Velma officially cancelled after 2 seasons

Scooby-Doo prequel Velma has been cancelled by streaming service Max after just two seasons.

The TV series hasn’t exactly had the smoothest run.

It’s the first project in the Scooby-Doo franchise not to feature the titular hound, although I’m not sure that’s exactly why it debuted to an overwhelmingly negative response.

In fact, Velma - starring Mindy Kaling - quickly became the worst-rated animated show in iMDB history, so the fact that it was renewed for a second season feels like a small miracle.

While some viewers genuinely took issue with the series’ storytelling, feeling it lacked the magic of the Scooby-Doo franchise’s previous outings, I can’t say that’s the main reason why Velma was so poorly received.

You see, the series both changed Velma’s race - with the character being South Asian in this particular iteration - and includes LGBTQ+ themes.

That shouldn’t be any reason for concern but, as much as it saddens me to say so, the internet is the internet and so the series was quickly review-bombed by those less open-minded and accepting.

Unfortunately, Velma’s second season wasn’t able to escape the ‘controversy’ enough to succeed.

HBO’s The Last of Us has a second season on the way. You can take a look at the trailer below.

After airing its second season earlier this year, Velma has now been formally cancelled.

“Over the past two seasons, Mindy [Kaling] and Charlie [Grandy] have created an incredibly fun and fresh world within the iconic whodunit franchise,” said a spokesperson at Max (via Forbes).

“While we won’t be moving forward with another season of the series, we thank them for their compelling coming-of-age storytelling, unrivalled clues, and hilarious hijinks.”

It’s a shame as I’m a big Scooby-Doo fan and have always felt that the franchise has room for something with a more mature take on the characters.

Velma provided that but alas, this chapter draws to a close.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera attempt another mature series. I’m certainly hoping that they do.