Part 1/10:

The Fall of Velma: A Deep Dive into a Failed Reboot

Introduction: Excitement Turns to Embarrassment

A few years ago, Mindy Kaling celebrated the greenlighting of her animated series Velma, a show that was set to appear first on HBO Max, later rebranded as Max. The announcement was met with considerable hype, primarily because of Kaling's involvement, and the show's provocative approach—it featured a self-insert, race-swapped Velma and a similarly reimagined Shaggy, among other controversial choices. These radical changes in a beloved franchise immediately sparked curiosity and concern about the direction of the series.