]], even though it's so commonly referenced now as to be a cliché. In the opening scene, Clyde Buchanan calls the Solve-It Squad "you meddlesome hooligans", Harold Pendergast calls them "you nosy nitwits", Melanie Butler calls them "you foolish brats", and Keith [[CatchphraseInterruptus cuts off]] Prof. Baxtresser saying "And I'd have gotten away with it too--" with "No one cares, bro."
** [[spoiler: When the Demonic Apostle is unmasked as Keith, he [[SubvertedCatchphrase subverts the catchphrase]] with "And I'd have gotten away with it too, if not for this ''[[GracefulLoser beautiful group of people]]''!"]]
* YouMeddlingKids: The show [[WritingAroundTrademarks carefully avoids actually using this stock phrase]], even though it's so commonly referenced now as to be a cliché. In the opening scene, Clyde Buchanan calls the Solve-It Squad "you meddlesome hooligans", Harold Pendergast calls them "you nosy nitwits", Melanie Butler calls them "you foolish brats", and Keith [[CatchphraseInterruptus cuts off]] Prof. Baxtresser saying "And I'd have gotten away with it too--" with "No one cares, bro."
** [[spoiler: When the Demonic Apostle is unmasked as Keith, he [[SubvertedCatchphrase subverts the catchphrase]] with "And I'd have gotten away with it too, if not for this ''[[GracefulLoser beautiful group of people]]''!"]]
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* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: The first half of the show is a classic version of this, with Scrags visiting each of the other Solve-It Squad members in turn, who've scattered across the country and now have wildly different jobs and stations in life since he saw them last.
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* SerialKiller: The joke of the Solve-It Squad's breakup is the Scooby gang being totally unprepared to encounter an actual serial killer, who's willing to [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals murder their beloved dog]] just ForTheEvulz. [[spoiler: Subverted by the ending; the original Demonic Apostle was, in fact, just another petty criminal OnlyInItForTheMoney trying to pull a ScoobyDooHoax, who was trying to scare the Solve-It Squad off the case and accidentally took it ''way'' too far, and was apparently broken up enough about it that he called off the hoax then and there and [[DeathbedConfession confessed everything to Keith years later]].]]
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* SerialKiller: The joke of the Solve-It Squad's breakup is the Scooby gang being totally unprepared to encounter an actual serial killer, who's willing to [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals murder their beloved dog]] just ForTheEvulz. [[spoiler: Subverted by the ending; the original Demonic Apostle was, in fact, just another petty criminal OnlyInItForTheMoney trying to pull a ScoobyDooHoax, who was trying to scare the Solve-It Squad off the case and accidentally took it ''way'' too far, and was apparently broken up enough about it that he called off the hoax then and there and [[DeathbedConfession confessed everything to Keith years later]].]]]]
* WritingAroundTrademarks: The show is relatively careful with this, using names that are thematically but not actually similar to the original characters. There's a sly one with "Cluebert" being the name of the dog -- Scooby-Doo's full first name is in fact "Scoobert", a fact revealed in ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'', and which is referenced in the soundtrack with the hard-rock version of the ThemeTune being called "[[CatchPhrase Clueby Booby Doobie Doo]]".
* WritingAroundTrademarks: The show is relatively careful with this, using names that are thematically but not actually similar to the original characters. There's a sly one with "Cluebert" being the name of the dog -- Scooby-Doo's full first name is in fact "Scoobert", a fact revealed in ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'', and which is referenced in the soundtrack with the hard-rock version of the ThemeTune being called "[[CatchPhrase Clueby Booby Doobie Doo]]".
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* JackTheRipoff: Esther quickly brings up the possibility that the Demonic Apostle's reappearance is just a copycat criminal trying to piggyback on his notoriety. There's a ton of hints that she's right, including the obvious fact that the current Apostle [[HarmlessVillain hasn't actually killed anyone]]. [[spoiler: This is, of course, a CassandraTruth from her.]]
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* RetroactiveLegacy: The title of the show implies that this is a ReunionShow for an old-school series that, obviously, [[UnInstallment doesn't actually exist]]. On a meta level, of course, we're meant to imagine this show as a RealityEnsues DistantSequel and {{Deconstruction}} of the Franchise/ScoobyDoo franchise.
