Credit: Warner Bros.In a press release about their adult animation slate, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Max would be renewing what many people consider the worst Scooby-Doo show of all time: Velma (2022-present).
Velma is a spinoff from the traditional Scooby-Doo formula looking at the origins of Mystery Inc. While the show is missing its iconic Great Dane, it brings in reimagined and more adult versions of Shaggy, Daphne, Fred, and Velma, who is now the focus of the series.
Internet trolls were immediately drawn to trash the show because it was helmed by Mindy Kaling and changed Velma and Shaggy’s ethnicities. Eventually, the show was review bombed to a shockingly-low 7% on Rotten Tomatoes, but then something just as surprising happened: critics hated it, too.
Velma‘s critic score totaled 40%, causing the show to be “certified rotten.” While many trolls targeted the show for deplorable reasons, critics found that it just wasn’t funny, with The Atlantic pointing out that the show is more mean than funny. But all of this criticism actually caused Velma to exceed expectations, causing Warner Bros. Discovery to renew it for a second season.
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According to a press release from Warner Bros. Discovery, Velma is one of the multiple cartoons being renewed for Max’s adult animation slate. It will join the likes of Harley Quinn (2019-present), Fired on Mars (2023-present), and Clone High (2002-present), all of which brought in huge numbers for the streaming service.
However, Velma stands separate from those other titles because people hate it. So why did it get so many views? Well, people wanted to see for themselves how bad it was, so they watched every episode. And that’s not even including all the people who watched it multiple times so they could make videos about why Velma is so bad. It’s not a strategy that producers should ever try to repeat, but it worked here.
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While many people are surely angry that Velma is getting a season two when Warner Bros. Discovery removes classic Cartoon Network shows from Max, there is a silver lining to all of this. Velma is getting what few maligned television shows get: a second chance.
Velma is following a formula that has been proven to work; just look at the incredible Harley Quinn. If the people behind the scenes can look at their mistakes and create something that exceeds expectations, there is a good chance this could be one of the most entertaining Scooby-Doo-inspired shows out there.
Do you think Velma is deserving of a season two? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!