Velma has become a cultural phenomenon for none of the reasons the show’s creators planned, having been given the lowest-ever rating on IMDb and reaching a low of 6% audience approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the series has become its own biggest mystery, as after a record-breaking HBO Max debut, the show has become one of the most in-demand new shows with a week-on-week jump of 127%, which sets it above shows like The Last of Us.
According to Parrot Analytics, Velma has rocketed up the chart to become the most “in-demand” show when considering customer research, downloads, streaming views, and social media interactions. From the TV shows released in the last 100 days, Wednesday continued to be the most talked about show, but Velma’s standing soared to put it in a solid second place.
Obviously, this brings its own paradox considering that most interactions around Velma are not positive. So while the interest in the show is something that HBO Max would normally celebrate, the ever-decreasing audience and critic scores for the series are nothing short of an embarrassment to all involved in the show’s production for completely misjudging not only its intended audience but also Scooby-Doo fans everywhere.
Velma has gained over 47,000 1-star ratings on IMDb, giving it an average rating of 1.3 out of 10, and has been rated as “rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes by over 9,200 of its 9,797 ratings. Even the critic ratings, which started at a reasonable 64%, have trickled down to 45%, with most recent reviews joining audiences in slamming the show for its misguided approach to the IP.
Can Velma’s 'In-Demand' Status Be Mistaken For Being Popular?
When the internet turns on a show or movie, there are instantly two ways that the public is going to react. Shun the thing entirely, which happened when Morbius became an online laughingstock last year, or flock to see whether the terrible reviews are accurate or just the mean-spirited review-bombing of an overly protective fan base.
The one thing that could well come from the huge amount of attention being lavished on Velma is for HBO Max to believe that there is enough interest in the show for a second season to be given the go-ahead. This could be something that would end up either backfiring in the same way as Morbius’ second ill-advised release in cinemas or finding many viewers returning to see if the second season is any better than the first.
There has currently been no word on what the future of Velma holds. However, it is clear that there are still many people who are joining the long list of viewers who have been unimpressed, disgruntled, or even offended by what the series has brought to the Scooby-Doo franchise. Comedy is certainly one of the most subjective areas in television, but with such a unanimous negative reaction, can there really be a justification for Velma’s renewal? In the wake of the cancelation of so many popular HBO Max shows in the last six months, there are many that would, appropriately, respond with a firm negative.