162-417: Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas . The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during network UPN 's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor network, The CW . Balancing murder mystery, high-school , and college drama, the series features social commentary with sarcasm and off-beat humor in a style often compared to film noir . Set in
324-479: A bat then was shot and killed by Sacks. Laura San Giacomo recurs as Harmony Chase, a married woman with whom Keith becomes romantically involved. Max Greenfield recurs as Leo D'Amato, introduced as the new Sheriff's Deputy, Veronica befriends. Without his consent, Veronica steals a recording of an anonymous tip implicating Abel Koontz in Lilly Kane's death from the evidence room. Leo is shortly suspended for
486-475: A black eye. Once Dylan arrives to talk to Aaron about starring in his movie, Aaron confronts him and beats him. In " My Mother, the Fiend ," Trina returns to Neptune as the "Special Celebrity Director" of the school play. During this time, Veronica investigates the case of a baby left in the bathroom of Neptune High during the prom of 1980. She believes Celeste Kane is the mother and wants her to own up to abandoning
648-492: A car's headlights in with a tire iron. During the final auditions, Dohring read two times with Bell and met with the studio and the network. When reading with Bell, Dohring acted the whole scene as if he was the one who raped her and tried to give the character a certain evil feel. Percy Daggs III portrayed Wallace Fennel, Veronica's best friend and frequent partner in mystery solving. Daggs auditioned for Wallace's role twice before being cast and had to go through three tests with
810-479: A caterer who had seen Aaron having an affair at a party, and he had her fired. At the Echolls's Christmas party, the caterer knifed Aaron in the gut. Aaron recovered and hired Keith to find out who was leaking stories of his many infidelities to the press, only to discover Lynn. When Aaron confronted Lynn, she said that she wanted to hurt him as he hurt her, went back to her car, took some pills, and drove away. Her car
972-481: A cliff, killing all but one passenger. Veronica, who was supposed to be on the bus, makes it her mission to discover why the bus crashed and who is responsible. Logan picks a fight with Weevil and the PCHers and ends up accused of killing Felix (a charge he denies). Through the season, Weevil becomes convinced of Logan's innocence, and they team up to find the real killer. This season shows Veronica's life returning to much
1134-401: A critical success throughout its run, criticisms began to emerge in its third season. Keith McDuffee of TV Squad described the third season as "disappointing," mainly because the episodes offered nothing new: "most fans of Veronica Mars felt that season three was clearly its weakest." Eric Goldman of IGN said that the main issue was the shift in the overall tone, with a lighter feeling than
1296-532: A deputy. Greenfield reprises his role in the fourth season , where it is revealed that he has since joined the FBI and returns to Neptune to aid in the Spring Break bombing case. Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas . The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California , and stars Kristen Bell as
1458-441: A different "case of the week" while trying to solve a larger mystery that spans several episodes or a whole season. The first two seasons of Veronica Mars have a season-long mystery arc, which is introduced in the first episode of the season and solved in the finale. The third season takes on a different format, focusing on two smaller mystery arcs that last the course of nine and six episodes respectively. The final five episodes of
1620-552: A drinking problem and leaves town, never to return. Veronica's "09er" friends—wealthy students from the fictional 90909 ZIP Code —demand that she choose between them and her father; Veronica chooses her father. After losing the election for sheriff and being ostracized by the entire community, Keith opens a private investigation agency, Mars Investigations, where Veronica works part-time. Veronica helps her father solve cases and conducts her own investigations on behalf of schoolmates. Veronica discovers evidence suggesting that Abel Koontz,
1782-526: A fake real name; really Priscilla Banks), Cassidy and Dick's gold-digging stepmother. Kendall first appears in the Season 2 premiere , having married real estate magnate Richard Casablancas, seemingly for his vast wealth. She becomes the stepmother of Dick and Cassidy and begins an affair with their friend, Logan. Cassidy hires Veronica to investigate his stepmother, and she discovers that she helped Richard commit real estate fraud . Veronica told Cassidy and gave
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#17328010501471944-528: A fourth season and that he "would want to bring back our key players, and it would be tough to believe that the FBI stationed Veronica in Neptune." Ausiello later reported that Enrico Colantoni would be involved in the project. Colantoni said that he was fully aware of the talks taking place, adding, "cult shows have translated well into the film arena. Nothing's official, but they're talking about it." In addition to
2106-408: A given season. The "season premiere" is the date that the first episode of the season aired. Similarly, the "season finale" is the date that the final episode of the season aired. Although not a ratings success, the series was a critical success from its first season. Robert Abele of LA Weekly said "in this smart, engaging series about a former popular girl turned crime-solving high school outcast,
2268-469: A hitman for a Mexican cartel. Introduced in season 4, he begins a romantic relationship with Weevil's sister Claudia. Mido Hamada portrays Daniel Maloof, a congressman and Alex's older brother. After Tawny's family attempts to attack him and Alex over an engagement ring, he hires Logan as his bodyguard. Izabela Vidovic portrays Matty Ross, a teenager who lost her dad in bombings. Charisma Carpenter portrays Kendall Casablancas (Kendall Lacey Shifflet,
