MAX is canceling its raunchy Scooby Doo reimagining Velma

After two seasons and over two years of… passionate online discourse, MAX is axing Mindy Kaling’s raunchy Scooby-Doo reimagining, Velma. Following a confusing bait-and-switch, the streaming service has officially confirmed the series won’t be getting a third season, and many Scooby-Doo fans aren’t bottling up their tears of joy.

MAX is axing Velma after two seasons and a Halloween special

After months of speculation, the first hint of Velma‘s cancellation came from Davey Cummings, one of the show’s background artists. Throughout the show’s run, Cummings regularly uploaded images of the background art he made for Velma to his Instagram page.

In a now-deleted post he uploaded on October 8, 2024, Cummings revealed MAX would not be renewing Velma for a third season. He expressed his appreciation for Velma‘s artists and animators, emphasizing his desire to work with them again on another project someday. He rounded the post off by encouraging readers to watch Velma‘s newly released Halloween special, the apply-named “This Halloween Needs To Be More Special!”

“There will not be a Season 3, but I hope I get to work with these amazing talented people again one day. GO WATCH VELMA HALLOWEEN SPECIAL ON MAX!!”

-Dave Cummings

Cummings’ announcement turned the Internet’s collective head, with many onlookers taking this statement from one of Velma‘s staff as proof that the show was ending. However, Cummings backpedaled on his announcement in another deleted Instagram post just a few hours later. Here, Cummings clarified MAX hadn’t officially canceled the show yet and that Velma’s fans and detractors shouldn’t take his comments as a reflection of MAX or Warner Bros. Discovery’s plans for the show.

This made an already uncertain situation even more dubious for onlookers, but things became crystal clear after MAX officially announced they were canceling Velma. In an official statement given to IGN, MAX confirmed Velma won’t be returning for a third season, expressing their condolences to the show’s creative team and wishing them well in all their future endeavors.

“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.

Max Spokesman, IGN

In the wake of this official declaration, I suspect Cummings and other members of Velma’s staff knew that the show’s chances of getting renewed were low, but that didn’t stop them from believing it could happen. Velma‘s Halloween special ends on a cliffhanger, so it’s clear that the show’s producers, writers, and art stream were hoping to get a third season.