Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' canceled after two seasons: What went wrong
What's the story
The adult animated Scooby-Doo origin series, Velma, has been canceled by Max after two seasons, Entertainment Weekly reported.
A spokesperson for Max thanked creators Mindy Kaling and Charlie Grandy for their unique take on the classic franchise.
The statement read, "Over the past two seasons, Mindy and Charlie have created an incredibly fun and fresh world within the iconic whodunit franchise."
Series finale
'Velma' Season 2 premiered in April with 10 episodes
For those unaware, the second season of Velma, comprising 10 new episodes, premiered on April 25. A Halloween special that was released on October 3 will now serve as the series finale.
The show was created by Grandy and featured Kaling voicing the character of teen detective Velma Dinkley.
Other cast members included Constance Wu, Sam Richardson, and Glenn Howerton.
The series premiered on January 12, 2023.
Series highlights
'Velma' featured a diverse cast and unique storytelling
Velma was famous for its star-studded guest list, including names like Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Russell Peters, Melissa Fumero, Stephen Root, Gary Cole, Ken Leung, Cherry Jones, and Frank Welker.
In a 2022 interview with EW, Kaling spoke about the decision to make Velma an Indian character in this series.
"We were really inspired by Into the Spider-Verse — it's animation... And I identify so much as her character... so it's like yeah let's make her Indian in this series."
Creator insights
Kaling's enthusiasm and Grandy's curiosity fueled 'Velma'
Despite having no experience in animation, Kaling was excited to delve into a new side of Velma's story. She told Grandy how much she loved the character and pitched the idea of an origin story.
Grandy immediately jumped on board, wondering how the Scooby-Doo gang became friends and what high school experiences brought them together to face spooky mysteries time and again.