2430-450: A lawyer, she gets dragged to her high-school reunion by Wallace and Mac. Piz shows up at the reunion to surprise her, only to join the fight that ensued after Madison Sinclair played a copy of his and Veronica's college sex tape. Piz returned to New York the following morning. After she stayed in Neptune longer than initially planned and didn't show up to meet Piz's parents, he later broke up with Veronica. Michael Muhney portrayed Don Lamb,
2592-436: A little dark", and he was told by the producers that it was "not really right". The producers asked Dohring to read for the role of Logan. Dohring acted one scene from the pilot, in which he shattered the headlights of a car with a crowbar. During the final auditions, Dohring read twice with Bell and met with the studio and the network. When reading with Bell, Dohring acted the whole scene as if he had raped her and tried to give
2754-520: A plane to fly over the CW offices, carrying a banner reading "Renew Veronica Mars ." The group hired street teams in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago to distribute 30,000 fliers advertising the series' return after its midseason hiatus in the third season. The "Cloud Watchers" raised $ 50,000 in donations and through the sale of Veronica Mars clothing and tchotchkes . Upon the cancellation of
2916-408: A secret from the tabloids , Aaron arranged for his accountant to deposit $ 10,000 a month from the Echolls estate into a fake charity set up to funnel the money to his son. After learning this information, Logan reaches out to his half-brother, finding a confidante and potential friend. Veronica continues her investigation to discover that the person Logan believes to be his half-brother ( Matt Czuchry )
3078-484: A sex tape of Veronica and Piz starts circulating via email, Logan beats up Piz, believing him to be behind it. Veronica's investigations revealed that the video originated from a Hearst College secret society named The Castle. Piz reappears in the Veronica Mars film, where he is shown to have since relocated to New York City with Veronica. When she temporarily visits her hometown to help her ex-boyfriend Logan find
3240-405: A silenced pistol on Duncan's orders. Lisa Rinna portrays Lynn Echolls, Logan's mother and Trina's stepmother. Lynn was a famous movie star who was married to Aaron Echolls, an even bigger movie star. Lynn tried to ignore Aaron's abuse of Logan by turning to alcohol and pills. After Aaron received several threatening letters, Lynn turned to Keith to discover who was behind them. It turned out to be
3402-433: A song compilation from the series' first and second seasons, was released by Nettwerk Records on September 27, 2005. Thomas revealed that the primary goal for the soundtrack was to "get more publicity, which will in turn hopefully get more viewers for the show". In January 2007, Dawn Ostroff announced that while she was pleased with the gradual ratings improvement of Veronica Mars , the series would be put on hiatus after
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#17328010501473564-472: A stint in prison after the SEC finally caught him. Jeffrey Sams portrays Terrence Cook, an ex-major-league baseball player, gambler, and Jackie's formerly estranged father. He's introduced in season 2 along with Jackie. Terrence is initially suspected of causing a bus crash that killed several Neptune High students in the season 2 premiere. Harry Hamlin plays Aaron Echolls, an Oscar -winning A-list actor and
3726-473: A teacher, and she left baby Trina at his doorstep. He then left the baby in the bathroom at the prom, knowing they would think it belonged to a student. It turned out the teacher was the current principal, Alan Moorehead. Trina busts him in the middle of a staff meeting in front of all the other teachers, and he is fired. As a result of Hannigan's busy schedule, several of her storylines had to be swapped between episodes. Thomas said that he "loved having Alyson in
3888-417: A television script only took several weeks. Knowing that television scripts paid more, Thomas wrote the teen detective project's television version as a spec script before it became a novel. Since no studio or network had asked him to write it, and he would not get paid unless it sold, Thomas said that "it was never a very pressing project for me." Tinkering with it from time to time, Thomas wrote project notes
4050-417: A time held Veronica partly responsible for Lilly's death and went out of his way to harass her. It is eventually revealed that Lilly was killed by Aaron Echolls, Logan's father. The second season begins with introducing two new cases: a bus accident that kills several of Veronica's classmates and the death of PCH gang member Felix Toombs. A school bus carrying six Neptune High students and a teacher plunges off
4212-518: A video promoting the campaign that was shot in February 2012. The goal was met within 10 hours of the start of the campaign. The project broke several Kickstarter records, becoming the site's largest successful film project. The campaign ended on April 13, with 91,585 donors raising $ 5,702,153. Production began in June 2013, with a projected early 2014 release. In December 2013, Thomas announced that
4374-540: A woman named Jade, with whom he has a daughter, Valentina. Enrico Colantoni played Veronica's father Keith Mars, a private investigator and former Balboa County Sheriff. Keith's targeting of billionaire Jake Kane as the primary suspect for Lilly Kane's death led to a public outcry for Keith Mars to be immediately removed from office. Disgraced, Keith was forced into private investigator work. Veronica often helps him solve cases. Sydney Tamiia Poitier played Mallory Dent, Veronica's journalism teacher at Neptune High, through
4536-409: A year before writing the television script. Most of his original ideas made it into the script, but some changed drastically. Thomas wanted to use flashbacks, and he had to shorten the timeline so that the murder could happen in a recent time. Thomas changed the gender of the protagonist because he thought a noir piece told from a female point of view would be more interesting and unique. Kristen Bell
4698-495: Is a lie; she is not a dumb trophy wife, rather a con artist named Priscilla Banks. She had been working with the Fitzpatrick crime family, and spent time in jail to protect her lover, Cormac Fitzpatrick ( Jason Beghe ). Keith breaks into Kendall's home, which leads to a dangerous confrontation with Kendall and Liam Fitzpatrick. When Cormac is released from prison, Keith reunites the two, trying to escape from Liam Fitzpatrick with