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* RetroactiveLegacy: The title of the show implies that this is a ReunionShow for an old-school series that, obviously, [[UnInstallment doesn't actually exist]]. On a meta level, of course, we're meant to imagine this show as a RealityEnsues DistantSequel and {{Deconstruction}} of the Franchise/ScoobyDoo franchise.franchise.
* SerialKiller: The joke of the Solve-It Squad's breakup is the Scooby gang being totally unprepared to encounter an actual serial killer, who's willing to [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals murder their beloved dog]] just ForTheEvulz. [[spoiler: Subverted by the ending; the original Demonic Apostle was, in fact, just another petty criminal OnlyInItForTheMoney trying to pull a ScoobyDooHoax, who was trying to scare the Solve-It Squad off the case and accidentally took it ''way'' too far, and was apparently broken up enough about it that he called off the hoax then and there and [[DeathbedConfession confessed everything to Keith years later]].]]
* SerialKiller: The joke of the Solve-It Squad's breakup is the Scooby gang being totally unprepared to encounter an actual serial killer, who's willing to [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals murder their beloved dog]] just ForTheEvulz. [[spoiler: Subverted by the ending; the original Demonic Apostle was, in fact, just another petty criminal OnlyInItForTheMoney trying to pull a ScoobyDooHoax, who was trying to scare the Solve-It Squad off the case and accidentally took it ''way'' too far, and was apparently broken up enough about it that he called off the hoax then and there and [[DeathbedConfession confessed everything to Keith years later]].]]
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** [[spoiler: The ending of the show is this in the opposite direction -- it was always tremendously unlikely that the "Demonic Apostle" actually had some kind of vendetta against the Solve-It Squad that lasted twenty whole years, as opposed to the Apostle's reappearance being a copycat criminal trying to resurrect the Solve-It Squad's legacy for selfish reasons.]]
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** Scrags gets hit by this, where his ability to be a BigEater who NeverGetsFat is due to his youthful metabolism -- and the BigEater tendencies were driven by an unaddressed [[NervousWreck anxiety problem]] -- ends up screwing him over badly later in life, where he ends up gaining a whole lot of weight and contracting diabetes, and having to [[FormerlyFat work really hard]] to lose weight and get his health under control.
** Esther's fate as an adult is a dark take on what it means to be a ChildProdigy with SherlockScan powers, showing that like all too many gifted kids she ends up a GeniusBurnout as an adult, whose special abilities were linked to some form of [[AmbiguousDisorder neurodivergence]] that's caused her great suffering and seriously harmed her ability to function.
** Esther's fate as an adult is a dark take on what it means to be a ChildProdigy with SherlockScan powers, showing that like all too many gifted kids she ends up a GeniusBurnout as an adult, whose special abilities were linked to some form of [[AmbiguousDisorder neurodivergence]] that's caused her great suffering and seriously harmed her ability to function.
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* RealityEnsues: As is common for a KidHeroAllGrownUp {{Deconstruction}}, looking at what the realistic consequences of putting minors in confrontations with dangerous criminals on a regular basis would actually be. The group falls apart the first time they run into a NotSoHarmlessVillain who's actually willing to resort to violence, and the trauma of having their [[KickTheDog dog killed]] has left them all [[ShellShockedVeteran badly traumatized]], as does the experience of having their childhoods [[FormerChildStar badly disrupted by celebrity]].
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* AffectionateParody: Of the Franchise/ScoobyDoo franchise, especially ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'' (where the characters were explicitly children), and of the KidDetective genre in general.
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!! The Solve-It Squad Returns! contains examples of:
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!! The Solve-It Squad Returns! contains examples of:of:
* OfficiallyShortenedTitle: The off-Broadway run just used the title ''The Solve-It Squad'', dropping the "Returns", as do most fans when referencing the show, partly because of confusion over the fact that [[RetroactiveLegacy the show isn't actually a sequel to anything]].
