Is there anything worse than your favorite show getting canceled after just one season? The answer is yes, your favorite show getting canceled after just two seasons, right as it begins to stretch its legs. While a lot of shows gain a loyal yet niche following, a lot of the time it's not enough to get a renewal. This leads to a slew of cancellations every year with much uproar, and such is the case with Max axing yet another series after only two installments.
Velma, the reimagined Scooby-Doo animated series from Mindy Kaling, is officially canceled after only 2 seasons. While the reviews for Velma were not great, it is still disappointing to see another show with potential cut at the knees. While the writing was in need of some constructive criticism, the Scooby-Doo show had potential and it had a good backbone, including the stacked cast of comedians that included Kaling, Glenn Howerton, Melissa Fumero, Jane Lynch, and Wanda Sykes.
Nevertheless, the streaming service put out the following statement, via TV Line, less than a week after it dropped a Velma Halloween special on the 2024 TV schedule:
Over the past two seasons, Mindy [Kaling] and Charlie [Grandy] have created an incredibly fun and fresh world within the iconic whodunit franchise. While we won’t be moving forward with another season of the series, we thank them for their compelling coming-of-age storytelling, unrivaled clues, and hilarious hijinks.
In this day and age, streaming giants cancel shows too soon and don't let them grow before they move on to the next thing. Plenty of the best sitcoms had rough starts before finding their strides around 3 or 4 seasons in, like The Office, Parks and Rec, and It’s Always Sunny did.
I think Velma had potential, especially with the Inside Out actress’ main character finally getting the queer storyline fans had been hoping for.
This isn’t the first instance of Max making two seasons and then abruptly canceling it, and, as the Gay Times pointed out, it has axed quite a few shows with queer main characters after just one or two seasons. In the case of Our Flag Means Death, another gay show canceled by the HBO service after two successful seasons, fans did not take it sitting down. According to the show’s creators, a loud outpouring of fan support played an enormous role in the beloved pirate show even getting a second season greenlit.
Yet even the extremely loyal OFMD fanbase was not enough to get a third season going, resulting in a lot of favorite storylines being abruptly cut short. This is why I almost prefer cancellation after the first season. A second season allows arcs to build and characters to grow, making the heartbreak even worse when the announcement is made.
Unfortunately for Velma, the show does not have the same following OFMD had, so it being saved doesn't look good. Fortunately for the Never Have I Ever creator, her show The Sex Lives of College Girls has made it past the two-season threshold, with Season 3 set to premiere for those with a Max subscription on the 2024 TV schedule on November 21. So, at least we have something to look forward to as we mourn the loss of another show.