4860-416: Is a writer for Vanity Fair who posed as Charlie Stone to get Logan to share personal details about growing up in the Echolls home. The real Charlie Stone refused to answer the reporter's questions, preferring to remain anonymous. Logan, believing that Charlie set up the reporter, reveals his brother's identity on Larry King Live in an attempt to scoop the magazine profile. After Veronica informs him that
5022-758: Is alone in the pool. Veronica promises that she could never forget her best friend. Lilly also appears as a hallucination in the season two premiere, " Normal Is the Watchword ". Distracted by seeing Lilly, Veronica misses the bus and has to ride with Weevil back to town instead; the bus later crashes, and all aboard eventually die. Lilly returns for one last dream sequence in " Not Pictured ", wherein Veronica's subconscious suggests that Lilly would have attended Vassar had she lived. As high-spirited as ever, Lilly brags about her sexual experiments and promises Veronica will understand once she goes to college. A painting of Lilly
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5184-512: Is an American-Canadian television and film actress. Born in Los Angeles in 1973 or 1974, Poitier is the daughter of Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier and Canadian actress Joanna Shimkus . Her mother is of Lithuanian Jewish and Irish Catholic descent. She has an older sister, Anika. She also has four older half-sisters, Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, and Gina, from her father's first marriage. Poitier attended NYU 's Tisch School of
5346-463: Is arrested. Later that night, Veronica has a dream about Lilly. The two of them are floating in a lily -covered pool. Leaning back and smiling, Veronica declared this was the way things were supposed to be and how they would be from now on. Lilly smiles sadly and replies, "You know how things are going to be from now on, don't you? You have to know." She then asks Veronica not to forget about her, and Veronica turns to see that Lilly has disappeared and she
5508-413: Is investigating families that Meg babysat for. When Gia is sent footage of herself at her brother's soccer game, she hires Veronica to find the sender. Gia and Veronica's friendship is broken when a feud erupts between their fathers, and she fires Veronica from the case. When Veronica realizes that Gia's stalker is Neptune High's janitor, Tommy "Lucky" Dohanic, she rushes to her aid. Lucky is arrested, but he
5670-400: Is no enthusiasm [there] to make a Veronica Mars movie, and that is, unfortunately, a roadblock we cannot compete with." At the 2010 TCA Winter Press Tour, Rob Thomas stated that the movie wouldn't be happening, "I would write it if anyone would finance it. If anyone's interested in making that movie, I am available, Kristen's [Bell] available. I would love to do it. I think the closest we came
5832-481: Is not." Piz, played by Chris Lowell , was Wallace's roommate and a music lover with his campus radio show. Piz was named after the director of the pilot, Mark Piznarski . The character gave Veronica another middle-class male friend. Thomas used the radio show as a narrative device to capture the mood of the university. Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie and Don Lamb , recurring characters in the first two seasons, were upgraded to series regulars. Mac, portrayed by Tina Majorino ,
5994-462: Is physically abusing her, he beats the boy, threatening more if the boy ever returned. When Veronica exposes him as the man who killed Lilly, Aaron is indicted and held without bail. Logan visits his father in a holding cell after new evidence implicates Logan in a murder case. Aaron claims that he is innocent and tries to convince his son that he had been wrongfully accused. Logan, who despises his father, does not believe Aaron's story but recognizes that
6156-808: Is proved to be Veronica's biological father. Jake returns in the series finale as a member of the secret society "The Castle." Lisa Thornhill plays Celeste Kane, Lilly and Duncan's mother. Celeste loathed Veronica because of her husband's affair with Veronica's mother. She disapproved of Veronica and Duncan's relationship and told Duncan that Veronica could have been his half-sister because of Jake's affair with Lianne. This caused Duncan to break up with Veronica. Before Lilly died, Celeste had shown resentment towards her daughters' way of life and blamed every problem her family faced on Lilly. In " Donut Run ", her last appearance, she hired Vinnie Van Lowe to find Duncan. Amanda Seyfried portrays Lilly Kane, Duncan's older sister, Veronica's best friend, and Logan's girlfriend. Lilly
6318-480: Is released when the Mannings pay for his bail. The next day, he comes to school with a gun looking for Gia; however, he is shot and killed by school security. Gia reappears in the Veronica Mars film as a wealthy socialite engaged to Luke Haldeman, a former classmate. Veronica initially suspects her to be responsible for Carrie Bishop's death (who became a self-destructive pop star under the name Bonnie DeVille before
6480-413: Is seen in the season 3 finale as an homage to the character. Thomas described Seyfried as "the biggest surprise of the year." When casting Lilly Kane, who would only appear occasionally as "the dead girl," Thomas did not receive the same level of actors who auditioned for the role of a series regular. Thomas said that he had "never had a more cut and dry audition" than he did with Seyfried. He said that she
6642-650: Is the main antagonist during the season 1 finale. At the beginning of the series, Aaron is married to his second wife, Lynn, with a son Logan. He adopted his daughter Trina while married to his previous wife. Aaron has numerous female fans due to his impressive physique and good looks. While Aaron is beloved by the American public, in real life, he is very different. Aaron cheats on his wife, and easily angered, he physically abuses Logan, but tolerates Trina. Aaron quits acting when Lynn commits suicide and tries to reconcile with Logan and Trina. Upon learning that Trina's boyfriend
