A decade ago HBO was synonymous with prestige television, more so than Netflix or other nascent streaming services. However, under new ownership, the storied brand and HBO Max face an identity crisis exemplified by both The Last of Us and Velma, two high-profile adaptations on the service.

Warner Bros. Discovery continues WarnerMedia's baffling strategy of trying to keep HBO and HBO Max as discrete entities and brands. The Last of Us is, like House of the Dragon, an HBO series that also streams on HBO Max. Meanwhile, Velma is an adult-animated series exclusively on HBO Max and nowhere to be seen on cable. It seems executives see HBO Max as less important than the Warner Bros. premium cable channels. While the series may seem as different as two shows can be, they do share a lot in common. Both are adaptations of other material aimed at adults. Both make changes to the central cast of white characters, adding diversity more reflective of a global audience. The Last of Us has an incredibly high production budget. While Velma's budget isn't known, it looks expensive for a cartoon. However, from promotion to execution, the two series represent two conflicting strategies about WBD's most important TV outlets.

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Velma and The Last of Us Represent Two Different Content Philosophies for Adaptations

Reviewers for The Last of Us found the show to be good for "the most scrutinizing fans but completely accessible" to new viewers. Meanwhile, Velma didn't enjoy that kind of consensus. Those not enchanted by the Mindy Kaling-helmed series "found the meta approach… frustrating," with some even questioning the need for the show to exist. While Kaling may credit Into the Spider-Verse as inspiration, it's clear that for Warner Bros., Velma is meant to be a spiritual Harley Quinn II: a comedy that shocks viewers by featuring beloved childhood characters saying and doing very adult things. And it works. Velma is HBO Max's most-streamed animated premiere. Harley Quinn is the rare DC property that is still going full-speed ahead at HBO Max.

While fans and critics alike praise The Last of Us for its faithfulness to the game's story, there are significant changes. Series creator Craig Mazin is remixing the existing story to make it his own. Velma, however, almost seems like a callous remixing of a beloved property that few people wanted. If Kaling wanted to emulate the Miles Morales animated origin story, Velma should've been aimed at an all-ages audience. When a recent Halloween special confirmed Velma identified as LGBT, the reaction was more celebratory. Viewers truly love these characters, in almost every form. Velma, with explicit drug references and questionable "Me Too" gags, sours the experience. Absent those elements, Kaling's show would be a fun new series for families to watch together.

Warner Bros. Discovery clearly wants ambitious series that take chances on HBO. Yet, when it comes to HBO Max originals that survived the purge, the strategy seems to be the kind of homogeneity found among the offerings on Discovery+. When it comes to pushing boundaries and subverting expectations, the show Velma audiences were promised is not what they got. This feels like not the fault of the storytellers, doing the best they can to tell their story however they can. Rather it feels as if people who analyze data and translate that into a monetary value have a very limited idea of what works.

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What Makes an HBO Series Good Has Nothing To Do With Whether It's Cable or Streaming

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Another similarity The Last of Us and Velma share is that both hope to introduce familiar characters to a new audience. The difference is that the former expects fans to have no idea who these people are, while the latter depends on familiarity with the Scooby-Doo franchise. The Last of Us tames its story to keep it authentic, while Velma pushes boundaries in a desperate reach for an edge. Unlike the satire of comic book earnestness found on Harley Quinn, Velma misses the mark. The show lands somewhere between misrepresenting or disrespecting the characters, at least in fans' eyes. Though this may simply be the difference between one show being a first adaptation and the other being the umpteenth attempt to make the Scooby Gang feel brand new.

However, the new Warner Bros. seems to think that making a quality series for HBO is somehow different from making one for HBO Max. The Last of Us is a bold new direction in the arguably, over-crowded dystopia genre. Velma feels like an attempt to mine intellectual property in a formulaic way, based on the surprise success of Harley Quinn. However, what makes that series work is that it is villain focused. Velma Dinkley is, as the show says, the unsung hero of the gang. If Velma doesn't find its voice (as most series do over time), it may end up canceled as production starts on a TV-MA Looney Tunes series.

Luckily for fans of the HBO Max series, Velma is likely getting Season 2. Because of the long lead time for animation, Warner Bros. probably followed the Harley Quinn model by greenlighting a second season early. The Last of Us will face even higher expectations as the series progresses, and Season 2 is a foregone conclusion. Velma can be as great as The Last of Us, relatively speaking, so long as the storytellers aren't forced into a box that is shaped by viewer metrics.

The Last of Us debuts new episodes Sundays at 9 PM Eastern on HBO and HBO Max, while Velma debuts new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max alone.