Lowest-Rated TV Series of 2023 Already Got Season 2 Renewal

Summary

• Although 2023 was a prolific year for TV shows, the four that came out were incredibly coldly received.
• One of them was Velma, an adult-oriented Scooby-Doo spin-off.
• Despite the backlash, the show was renewed for a second season.

Although the American television industry was at a virtual standstill for nearly six months due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, there were a number of great shows released in 2023. If you look at the Rotten Tomatoes ratings, for example, nearly 100 shows received a score of 75 percent or higher from critics, earning them 'Certified Fresh' status.

But at the same time, 2023 also brought us no small amount of controversy, as some series proved to be scandalously poorly received. Some were chastised for their lack of understanding of where the story was going, some became a confirmation of the problems with the production process imposed by media giants, and some had fans who had long since turned away and new seasons just didn't make sense.

However, one of the shows we're going to talk about today, to everyone's surprise, was renewed for a second season despite having the lowest ratings of all of 2023.

One of Year's Worst Shows Renewed

Velma

Serializd rating: 1.39

Rotten Tomatoes: 39/7%

IMDb: 1.6

Available on: Max

The worst TV show of the year turned out to be the adult animated series Velma, a story about the core member of Mystery Incorporated, created exclusively for Max (still known as HBO Max at the time of its release). Even though the show was developed by such television giants as Charlie Grandy (writer of several episodes of the cult series The Office ) and Mindy Kaling (actress and co-writer of The Office, as well as creator of several popular series, including The Mindy Project), neither critics nor viewers really understood what the writers were trying to say.

On the one hand, the show offered occasionally funny jokes and okay voice acting; on the other hand, its supposedly self-aware revisionist approach and meta-storytelling had little to do with the Scooby-Doo franchise (many critics noted that the plot could have been applied to any other show), and its attempts to mock television tropes and stereotypes stumbled over themselves without offering anything in return.

However, while such low ratings suggest that the show will be canceled as soon as possible, Max has decided to renew Velma for a second season. In June, Suzanna Makkos, Executive Vice President of Original Comedy and Adult Animation for Adult Swim and Max, confirmed that Season 2 would be released as early as 2024. At the time of its release, many commented that the first season felt more like a 'pilot,' so hopefully Grandy and Kaling can rethink the approach and, of course, finally add Scooby-Doo.

Other 2023 Shows That Have Been Lambasted

Secret Invasion

Serializd rating: 2.48

Available on: Disney+

According to Serializd, Secret Invasion received the 'highest' rating among the four worst TV series of the year. However, in the viewers' perception, this does not make it more than mediocre due to the lazy and unoriginal script that looks like a waste of talent.

The Flash

Serializd rating: 2.29

Available on: Netflix

One of The CW's newest series has long since gone from being one of the most loved shows on TV to one of the most hated, and few, if any, people were looking forward to the final season.

The Idol

Serializd rating: 1.49

Available on: Max

The second worst show of the year after Velma was The Idol. Sam Levinson and The Weeknd, having snatched the reins from Amy Seimetz, didn't seem to realize why they created the show, other than for hype.

Source: Serializd.