List of Veronica Mars characters - Misplaced Pages Continue
6804-658: Is the only one who will talk to him. Logan asks Veronica to investigate his mother's death, and they discover Trina is staying at the Neptune Grand. The film Trina had been shooting in Australia had not worked out, and she had decided to return home. Trina moves back into the house and gets into trouble with money after borrowing money from her boyfriend, Dylan. She asks Logan for a loan; however, he does not give her any money. Because Trina can't pay Dylan, he beats her to which Logan finds out about after seeing her limp and has
6966-457: The PCH Biker gang and Veronica's ally. Despite often being in trouble with the law, Weevil helps Veronica solve many of her cases. He is wrongfully accused of fellow gang member Thumper's murder and is arrested at his graduation. He later becomes a janitor at Hearst College after he is cleared. Capra reprises his role in the Veronica Mars film, in which Weevil is revealed to have since married
7128-474: The South by Southwest film festival on March 8, 2014, and was released in theatres and through online platforms on March 14, 2014. The film grossed $ 3.5 million worldwide, and received positive reviews from critics, with a 79% approval rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 125 critics, with an average score of 6.7 out of 10. In September 2018, Hulu officially confirmed
7290-707: The UPN sitcom Abby . That series was also canceled during its first season. Later that same year, she had a recurring role in Joan of Arcadia , where she played Rebecca Askew, the love interest of Joan's older brother, Kevin ( Jason Ritter ). She was also a regular on the first season of Veronica Mars . However, she left the show after only appearing in four episodes because of budget cuts. In 2007, Poitier starred in Death Proof , director Quentin Tarantino 's segment of
7452-483: The $ 50,000 settlement Veronica received from the Kanes on her way out. Lianne reappeared in Veronica's dream, where Lilly was never murdered, and Lianne is the perfect mother. Ryan Eggold guest stars as Charlie Stone, Logan's half-brother and Aaron's son. When Logan asks Veronica to investigate his rapidly declining trust fund, she uncovers that Logan's father, movie star Aaron, had an illegitimate child. To keep this fact
7614-475: The 15th best TV series of the 2000s (decade). In 2012, Entertainment Weekly listed the show at #13 in the "25 Best Cult TV Shows from the Past 25 Years", with the comments, "It's not easy telling the story of a girl's mission to solve her best friend's murder – while also investigating her own rape – but creator Rob Thomas' tough assignment was made easier by putting the tirelessly smart and snarky Veronica Mars on
7776-538: The Arts where she earned a bachelor's degree in acting. She also studied at Stella Adler Studio of Acting . Poitier and her husband, musician Dorian Heartsong, have one child together, a daughter born in 2015. Poitier began her career of acting in the late 1990s. In 2001, she landed her first role on television in the NBC drama series First Years . The series was canceled after three episodes. In 2003, she starred in
7938-505: The Balboa County Sheriff who won the office from Keith in the recall election spearheaded by Jake Kane. Lamb was a recurring character in the first two seasons, but was upgraded to series regular in the third. Krysten Ritter portrays Gia Goodman, a student at Neptune High and the daughter of influential professional baseball team owner Woody Goodman. Gia transfers to Neptune High from a private boarding school. She attends
8100-420: The FBI", and released it on the third season DVD. When asked if the FBI concept could happen, Ostroff said that the series was probably completely gone "in any form". Ostroff also said that Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas might collaborate on another project for the CW network. In June 2007, TV Guide writer Michael Ausiello confirmed that the cancellation of Veronica Mars was official. Thomas stated that he
8262-412: The February sweeps to air a new reality series, Pussycat Dolls Present . When the hiatus ended, the series returned for the last five episodes of the season. At the 2007 CW Upfront, Ostroff announced that Veronica Mars was not part of the new primetime lineup and was "not coming back". Thomas created a trailer that took place four years after the third-season finale, with the working title "Veronica in
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#17328010501478424-526: The Neptune scenes were filmed in Oceanside, California . Kurta liked that it was "a seaside town that still feels like middle-class people live there [...] Most of the seaside towns feel resort driven." It was estimated that the series spent $ 44 million a year shooting each season in San Diego, comprising more than half of the revenue generated by film production there in 2006. The Neptune High setting
8586-424: The PCHers, a Latino biker gang; and Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie, Neptune High's resident computer genius. Using her friends' resources and those provided by her father and his contacts, Veronica gains a reputation for sleuthing and finds her skills in increasingly high demand at her school and in the community. Things get more complicated when Veronica falls into a relationship with Lilly's ex-boyfriend Logan Echolls, who for
8748-557: The Sea Sprite Hotel. "We Used to Be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols was used as the series' theme song. Composer Josh Kramon was originally going to produce a noir version of a 1980s song for the theme. However, Rob Thomas was "pretty much set on finding a song," and "We Used to Be Friends" was chosen right from the beginning. TV critic Samantha Holloway considered this theme to be one of "the five most recognizable, sing-along-able, memorable and best theme songs." The theme song
8910-589: The Year, and on the lists of MSN TV , The Village Voice , the Chicago Tribune , People Weekly and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . It was named the second best series by Ain't It Cool News , fourth best returning series by Time , fifth best series by Newsday , PopMatters and San Jose Mercury-News , and sixth best by Entertainment Weekly and USA Today . In 2006, the series
