In what we have to admit is one of those TV developments we simply didn’t see coming, it was announced tonight that Mindy Kaling’s animated Scooby-Doo update Velma has picked up a renewal for a second season at Max. This is somewhat of a surprise, because, well… Not that many people seemed to like Velma all that much?
And we’re not just talking about the various chuds who went frothing into apoplexy the moment it was revealed that the show’s versions of classic Doo characters Velma, Shaggy, and Daphne would be—horror of horrors—non-white. But even some people who were open and amenable to the idea of a creator tinkering with a 50-year-old cartoon to update its sensibilities to better reflect the world around it seemed to be put off by the show’s humor and storytelling, which applied a sheen of dark violence to the Scooby-Doo formula.
On the other hand, pretty much everybody admitted that the show’s voice cast was top notch, with Kaling starring as Velma herself, and Sam Richardson, Glenn Howerton, and Constance Wu playing “Norville,” Fred, and Daphne, respectively. That’s in addition to a stacked cast of recurring stars rounding out the world of Mystery Inc., including Cherry Jones, Weird Al, Ming-Na Wen, Russell Peters, and more. Plus, hey: They did end the first season on a cliffhanger, suggesting there was more murderous mayhem to come.
Per Variety, news of Velma’s renewal was announced earlier today at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, with Max and Adult Swim’s Suzanna Makkos breaking the news. “The series that we create at Max are art and voice driven, with character and comedy coming before anything else,” Makkos told the crowd. “We’re always looking for hard comedy with heart and edge, diverse and inclusive shows with underlying thematic resonance, and character design that showcases the hand of the artist. I am so excited to share these incredible series with the world, and continue to show why Max is a great home for adult animation.” (Even if its actual treatment of animation, adult or otherwise, has been pretty damn spotty of late.)
