Shows are meant to entertain and sometimes even educate their viewers. However, it brings no joy when a series, which has so much potential, flops so hard.
From a highly-anticipated series which was years in the making, to a show that should have never existed to begin with – here’s the latest hot tea in the world of animation.
Velma Cancelled On Max
After two seasons, the adult-oriented remake of the beloved “Scooby-Doo” franchise, “Velma,” has just gotten the axe and will not be renewed for a third season. And the people of the internet are rejoicing.
Max, the streaming service hosting the controversial show, released a statement in regards to the cancellation, stating that “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, unrivalled clues, and hilarious hijinks.”
The show was released on 12th January last year and received mixed to overwhelmingly negative reviews which singled out its weak humour, self-indulgent meta storytelling, characterisation, writing, and departures from the traditional Scooby-Doo format.
Velma received a second season, much to the dismay of many streamers, with 10 new episodes on 25th April. Despite its opportunity to come back, the show still received largely negative reviews. The spin-off series received a Halloween special back on 3rd October, which will now serve as the series finale.
Though it appears to be a sad and heartfelt farewell message from the executives of the streaming service, the internet loudly rejoiced over the downfall of the series, with many jokingly suggesting that it be brought back for a third season.
From Reddit to Threads, fans of the original series were cheering for the spin-off’s downfall, with many stating that it’s time for the franchise to return to the usual and beloved formula. Executive producer and voice actress for the titular sleuth, Mindy Kaling, as well as the show’s creator, Charlie Grandy, have not released statements on the cancellation, nor to the internet’s reaction to it.
Uzumaki Executive Speaks Up About Sudden Quality Drop
One of the most anticipated anime of the year, “Uzumaki” is an adaptation based on a Japanese horror manga of the same name by the legendary horror writer, Junji Ito. After two agonising decades of waiting and five years in between for production, the show finally aired on 28th September of this year to rave reviews.
Unfortunately, the glowing praise has not carried over to its second episode. In fact, fans of the horror series and general viewers alike were outraged by the sudden drop in the animation quality of episode 2.
Jason DeMarco, executive producer of “Uzumaki,” took to Bluesky (a social media alternative to X) and addressed the fanbase’s concerns. Despite being given five years to cook, the production of the show faced several issues and setbacks, according to DeMarco. He continued to state that the team was facing three options on how to proceed: cancel the show, release only the first episode, or complete all four regardless of the dip in quality.
Ultimately, the crew decided on the third option out of respect for the hard work that was invested, regardless of the incoming backlash. Although the decision to keep the episodes airing was made, DeMarco said that he understands the disappointment of the fans, adding that one or two people’s actions were the cause of the issues, without elaborating.
“After waiting so long, it makes sense people would be mad. Unfortunately, I can’t tell them who to blame it on… but someone is definitely at fault here, and we all just had to do our best when things imploded. Maybe others would have made different choices. We did the best we could with what we had.“
However, he believes that if the series had never seen the light of day, it would have been unjust to those who invested their blood, sweat, and tears into it. Although supporters have every right to be disappointed, DeMarco emphasised that the team gave it their all under the given conditions. He added that he is still happy that some viewers are still finding the series enjoyable in spite of the difficulties.
“But again, a lot of ppl worked very hard on this show and I didn’t think the actions of just one or two people should be the reason it never saw the light of day. Maybe that’s the wrong choice, I truly don’t know. But those ppl have a right to be annoyed and disappointed. I’m glad you are digging it.”
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Anime Hunch, X,
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