9072-402: The break-in, and when Veronica attempts to apologize, he is reluctant to forgive her. When Veronica admits she has fallen for him, he dismisses the claim; however, they kiss during her school dance. When Veronica secretly begins to date Logan, she confesses the affair to Leo and ends the relationship. The pair manage to remain on good terms, and Leo assists Veronica in breaking up a dognapping ring
9234-446: The case. Her wry one-liners injected much-needed lightness into sometimes grim mysteries." In 2020, Briana Kranich of Screen Rant ranked Veronica Mars as the top contender of The 10 Best TV Teen Heroines . Veronica Mars has attracted a loyal and dedicated fan base. A group of fans calling themselves the "Cloud Watchers" organized several campaigns to bring more viewers to the series to ensure its continuation. The group hired
9396-476: The character an evil and fun feel. At the time of Dohring's audition for Logan, the character was only going to be a guest star in the pilot. Percy Daggs III auditioned for Wallace Fennel's role twice and took three tests with studio and network executives. During his first audition, Daggs read four scenes from the pilot. Just before his studio test, Daggs read with Bell and had "a great conversation." He said that she "made me feel comfortable about auditioning" and
9558-416: The child. Veronica eventually discovers Trina was the prom baby and tells Trina the truth, excited at the thought of inheriting some of Celeste's wealth. The next day at school, Veronica and Trina talk when Mary, the deaf lunch lady, begins pointing to herself and then to Trina. Veronica eventually deciphers her sign language : Mary is Trina's biological mother. It turns out then-student Mary had an affair with
9720-503: The class field trip to Shark Field and meets Dick Casablancas, his brother Cassidy, Duncan Kane, and Veronica for the first time. Gia rides the school bus on the way to the stadium. However, she opts to ride in Dick's limo with the other "09ers" on the way back. The bus crashes and all of the passengers die, save for Meg Manning. Later in the year, Gia invites Veronica to her slumber party. Veronica attends; however, she has an ulterior motive and
9882-505: The corresponding television season . The television season begins in September of any given year and ends during the May of the following year. "Viewers" refers to the average number of viewers for all original episodes broadcast during the television season in the series' regular timeslot. "Rank" is shown with the total number of series airing on the six/five major English-language networks in
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#173280105014710044-463: The country while under investigation for real estate fraud. Wallace discovers that his biological father is alive and takes a romantic interest in Jackie Cook, the daughter of baseball legend Terrence Cook who is investigated for the bus accident. Veronica discovers that the town mayor, who years ago coached a little league baseball team, sexually molested several team members, including Cassidy. In
10206-404: The entire run of the series, while Diane Ruggiero was promoted in the third season. The character Veronica Mars is a student who progresses from high school to college while moonlighting as a private investigator under the tutelage of her detective father. In each episode, Veronica solves a different stand-alone case while working to solve a more complex mystery. The first two seasons of
10368-537: The episode " Driver Ed ", said that Veronica Mars was "hands-down, the best show on television right now, and proof that TV can be far better than cinema." Stephen King described the series as " Nancy Drew meets Philip Marlowe , and the result is pure nitro. Why is Veronica Mars so good? It bears little resemblance to life as I know it, but I can't take my eyes off the damn thing." Ed Brubaker called it "the best mystery show ever made in America." Despite being
10530-417: The eponymous character. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN 's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW , airing for three seasons total. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros. Television , Silver Pictures Television, Stu Segall Productions, and Rob Thomas Productions. Joel Silver and Thomas were executive producers for
10692-476: The evidence against Aaron is circumstantial at best. Later, Kendall visits Aaron in prison, and he agrees to invest in Phoenix Land Trust if she gets some of Duncan's hair. Aaron uses the hair to plant false evidence implying Duncan committed the crime, and Aaron is acquitted. He goes to the Neptune Grand and has sex with Kendall. While she is in the shower, Clarence Wiedman appears and kills Aaron with
10854-444: The face of Veronica's increasing mistrust. The fourth season opens in 2019, twelve years after the series finale and five following the film . Veronica is living with Logan in Neptune and still solving mysteries with Keith. A significant case arises when several Spring break locations are bombed, with suspects including a US Representative to a Mexican cartel. The first season had seven regular characters. Kristen Bell portrayed
11016-443: The feature-film possibility, Thomas had a meeting with DC Comics to talk about a Veronica Mars comic book series. In September 2008, Thomas told Entertainment Weekly that "I thought I had the idea broken, but I've hit a wall in the final act that I haven't quite figured out." Thomas explained that he had been very busy writing for Cupid and Party Down , both of which he created. In January 2009, TV Guide reported that
11178-421: The fictional town of Neptune, the series stars Kristen Bell as the title character , a student who progresses from high school to college during the series while moonlighting as a private investigator under the wing of her detective father. The first season had seven regular characters. However, Thomas decided to introduce and eliminate several characters in order to create an "equally fascinating mystery" for
11340-424: The film made. Fans have also come to refer to themselves and be referred to as "Marshmallows" by media as well as the cast and crew of the series after a line delivered by Wallace ( Percy Daggs III ) in the pilot episode : "You're a marshmallow, Veronica Mars. A Twinkie." At the end of the same episode, Veronica in voiceover remarks "Well, you know what they say: 'Veronica Mars, she's a marshmallow.'" A reference to
