This headline nearly said “HBO Max Announces Three New Animated Shows.” But that wouldn’t be entirely truthful, as two of them are based on pre-existing shows and can’t technically be labeled as “new.” Mind, this is more of a nitpick than a complaint. How can anyone be mad about the return of Clone High?
CLONE HIGH – Two season order
A modern refresh of the Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Bill Lawrence hit series set at a high school for clones of historical figures. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller return as executive producers and writers. Bill Lawrence is also returning as executive producer with Erica Rivinoja, (“South Park,” “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) who wrote on the original “Clone High” returning as showrunner. CLONE HIGH is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios.
This is one of the funniest shows of all time, and it cruelly ended on a cliffhanger after just one season. Twenty years is a long time to wait, but with all the original writers on board, our hopes are high.
Next up is the first Scooby Universe series for grown-ups…
VELMA
VELMA is an adult animated comedy series telling the origin story of Velma Dinkley, the unsung and underappreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang. An original and humorous spin that unmasks the complex and colorful past of one of America’s most beloved mystery solvers, executive producer Mindy Kaling will voice the titular character. Charlie Grandy, Howard Klein and Sam Register also serve as executive producers. VELMA is produced by Warner Bros. Animation.
Not much is known about this one beyond the description. “Origin story” could mean a younger Velma…..no, wait, “A Pup Named Scooby Doo” established that the Scooby Gang knew each other as kids already. At what point was Velma alone? As a fetus? That’d make for an interesting thirteen episodes.
FIRED ON MARS
From creators Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey, FIRED ON MARS is an existential workplace comedy set on the Martian campus of a modern tech company. Pete Davidson voices a character and executive produces with Carson Mell (“Silicon Valley”) and Dave Sirus.
The only wholly original series announced by HBO Max that day. It has an interesting premise that could go places. We’ll see what we think of it.
In addition to the new series announcements, HBO Max renewed JG Quintel’s Close Enough for a third season. The second season premieres February 25.
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