Velma, Daphne and Fred look worried in VelmaMax’s controversial Scooby-Doo series, Velma, has seemingly been canceled after two seasons. Premiered in January 2023, the adult animated series explores the backstories of the human members of Mystery Incorporated before they officially come together, centering on Velma Dinkley as she attempts to uncover the truth behind her mother’s disappearance and the murders of several teenage girls. Mindy Kaling leads Velma‘s voice cast as the titular character alongside Glenn Howerton as Fred, Sam Richardson as Shaggy, and Constance Wu as Daphne.

Now, shortly after a Halloween special was released on October 3, Velma has seemingly been canceled by Max, according to a since-deleted post by background painter Davey Cummings on Instagram:

Background painter Davey Cummings' Instagram post about Velma seemingly being canceled

Featuring a slideshow of backgrounds that he painted for the Velma Halloween special, Cummings captioned the post saying it was “so fun working with this crew” and that “there will not be a season 3,” though he hopes he will “get to work with these amazingly talented people again one day.” He also urged audiences to watch the new Halloween special on Max.

What Davey Cummings’ Instagram Post Means For Velma

The Controversial Scooby-Doo Series Has Seemingly Been Canceled

Daphne looks angry while Velma looks on as they walk through the woods in Velma season 2 ep 1 Fred looking angry in Velma season 2 ep 1 Velma and Fred chatting with Linda and Donna in Velma season 2 ep 1 Velma discovers Sheriff Cogburn's body among the bushesin Velma season 2 ep 1 Daphne sitting in an ambulance, covered with a blanket, and Velma looking worrie in Velma season 2 ep 1
Daphne looks angry while Velma looks on as they walk through the woods in Velma season 2 ep 1 Fred looking angry in Velma season 2 ep 1 Velma and Fred chatting with Linda and Donna in Velma season 2 ep 1 Velma discovers Sheriff Cogburn's body among the bushesin Velma season 2 ep 1 Daphne sitting in an ambulance, covered with a blanket, and Velma looking worrie in Velma season 2 ep 1

While not an official confirmation that it has been canceled by the streaming service, background painter Davey Cummings’ Instagram post suggests that Velma will not be returning for a third season on Max. Before the recent Halloween special, Velma season 2 was released in April 2024 and, while there are no viewership numbers available for the second season, the series has been highly controversial amongst critics and audiences. If it has in fact been canceled, season 2 likely did not see the viewership required for Max to renew it for another season.

Velma was highly controversial from the start since it’s the first TV series in the franchise not to feature the character of Scooby-Doo. The show is also a darkly comedic and mature take on the Scooby-Doo franchise, with several changes made to existing characters, including being race-swapped, with Velma portrayed as a bisexual South Asian American, Shaggy as African-American, and Daphne as an East Asian American. All this amounted to an overwhelmingly negative critical and audience response, with Velma ranked as one of the worst shows of 2023 and one of the lowest-rated shows on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.

Our Take On Velma Seemingly Being Canceled

Season 2 Likely Saw A Massive Drop In Viewership


Likely due to the massive controversy surrounding the show, Velma season 1 set an HBO Max record for the biggest premiere day of any original animated show. However, as that controversy has calmed down, the second season likely saw a massive drop in viewership, seemingly causing the streaming service to pull the plug. While much of the backlash to Velma‘s race-swapping may have been in bad faith, there were many valid criticisms of the show’s humor, meta storytelling, characterization, writing, and departures from the traditional Scooby-Doo format.