11502-451: The film was Thomas' first priority after Cupid . Thomas noted that as well as writing the script, someone would need to pay for the film, but indicated that producer Joel Silver was ready to green-light the film. In June 2009, Bell said "I don't think it will ever happen, and here's why: [Series creator] Rob Thomas and I had a powwow, and we were both 100 percent on board. We took our proposal to Warner Bros., and Joel Silver told us that there
11664-496: The film's events). Veronica connects the murder to Carrie's best friend, Susan Knight, who allegedly died in a boating accident nine years earlier. She concludes that Gia and Luke, who were on the boat with Susan, covered up her death and killed Carrie because she threatened to confess. Veronica sends bugged flowers to Gia's apartment and calls her, playing recordings of Carrie's voice in an attempt to scare her into confessing. Gia panics and calls Stu "Cobb" Cobbler, another classmate who
11826-447: The finale, it is discovered that Cassidy is responsible for the bus accident and Veronica's rape, as well as a plane crash that kills the mayor (Veronica's dad was supposed to be on the plane, so she thinks he is dead). Veronica confronts Cassidy on the roof of the Neptune Grand hotel, where he tries to kill her. Logan saves her, but Cassidy dies by suicide. Veronica, Logan, Wallace, Mac, and Dick are freshmen at Neptune's Hearst College in
11988-428: The first half of the first season. Ms. Dent, as she was commonly referred to, was the only teacher who took Veronica at face value, not based on prejudices. Together with Veronica, she was responsible for uncovering the voting scam that led to Duncan winning the school elections illegally. Ms. Dent left her job after becoming pregnant. Although she was given regular series billing, Poitier appeared in only four episodes but
12150-565: The first season, Veronica investigates Lilly's murder and finds that nothing is what it seems. All three of the Kanes falsified their alibis, and Lilly's time of death was three hours off. Clarence Wiedman, the head of security for Kane Software, called in the tip that caused Abel Koontz to be arrested. In the episode " Leave It to Beaver " Veronica and Duncan discover several videotapes in Lilly's bedroom. They show Lilly in bed with Aaron, Logan's father. Veronica realizes that Aaron killed Lilly to get
12312-511: The first season, but was upgraded to series regular in the second season. Tina Majorino portrayed Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie, a computer expert befriended by Veronica. While looking into Mac's parents' past as a favor for her, Veronica uncovers that Mac was accidentally switched at birth with Madison Sinclair by the hospital where they were both born, but the respective parents did not learn about this until years later, by which time they had already grown to love their accidentally adopted daughters. Mac
12474-467: The hard-boiled dialogue comes from its teen protagonist's mouth in a way that stabs any potential cutesiness in the heart with an ice pick." In her review, Paige Wiser of the Chicago Sun Times said that "on Veronica Mars , wholesome is out; gritty reality is in. The show never soft-pedals the timeless, fundamental truth that high school is hell." Joyce Millman of The Phoenix felt that
12636-641: The information to the Securities and Exchange Commission ; however, Richard fled the country before he could be arrested. Richard's lawyers told Kendall that while the boys both had trust funds , essentially, she had nothing. Kendall became desperate for money, and began selling Richard's belongings, and turned to Logan and Duncan, but no avail. Cassidy, who had started a real estate company called Phoenix Land Trust, needed Kendall to be his CEO for business purposes because of his underage status. Although Kendall and Cassidy admitted their mutual dislike of each other,
12798-445: The introduction of Tessa Thompson as Jackie Cook , a romantic interest of Wallace and daughter of a famous baseball player. Previous recurring characters Dick Casablancas and Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas were upgraded to series regulars. Dick, played by Ryan Hansen , was an 09er friend of Logan, a womanizer and former high-school bully turned frat boy. Kyle Gallner portrayed "Beaver," Dick's introverted younger brother. Dunn left
12960-409: The leader of the PCH Biker gang and Veronica's friend. Enrico Colantoni played Veronica's father Keith Mars , a private investigator and former Balboa County Sheriff. Sydney Tamiia Poitier played Mallory Dent , Veronica's journalism teacher at Neptune High. Although she was given series regular billing, Poitier appeared in only four episodes, but was given credit for seven. Poitier's removal from
13122-492: The look and feel of the school", and San Diego State University invited the series with "open arms". Taping at the university led to financial and employment benefits for the university and its students. Alumni worked as crew members while students worked as actors; half of the third season extras were students from the university's film department. The fourth season was filmed in Hermosa Beach, California , primarily at
13284-449: The man imprisoned after confessing to Lilly's murder, is innocent. Veronica explores the murder case. She also works on other investigations, seeks her estranged mother's whereabouts, and copes with being raped during an 09er party after her drink was spiked. Veronica, no longer part of the school's wealthy and elite "in-crowd," makes some new friends: Wallace Fennel, Neptune High basketball star and new student; Eli "Weevil" Navarro, leader of
13446-447: The money Kendall received from Phoenix Land Trust. As Keith leaves the two, Cormac shoots and kills Kendall and tries to attack Keith, who escapes. Keith believes he got Kendall killed and feels guilty since he and Kendall had formed a cordial relationship while he was working for her. He goes back to the crime scene with the police, but neither Kendall nor Cormac's body are found, who is believed to have been killed by Liam for not giving up
