Veronica Mars – Nostalgia Central

2 0 0 4 – 2 0 0 7 (USA)
64 x 45 minute episodes
2 0 1 9 (USA)
8 x 45 minute episodes

Premiering on 22 September 2004, the UPN mystery series Veronica Mars put its teenage characters into tough adult situations and addressed real-life concerns (much like Buffy the Vampire Slayer). It was funny. too, with a sharp-witted and quip-filled script that was worthy of the best sitcoms.

It was neo-noir, a private-dick show set in Neptune High, a seaside Californian school attended by the children of the uberwealthy – and by the children of their household staff,

Fiercely intelligent Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) was the daughter of County Sheriff Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni), and as the show began. Veronica’s best friend Lilly (Amanda Seyfried) had been murdered.

Keith accused Lilly’s billionaire father of the crime, and the town revolted. Keith was ousted from office, Veronica was ostracised by her peers, and her mother abandoned the family.

By day, Veronica navigated classes, and after school, she worked as an assistant for her father’s newly formed private investigation agency, Mars Investigations, while secretly trying to solve Lilly’s murder.

While investigating that crime throughout the whole first season, Veronica uncovered the dark secrets in the immaculate homes of Neptune and grappled with her own issues.

Key characters included Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), the psychotic prom king and son of a famous Hollywood star, who started out as Veronica’s cruel antagonist but evolved into a complex, central figure and a major romantic interest; Veronica’s loyal, athletic best friend, Wallace Fennel (Percy Daggs III), who frequently acted as her insider help for school-based cases; and Eli “Weevil” Navarro (Francis Capra), the leader of the local PCHers motorcycle gang, who – despite being on opposite sides of the social divide – formed a mutual respect and alliance with Veronica.

The standout performance, though, was Kristen Bell’s in the title role.

Again, like Buffy, Veronica had something she had to do in the world, something more than simply find a boy and fall in love. She resisted love on the grounds that it might distract her from her greater purpose, make her contented, and take away her drive.

The show lasted only three seasons, each with a different central mystery – along with self-contained mysteries that Veronica had to solve for her classmates or her dad’s clients.

But six years after its cancellation, its creator, Rob Thomas, sought $2 million in crowdfunding to make a movie to wrap up the story.

The Kickstarter project raised almost $6 million, and the movie premiered in Los Angeles in 2014.

A gritty, adult-oriented eight-episode Hulu revival – focusing on a spring break bombing – aired in 2019.

Veronica Mars
Kristen Bell
Logan Echolls
Jason Dohring
Keith Mars
Enrico Colantoni
Wallace Fennel
Percy Daggs III
Eli “Weevil” Navarro
Francis Capra
Dick Casablancas
Ryan Hansen
Duncan Kane
Teddy Dunn
Sheriff Don Lamb
Michael Muhney
Cindy ‘Mac’ Mackenzie
Tina Majorino
Deputy Jerry Sacks
Brandon Hillock
Cassidy ‘Beaver’ Casablancas
Kyle Gallner
Jackie Cook
Tessa Thompson
Parker Lee
Julie Gonzalo
Cliff McCormack
Daran Norris
Stosh ‘Piz’ Piznarski
Chris Lowell
Van Clemmons
Duane Daniels
Leo D’Amato
Max Greenfield
Vinnie Van Lowe
Ken Marino
Hector
Patrick Wolff
Aaron Echolls
Harry Hamlin
Kendall Casablancas
Charisma Carpenter
Lily Kane
Amanda Seyfried
Celeste Kane
Lisa Thornhill
Jake Kane
Kyle Secor