HBO Max gets animated with Velma starring Mindy Kaling, 2 seasons of Clone High, more

By Shannon Miller | February 10, 2021 | 4:30pm

TV Features HBO

HBO Max gets animated with Velma starring Mindy Kaling, 2 seasons of Clone High, more

L to R: Clone High (Screenshot: YouTube) and Velma in Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated (Screenshot: YouTube) Graphic: The A.V. Club

During Wednesday morning’s TCA presentation, HBO Max flexed its commitment to adult animation with an announcement that included a litany of new original titles, some projects that are currently in development, and a renewal. Two of the biggest announcements are linked to cult favorites: The streamer has ordered two seasons of the short-lived MTV classic Clone High and one season of Velma, “the origin story of Velma Dinkley, the unsung and underappreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang.”

Clone High, which only lasted for one season on MTV between 2002 and 2003, will reunite original creators Phil Lord, Bill Lawrence, and Christopher Miller, who are all serving as executive producers of the new project. South Park’s Erica Rivinoja, who wrote on the original series, is also returning as showrunner. Lord and Miller will write the series.

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For Velma, Mindy Kaling will both executive produce and star in the adult comedy from Warner Bros. Animation. Charlie Grandy, Howard Klein and Sam Register will also executive produce. There’s no telling just how adult this story will get, but considering just how little Harley Quinn—another adult creation by Warner Bros. Animation—holds back, we can only hope that Velma gets to let go in similar fashion. Another series, Fired On Mars (from creators Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey), stars Pete Davidson and is described as “an existential workplace comedy set on the Martian campus of a modern tech company.”

In addition to the big reveals, HBO Max also announced a two-season renewal for JG Quintel’s Close Enough, which follows a family that is living with their divorced best friends in L.A. Starring Gabrielle Walsh, Jason Mantzoukas, and Orange Is The New Black’s Kimiko Glenn, season two will include guest stars Rachel Bloom, Heidi Gardner, Keith David, Cheri Oteri, Kevin Michael Richardson, Kate Micucci, David Koechner, Vanessa Marshall, Wendie Malick, Kate Berlant, and Michaela Watkins.

As far as the additional shows that are currently in development, check out the descriptions below, courtesy of HBO Max:

Hello Paul

From creator and musician Sean Solomon, Hello Paul is about a neurotic millennial cat whose intense job and freeloading mouse roommate stress him out.

Obi

Obi is about a 30-year-old man-child chasing his dream to become an artist while navigating adulthood with his friends. Produced by Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, Michael Schreiber for Studio71, and David Devries, OBI is an adaptation of Obi Arisukwu’s popular Instagram comic strip. This project is co-created by Obi Arisukwu and Arthur Harris (The Last OG).

Uncanny Valley

Executive producer Ed Helms with creators/executive producers Brendan Walter and Greg Yagolnitzer tell the story of three awkward domestic helper robots who kill their human owners and try to assume their identities. Uncanny Valley is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Helms and Mike Falbo’s Pacific Electric Picture Company. Andrew Guest is also an executive producer/writer.

Cover

Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack are adapting their acclaimed DC comic book series Cover, an animated espionage thriller and conspiratorial love letter to the comic book industry that was nominated for multiple Eisner Awards. Bendis will write the series and Mack has signed on to direct. Cover is produced by Rooster Teeth Studios.