13608-443: The money. David Starzyk portrays Richard "Big Dick" Casablancas Sr., Cassidy and Dick's father. Richard marries Kendall to be a trophy wife and openly favors Dick over Cassidy. When Veronica discovers that he has committed real estate fraud and tells the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Richard flees the country before he can be arrested. Richard reappears as a recurring character in season 4. It's revealed he did
13770-464: The murder of the College's Dean, commences in the same episode that the rapist is caught. Keith begins an adulterous affair with a married client, Wallace struggles to balance academics and sports, Mac begins dating again after previous failed relationships, and Dick has a breakdown and appeals to Logan for help. The season chronicles Veronica and Logan's failing attempts to maintain their relationship in
13932-408: The new format would allow new viewers to start watching at any point in the season. Inspired by the improvised thriller Bubble , Thomas started laying "subtle" motives for the second mystery during the first one, so that fans would have "a theory on whodunit" when it occurred. The first mystery took place over the first nine episodes. Originally, the second mystery was to be seven episodes long, and
14094-442: The previous seasons. He felt that Logan had been most affected by the tone change, robbed of his darker aspects, and changed into an "increasingly extraneous character." Goldman felt that despite the concerns over the final five episodes, the series ended with "three very strong episodes, with lots of strong dialogue and Veronica proving again just how tough she can be, and what a strong character she is." Goldman concluded that although
14256-525: The real Charlie had nothing to do with the reporter, Logan tearfully contacts his half-brother again. Cress Williams appears as Nathan Woods, Wallace's biological father with a shady past as an undercover cop. Onahoua Rodriguez recurs as Claudia Navarro, Weevil's sister, who begins a relationship with Alonzo. Jacqueline Antaramian portrays Amalia Maloof, Daniel and Alex's mother. She disapproved of Alex's engagement to Tawny Carr, going as far as offering to pay her off. She later hires Vinnie Van Lowe to find
14418-665: The release date would be March 14, 2014, a year and a day after the start of the Kickstarter project. On April 5, Thomas had completed the first draft of the script. Several casting announcements were made through April to June, with confirmation of several returning cast members, including Jason Dohring (Logan Echolls), Enrico Colantoni (Keith Mars), Percy Daggs III (Wallace Fennel), Chris Lowell (Stosh "Piz" Piznarski), Francis Capra (Eli "Weevil" Navarro), Ryan Hansen (Dick Casablancas), and Tina Majorino (Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie), among several others. The film had its world premiere at
14580-563: The revival of Veronica Mars , and announced it would consist of eight episodes, and series creator Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell were confirmed to return. The plot revolves around a serial killer murdering spring breakers . Other returning cast members include Jason Dohring (Logan Echolls), Enrico Colantoni (Keith Mars), Percy Daggs III (Wallace Fennel), Francis Capra (Eli "Weevil" Navarro), Ryan Hansen (Dick Casablancas), and several others. New cast members include Dawnn Lewis , Patton Oswalt , Clifton Collins Jr. , and J. K. Simmons . It
14742-423: The ring Alex proposed with, which was a family heirloom. Paul Karmiryan portrays Alex Maloof, Daniel's younger brother. Introduced in season 4, Alex was a victim of one of the bombings who survived. His parents disapproved of his fiancée Tawny Carr, who died in one of the bombings. Richard Grieco portrays Steve Batando, a struggling actor and drug addict, as well as Mindy O'Dell's ex-husband. He killed Lamb with
14904-400: The role of Duncan Kane. After his audition, the producers asked Dohring to audition for Logan's character, who was only going to be a guest role in the pilot. Dohring felt that his audition for Duncan "was a little dark", and was told by the producers that it was "not really right". The producers then asked Dohring to read for the role of Logan. Dohring acted out one scene from the pilot, bashing
15066-414: The salary prospect eventually made Kendall come around. The business continued, though most people assumed Richard was behind Phoenix Land Trust, not Cassidy. When Cassidy informs Kendall they need to acquire more capital, she goes and visits the incarcerated Aaron. She makes a deal with him: he will buy into Phoenix Land Trust if she goes to Duncan and Logan's suite and gets something for him. Kendall goes to
15228-548: The same company as CTV) within a few hours of its U.S. release on Hulu on July 19, 2019. Subscription channel Living began showing the series in the United Kingdom in October 2005, averaging 50,000 viewers per episode for its first season. The channel began airing the second season on June 8, 2006, airing one episode per week rather than showing one every night as they did in the first season. Despite low ratings in
15390-419: The same level of actors. Thomas said that he had "never had a more cut and dried audition" than he did with Seyfried. He said that she was "about 100 times better than anyone else that we saw; she was just spectacular". He continued by saying that she ended up being so good in the series that he used her three or four more times than he initially planned. Episodes have a distinct structure: Veronica investigates
15552-496: The same night she breaks up with him. To get enough money to send his little sister with Down syndrome to a private school, Leo steals and sells the Aaron Echolls and Lilly Kane sex tapes to Logan. Logan promptly destroys the recordings due to their traumatic nature; however, he inadvertently compromises the pending case against Aaron. Keith discovers Leo's participation in the theft; however, he covers for him by stating that
15714-443: The scripts, while Kristen Bell lent ballsy charm to the title role and ensured that every episode of the show's three seasons was television gold. Its untimely cancellation was a slap in the face that still smarts to this day." Empire named " Not Pictured " the best episode of the series. In 2010, Kristin dos Santos of E! ranked Veronica Mars number 8 on her list, "Top 20 TV Series of the Past 20 Years". The A.V. Club named it
