Velma Massively Popular Despite So Many Negative Reviews

By Aaron Perine

Velma might be swimming in negative reviews, but the popularity of the series is surging anyway. HBO Max debuted the Scooby-Doo reimagining helmed by Mindy Kaling recently. And, the show has remained in the top 10 programs streamed on the service from the word go. The Wrap reports that demand for Velma has increased 127% this week. So, it's actually more in-demand than The Last of Us. Maybe some of that negative attention drew people in to see what the fuss was about? Or perhaps, getting that shiny front-page spot on the app with a recognizable franchise like Scooby-Doo did the trick. Kaling talked about the opportunity to represent a whole different segment of fans with this interpretation back at New York Comic Con with UPI. 

"There is not a lot of representation of Indian Americans, girls of color in '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s animation," the producer said back then. "So, what I loved about [Velma] is she is the closest to what I could see -- a smart, A-student with thick glasses that are always falling off, skeptical. She has a lot of these amazing qualities… As a kid watching the reruns of the original Scooby-Doo, I felt like I really identified with this character. I love that she exists. She's not traditionally gorgeous. She just helps the gang out because she is so smart."

"We've been so inspired by Into the Spider-Verse and seeing these other characters that can embody the spirit of these iconic franchises, and we were like: 'Why don't we try that? We love Scooby-Doo so much and we're going to honor it,'" Kaling continued. "It's such an amazing series, the 1960s show, and we love it. We love what other people have done with their own versions of it, like the movies, and we thought this was an interesting, fun way to make a different choice -- something that hadn't been done before."

Possible Harley Quinn Crossover Coming? 

ComicBook.com's Chris Killian talked to Kaling and Charlie Grady at Comic Con as well. During their conversation, the idea of a Harley Quinn crossover came up. To say the least, Grandy would be thrilled to have that happen. Some fans see an easy path as both are violent cartoons aimed more toward adults. But, nothing is in the works just yet.

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"If this is a success or does take off, there will absolutely be talks about doing something," Charlie Grandy explained to ComicBook.com. "Again, that honors the original show, and we want to honor the original Scooby as much as we can. So that's baked into the DNA of the original. So we'll look for ways to do our take on that."

Are you surprised by these numbers for Velma? Let us know down in the comments!

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