* RetroactiveLegacy: The title of the show implies that this is a ReunionShow for an old-school series that, obviously, [[UnInstallment doesn't actually exist]]. On a meta level, of course, we're meant to imagine this show as a RealityEnsues DistantSequel and {{Deconstruction}} of the Franchise/ScoobyDoo franchise.
* OfficiallyShortenedTitle: The off-Broadway run just used the title ''The Solve-It Squad'', dropping the "Returns", as do most fans when referencing the show, partly because of confusion over the fact that [[RetroactiveLegacy the show isn't actually a sequel to anything]].
* RetroactiveLegacy: The title of the show implies that this is a ReunionShow for an old-school series that, obviously, [[UnInstallment doesn't actually exist]]. On a meta level, of course, we're meant to imagine this show as a RealityEnsues DistantSequel and {{Deconstruction}} of the Franchise/ScoobyDoo franchise.
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''The Solve-It Squad Returns!'' originally ran from June 15-25 at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood, CA, and reunited for an off-Broadway run a year later from April 26-May 12, 2018 at the TBG Theatre in New York. You can watch it on [=YouTube=] [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlF0gFzOX4tDiqbhfmx5036ZFKD6LAoQN here]].
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/solve_it_squad.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Keith, Gwen, Scrags, Esther! Good, better, best, bester! Who are we? THE SOLVE-IT SQUAD!]]
->''And I'd have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddlesome hooligans!''
''The Solve-It Squad Returns!'' is the second full-length narrative stage production by sketch comedy troupe The Creator/TinCanBrothers (Creator/JoeyRichter, Creator/CoreyLubowich and Brian Rosenthal), following their initial success with ''Theatre/SpiesAreForever'' in 2016. Unlike its predecessor (and the Creator/TeamStarkid shows where the members of Creator/TinCanBrothers got their start), it's a somewhat stripped-down production, a one-act straight play with an OpeningChorus ThemeTune and a SuddenMusicalEnding, rather than a true musical, with a MinimalistCast of only five actors (with four as the main characters and Brian Rosenthal as "[[LoadsAndLoadsOfRoles Everyone Else"]]).
The show is about a [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo suspiciously familiar gang of four young teens with a talking dog]] whose crime-fighting career is derailed by the [[DarkerAndEdgier unexpected violent murder]] of their TeamPet Cluebert, sending the four of them into a downward spiral over the course of the next twenty years. Now, in the present day, one of them finds a lead on Cluebert's killer and sets out to [[PuttingTheBandBackTogether put the band back together]] to finally bring him to justice. Can the Solve-It Squad overcome their long-buried resentments and dysfunctions and come back together as a team to put their demons to rest?
!! The Solve-It Squad Returns! contains examples of:
[[caption-width-right:350:Keith, Gwen, Scrags, Esther! Good, better, best, bester! Who are we? THE SOLVE-IT SQUAD!]]
->''And I'd have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddlesome hooligans!''
''The Solve-It Squad Returns!'' is the second full-length narrative stage production by sketch comedy troupe The Creator/TinCanBrothers (Creator/JoeyRichter, Creator/CoreyLubowich and Brian Rosenthal), following their initial success with ''Theatre/SpiesAreForever'' in 2016. Unlike its predecessor (and the Creator/TeamStarkid shows where the members of Creator/TinCanBrothers got their start), it's a somewhat stripped-down production, a one-act straight play with an OpeningChorus ThemeTune and a SuddenMusicalEnding, rather than a true musical, with a MinimalistCast of only five actors (with four as the main characters and Brian Rosenthal as "[[LoadsAndLoadsOfRoles Everyone Else"]]).
The show is about a [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo suspiciously familiar gang of four young teens with a talking dog]] whose crime-fighting career is derailed by the [[DarkerAndEdgier unexpected violent murder]] of their TeamPet Cluebert, sending the four of them into a downward spiral over the course of the next twenty years. Now, in the present day, one of them finds a lead on Cluebert's killer and sets out to [[PuttingTheBandBackTogether put the band back together]] to finally bring him to justice. Can the Solve-It Squad overcome their long-buried resentments and dysfunctions and come back together as a team to put their demons to rest?
!! The Solve-It Squad Returns! contains examples of:
