Veronica Mars was a show that ran for three seasons on the UPN/CW network, and told the story of the titular character: a high school girl with a detective father who investigated the murder of her best friend, her own sexual assault, and other horrible things that happened in Neptune. The show had a cult following; enough that a Kickstarter campaign in 2014 gave money to the creators to do a movie, and then Hulu picked it up for a fourth season. Are there more seasons in the future? We hope so, as the show always had great dialogue, interesting mysteries, and a great central character. While we’re waiting for renewal news for a fifth season, here are the reasons you should re-watch (or watch for the first time) Veronica Mars:
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Neo-noir at its Finest
Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) had it all until her best friend Lilly (Amanda Seyfried) got murdered, and she got sexually assaulted at a Christmas party. The character’s loss of innocence and her desire to find her best friend’s killer made the character interesting and perfect for a noir show. She used to be popular and sweet, but life and her smarts make her something different and unique, making her a saver of lost causes, and also a high school detective.
One of the first lines in the pilot says that in Neptune, the place where the show is set, there’s no middle class, only haves and have-nots, and that’s an incredible place for any noir story. Brick had already proved high school could be a great place for noir, and Veronica Mars also uses it as the extension of those rich versus poor, as teens are the perfect characters to show that entitlement and resentment. There’s also the fact that for teenagers, everything is a life and death situation, making having a detective like Veronica in high school, something essential.
Veronica Mars uses elements of the noir genre to its advantage, twisting them lightly, so they fit their new space. Veronica Mars has a voiceover, although it cracks more jokes than those of Marlowe or Sam Spade. There are also Men Fatale, an ongoing mystery that might reveal the rotten morals of the whole town; some shady characters who maybe are allies and maybe are villains, and, especially, some action scenes where our heroine uses her smarts more than her physicality.
About its return for a fourth season on Hulu in 2019, creator Rob Thomas told GQ: “It is strange that Veronica Mars is more popular now than when we were on the air doing full seasons 15 years ago. It’s just been slow picking up momentum, but it’s probably as big now as it’s ever been, and I would love to keep that going.”
Kristen Bell’s Best Role Ever
Although Kristen Bell had already appeared in some TV shows like Deadwood or The Shield, this is the show that proved she could be a star. Like many famous detectives, her character is sarcastic, closed-off, smart, resourceful, and loyal to those who she loves, but she’s also a teenage girl who gets scared, loves her father, misses her mother, gets crushes on boys, and has to do homework. Bell nailed every emotion the show sent her way. In the first season, she was the show, as she appeared in every scene, so for the second and third seasons, Rob Thomas and his team envisioned some other side mysteries, so other characters could also shine, and they gave their star some time to rest.
As the show evolved, so did Veronica, as some of her best qualities also became weaknesses, as her closedness and always getting in harm’s way restrained her relationships with her father, friends, and boyfriend.
Even though Veronica Mars had a cult following, it was Bell’s greatest way to get on Hollywood’s radar, as she could do everything they needed from her, and in this show, she didn’t even use her singing and dancing abilities, or her improvisational skills. Other great Kristen Bell performances have made her a star, but for many, she’ll always be Veronica Mars. Bell herself might feel similar, as she has come back to the character, again and again.
Great Writing and Cast
Veronica Mars had great writing, both using the noir elements, and high-school drama with great dialogue, puny jokes, and many pop-culture references. Its central mysteries were always entertaining and surprising, especially what happened to Veronica’s best friend, Lilly Kane. Rob Thomas showed his writing skills in his other shows, Party Down and iZombie, and both had the same sharp dialogue and love for their characters as Veronica Mars. About the writing on the show, Kristen Bell told Nylon: “When Veronica Mars was on, there were still very few shows on the air that showcased an empowered female character.”
As with any noir show with an overarching mystery and a case of the week, the show had many guest star slots to fill, and the casting team had a great eye, as many guest stars later became famous. Jessica Chastain, Leighton Meester, Krysten Ritter, Aaron Paul, Melissa Leo, and Adam Scott had some of their first chances as actors in Veronica Mars. One of the best casting success stories in the show was making Amanda Seyfried be Lilly, Veronica’s best friend whose murder is the central mystery of the first season, and proving how Seyfried could give great performances. Another was casting Tessa Thompson as the second season’s series regular, Jackie, a rich girl with whom Veronica’s best friend Wallace (Percy Diggs III) had a will they-won’t they love story in the season. Thompson has played many great roles since the show, but even then, her talent was undeniable as she made us love and hate (and then love again) her character at her own will.
We’re still waiting for a Hulu announcement for a new season, but meanwhile, re-watching the show seems like the greatest idea ever. Once you know who did it, you can enjoy how they reveal each clue masterfully and enjoy the dialogue and characters. From every case that goes Veronica’s way, there’s something new to learn, while viewing how the show has evolved over the years, following the path of one of the greatest detectives in TV history, the one, and only Veronica Mars.
