From 100% to Canceled: Max's Top Sci-Fi Show Bites the Dust, While Flop with 11% on RT Gets S2
Max's decisions are sometimes just too questionable.
On October 19, 2023, the first episodes of the sci-fi animated series Scavengers Reign by directors Joe Bennett and Charles Huettner premiered on Max.
The project grew from the short film Scavengers into a full-blown animated series about the crashed crew of a cargo ship. On a breathtakingly beautiful and carnivorous planet, the characters are forced to adapt to life alongside merciless parasitic organisms.
The great beauty of Scavengers Reign is that under the guise of a survival story, Bennett and Huettner offer an entire world structured like an unpredictable machine. The planet lives a life of its own – so enchanting and eerie that you can watch it endlessly.
The animated series is an unusual and exciting experience. With a minimum of dialogue, it asks a maximum of questions.
Scavengers Reign Was Canceled by Max, But Picked Up by Netflix
And if you have not yet set foot in uncharted territory, then now is the time – Scavengers Reign, which received a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, was canceled by Max, but was immediately picked up by Netflix, where the series will begin streaming on May 31. At the same time, the fate of the second season of one of the most outstanding sci-fi series of recent years remains unknown.
So perhaps viewers should pay a lot of attention to the appearance of Scavengers Reign on Netflix – the more views the show has, the more likely it is that the heads of Netflix will decide to renew the series.
Velma Season 2 Renewal Infuriated Fans
But what upsets viewers is not that Max canceled Scavengers Reign, but that at the same time it renewed one of the most infamous animated series, which received a devastating (and deserved) 11% on Rotten Tomatoes – Velma.
Every year, or even every month, movies and TV series appear on our screens that soullessly destroy childhood memories. Hollywood's intellectual property recycling machine never sleeps: a few manage to preserve the spirit of the source material, while in most cases fans are still disappointed by the author's choices in the new century.
And while relying on nostalgia and classics is often just as detrimental, there is nothing more tiresome than failed attempts to completely change an original concept for the sake of notoriety and the lowest ratings in the history of IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.
Velma is Very Bad at Manipulating Nostalgia
Velma's solo adventure is unbearable for one simple reason: by attempting a progressive image of exploring one's sexuality and celebrating self-reflection, the show instead takes on unprecedented proportions of dense misogyny.
The very process of the comic search and capture of criminals gives way to satire, commenting on realities but completely forgetting the concept and integrity. Every second gags and flat characters do not introduce new audiences to the heritage of the past, but mindlessly ridicule stereotypes about teenagers, parents and television.
However, neither low ratings nor disastrous reviews from critics have prevented Max from renewing Velma for a second season, which was released on April 25th and already has a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Scavengers Reign Still Has a Chance for Season 2
No matter how blatant Max's decisions may seem, we still have the power to influence Netflix's decisions – we remind you that Scavengers Reign will be released on Netflix on May 31st and it needs your support.