Max's controversial Scooby-Doo series seemingly canceled after two seasons

Max’s controversial Scooby-doo series, Velmais seemingly canceled after two seasons. Premiering in January 2023, the adult animated series explores the backstories of the human members of Mystery Incorporated before they officially come together, centered on Velma Dinkley as she tries to uncover the truth behind her mother’s disappearance and the murders of several teenage girls. . Mindy Kaling leads Velmas voice cast as the titular character alongside Glenn Howerton as Fred, Sam Richardson as Shaggy, and Constance Wu as Daphne.

Now, shortly after a Halloween special was released on October 3, Velma was apparently refused By Max, according to a since-deleted post by Background Painter Davy Cummings On Instagram:

Background painter Davey Cummings' Instagram post about Velma seemingly canceled

With a slideshow of backgrounds that he painted for the Velma Halloween special, Cummings captioned the post saying it was “So fun to work with this crew“And this “There won’t be a season 3“ Although he hopes he willGet to work with these amazingly talented people again one day.” He also urged audiences to watch the new Halloween special on Max.

What Davey Cummings’ Instagram post means for Velma

The controversial Scooby-Doo series has apparently been cancelled

While there hasn’t been an official confirmation that it has been canceled by the streaming service, background painter Davey Cummings’ Instagram post suggests that Velma Will not return for a third season on Max. Before the last Halloween special, Velma Season 2 was released in April 2024 and although there are no viewership numbers available for the second season, the series was highly controversial among critics and audiences. If it was indeed cancelled, season 2 probably didn’t see the viewership required for Max to renew it for another season.

Velma was highly controversial from the start Since it is the first television series in the franchise that does not have the character of Scooby-Doo. The show is also a dark comedy and mature take on that Scooby-doo franchise, with several changes made to existing characters, including being race-swapped, with Velma portrayed as a bisexual South Asian American, Shaggy as African-American, and Daphne as an East Asian American. All this amounted to an overwhelmingly negative critical and audience response, with Velma Ranked as one of the worst shows of 2023 and one of the lowest-rated shows on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.

Our take on Velma seems to be cancelled

Season 2 probably saw a massive drop in viewership

Probably due to the massive controversy surrounding the show, Velma Season 1 set an HBO Max record for the biggest premiere date of any original animated show. However, as the controversy subsided, The second season likely saw a massive drop in viewershipApparently causing the streaming service to pull the plug. While much of the backlash to VelmaThe race-swapping may have been in bad faith, there were many valid criticisms of the show’s humor, meta-narrative, characterization, writing, and departures from the traditional. Scooby-doo Format.

Source: Davy Cummings/ Instagram

Velma, a darkly comedic and mature take on the Scooby-Doo franchise, sees the title character, played by Mindy Kaling, take the spotlight in a retelling of her origins, leading to her joining Mystery Inc. Free Decades ago, Velma will modernize the characters and cast Sam Richardson as Shaggy, Constance Wu as Daphne, and Glenn Howerton as Fred. Scooby-Doo will not be featured in the show, as it features the crew’s earlier days as they solve murderous mysteries and find themselves getting in over their heads more often than not.

Release date: January 12, 2023
Seasons: 1
Network: HBO Max
Showrunner: Charlie Grandy