Commentary: ‘Velma’ Should Have Stuck With Its Original Release Model

Velma, starring Mindy Kaling, drew much criticism for its first season. It wasn’t just the changes they made to the series’ iconic characters, it also had an enormous amount of one-liners that muddled the plots. Also, the story it didn’t really deliver on the mystery aspect the original Where Are You, Scooby-Doo? handled so well. The mystery on Velma was clumsy and often got sidetracked by character drama that just wasn’t interesting. However, the show did have a saving grace for those willing to stomach it: the slow drip release schedule. Since the days of streaming began, there has been a constant debate about which release schedule is best. There is the binge model — when all episodes drop at once — and also the more traditional model, which releases episodes weekly similar to how shows aired on cable and broadcast. Velma’s second season switched to the binge, and it’s hard to imagine the show won’t take a hit because of it.

Velma’s first season released weekly. This made it much more manageable for those who were curious about the show because of its nostalgia, but couldn’t take the constant character drama and cringey stream of one-liners. It was easy to finish an episode, shake off the parts that weren’t enjoyable, and let everything settle down until the next episode aired in a week. That’s much harder to do in the binge model. Audiences are left to regulate their own viewing schedule, which sometimes can be a daunting task. When the first episode begins, the entire season is right there at their disposal, like a grueling mountain waiting to be climbed. So it’s much easier to just not watch the show if it’s unappealing rather than giving it a once-a-week chance because of nostalgia.

This just goes to show how important release schedules are in terms of psychology. An audience’s perception of a show can be heavily influenced by its viewing experience. A simple example: watching a movie in a theater as opposed to home. The binge model versus the weekly model is another great example. A lot of times shows will decide which model they want to adopt beforehand because it helps how viewers will experience the story and allow it to unfold. Switching from one to the other between seasons maybe more of a corporate decision rather than a creative one. But still, it has an effect on a certain type of audience member, mainly those who were okay absorbing the show one episode at a time rather than the prospect of trying to regulate their own viewing speed.

Velma is now streaming on Max.