Velma Season 2 Is Headed For Another Complete Disaster

The launch of Velma on HBO Max set the internet on fire. It is up for debate whether it is a positive or negative thing. On the one hand, the show is the most successful original animated series for HBO Max. On the other hand, both critics and fans heavily dislike this remake. By this point, everyone knows that the internet can be a vicious place. There are certain things that audiences do not like. One of these things is reimagining source material for a modern audience. Writing a good story is the one exception to this rule.

The problem with reimagining source material has nothing to do with deviating from the original work. The issue with this practice comes down to writers destroying the original vision. With classic IPs comes a certain expectation, which involves respecting the source material. You do not necessarily have to stay true to the original creator’s material, but you have a responsibility to do the story justice. Velma, unfortunately, is a failure on all of these fronts. Not only are they moving away from the original vision, but the retelling fails to captivate a new audience in any way.

The only similarity between Velma and the original show is the titled character. However, showrunners insist they are huge fans of Scooby-Doo and want to do the original justice. It is easy to spot the flaws if you look at the series objectively. Regardless of the online hate, you also have those defending the show. These defenders view the series as an independent piece of art standing on its own. Critics push back on this point by stating that if this is how you feel, you should name the series something different and let it stand on its own.

Velma Showrunners Responds To The Online Hate

Despite the online hate, Velma showrunners are defending their brand-new series. They are pushing back against negative comments and what they deem toxic fans. We have not heard anything regarding Velma in quite some time. However, as season 2 approaches, all new interviews are surfacing. The promotion for Season One of Velma was simple. Create as much controversy as possible—attacking the fans is the easiest way to accomplish this goal. Controversy attracts more attention, and that can lead to a larger fanbase. Even a hate watcher is still a watcher.

In a recent interview, showrunner Charlie Grandy spoke about the show by stating that they are not trying to replace the original series. In an interview with Emmys magazine, Grandy said,

The original Hanna-Barbera shows are still out there to watch. We are not erasing the originals. We just want to be a little ice planet on the outer regions of the Scooby-verse! Mindy came to me and said she’d love to work on a story with Velma…She loved the character and thought it would be funny to have her at the center of a show. We asked ourselves, ‘Why stop [at Velma being South Asian]?’ None of these characters are rooted to being white. We were worried about going to Warner Bros. and asking them to do it, but they said, ‘Do it. It’s time! Just make sure it’s funny and good!’

https://www.emmys.com/news/features/cover-animation-special

The Fundamental Flaws With Velma

Now, There is plenty to unpack with that statement. First and foremost, I will give them one point. Remaking a series or movie does not erase the original. I certainly agree with this sentiment. Disney right now is remaking all of their original animated series. There are plenty of people who are not happy with these retellings. However, you will always have the original show and the memories that come with it, and these memories can never be taken away from you. With that said, you also need to understand why fans of the original series will be upset with a retelling that has nothing in common with the source material.

The second point that Grandy makes is also very telling. One of the biggest criticisms of this show is the self-insertion of Mindy Kelling. Many people feel like Mindy is not playing Velma. Instead, Mindy is just playing herself using the name Velma. Considering that this version of Velma is nothing like the original, I believe that. Then, the writers also decided to swap out the other characters’ races, except for Fred. I am very open about how I feel about race swapping, and I have no issue with this. If the story is good, I do not mind.

However, plenty of people care, and the story could be better. In addition to this, showrunners are doing the impossible. They are angering both sides. Sometimes, when trying to pander, you end up on the wrong side of those you represent. Not only is Velma facing backlash for race swapping, but they are also facing backlash from the other side for stereotyping South Asian women.

Can Velma Win Back

With Season 2 of Velma confirmed, the big question is, can they win the fans back? You might be asking yourself why they need to win fans back. The show is the most successful cartoon series on HBO Max. They are streaming to millions of people all across the internet. I likely don’t have to point this out, but these numbers are more complex than you might think. Most of the original viewer base comes from curiosity and hate watching. The audience score for this show is 9%. We can assume that those who watched the show during season one will not return for season 2.

This means that the show needs to attract an all-new fanbase. This is a challenging task to accomplish. To win Velma fans back, profound narrative changes are required to the series. It is simply too hard to make those changes at this point. Fans likely will only give them a second chance if they make these changes. Their only hope now is to further capitalize on the hate and hope you can attract that same audience. In most cases, these writers and showrunners do not care about longevity. Getting an animated series on HBO Max is the height of their career or the best payday they had in a long time.

All you need to do is bait fans, get them to watch, and cash out. Writing great series that last for many years can be very profitable. However, sometimes, you need to acknowledge your shortcomings. Once you have accepted this, you can rage-bait a few people, take the money, and run. This is what they are trying to do here.

Conclusion

Overall it is tough to know precisely how this will play out. Only some spend their time on Twitter and YouTube, and it is on these platforms where most of the distaste for the show lies. You might only know about this controversy if you spend a few hours online. HBO Max has 100 million subscribers, and all they must do is push this series to their front page. Those unaware of the lousy publicity will click and watch, not knowing what they are getting into.

Even this method, however, does have shortcomings. The series must be good, even if your audience is unaware of the controversy. If the show’s first season sucks, fans likely won’t return for a second season. The question now becomes, will fans return for another season?