15876-415: The season feature stand-alone mysteries. During the first season, Thomas was unsure if the series's success was attributed to each episode's "case of the week" or the overarching story. He realized that fans were cool with the "case of the week" but returned for the ongoing mystery. Thomas felt that Bell had been overworked in the first season, and the mystery involving Logan and Weevil in the second season
16038-474: The second season, Living decided to air the series' third season. It was syndicated through the Living TV Group platform, airing on the now defunct channel Trouble just before its closure. Free-to-air channel E4 began broadcasting the series from July 16, 2009. Veronica Mars premiered in Australia by Network Ten on November 28, 2005, where the series saw erratic airings. TV2 began showing
16200-421: The series at the end of the second season. Ryan Hansen portrayed Richard "Dick" Casablancas Jr., an 09er friend of Logan, a womanizer and former high-school bully turned frat boy. Dick was a recurring character in the first season but was upgraded to series regular in the second season. Kyle Gallner acted as Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas, Dick's introverted younger brother. Cassidy was a recurring character in
16362-506: The series but also processed and filtered them. Among the instruments used were piano, vibraphone, and guitar. When using an acoustic piano, Kramon would use compression to not sound like a traditional piano. Live bass and percussion were also used, as Kramon did not like to program them. The main instrument used was the guitar, but Kramon felt that the piano was "by far the most important instrument for working on TV shows, especially when you're doing everything yourself." A week before choosing
16524-547: The series each had a season-long mystery arc , introduced in the first episode of the season and solved in the season finale. The third season took a different format, focusing on smaller mystery arcs that would last several episodes. Thomas initially wrote Veronica Mars as a young adult novel , which featured a male protagonist; he changed this because he thought a noir piece told from a female point of view would be more interesting and original. Filming began in March 2004, and
16686-696: The series in New Zealand on July 15, 2005. The first season of Veronica Mars was released in region 1 as a widescreen six-disc DVD box set on October 11, 2005. In addition to all the episodes that had been aired, DVD extras included an extended " Pilot " episode (through the inclusion of an unaired opening sequence) and over 20 minutes of unaired scenes. The same set was released on May 16, 2008 in Region 2 , and on June 4, 2008 in Region 4 . Sydney Tamiia Poitier Sydney Tamiia Poitier ( / ˈ p w ɑː t j eɪ / PWAH -tyay ; born 1973/1974)
16848-728: The series midway through the season, although was credited as a main cast member throughout that season. Thomas explained that the Logan-Veronica-Duncan love triangle had run its course, and to keep the series fresh, there would need to be "other guys in her life." He attributed Dunn's removal to fan interest dominating the Logan-Veronica relationship, saying "it became clear that one suitor won out". The third season introduced two new series regulars, Parker Lee and Stosh "Piz" Piznarski . Julie Gonzalo portrayed Parker, Mac's extroverted roommate and "everything that Mac
17010-448: The series midway through the second season because Thomas felt that the Logan-Veronica-Duncan love triangle had run its course. He needed to put "other guys in her life" to keep the series fresh and attributed Dunn's removal to fan interest in the Logan-Veronica relationship, saying "It became clear that one suitor won out". Jason Dohring played Logan Echolls, the "bad-boy 09er " son of an A-list actor. Dohring originally auditioned for
17172-483: The series premiered in September to 2.49 million American viewers. The critically acclaimed first season's run of 22 episodes garnered an average of 2.5 million viewers per episode in the United States. The series appeared on several fall television best lists and garnered awards and nominations. During the series' run, it was nominated for two Satellite Awards , four Saturn Awards , five Teen Choice Awards and
17334-515: The series was "a character study masquerading as a high-school drama". Joy Press of The Village Voice saw the series as "a sharp teen noir in the making. Tinged with class resentment and nostalgia for Veronica's lost innocence, this series pulses with promise." Michael Abernethy of PopMatters said that "intrigue, drama, and humor, Veronica Mars is also a lesson book for the disenfranchised. Few TV series aim so high; even fewer succeed so well." James Poniewozik of Time labeled it as one of
17496-433: The series was rumored to be due to budget issues. Thomas, who said he "conceive[d] the show as a one-year mystery," decided that he needed to introduce and eliminate several characters to be able to create an "equally fascinating mystery" for the series' second season. Thomas felt that he could not bring back the Kanes and the Echolls and "have them all involved in a new mystery"; he needed "new blood". The second season saw
17658-462: The series' second season. Thomas needed "new blood" since he felt unable to bring back the Kanes and the Echolls and "have them all involved in a new mystery". The third season features a cast of ten actors who receive billing , an increase from the nine actors in the second. Three of the regulars in the second season are written out of the series, two new characters are introduced and two others are upgraded from recurring roles. Kristen Bell portrays
17820-437: The series's basis. The novel had many elements similar to Veronica Mars , though the protagonist was male. Thomas's father was a vice-principal at Westlake High School near Austin, Texas , and the main character attended a "thinly disguised version" of the school. As Thomas had begun writing for film and television, he did not resume his teen detective idea for several years. Writing a novel could take months for Thomas, whereas
17982-421: The series, fans sent more than 10,000 Mars Bars to the CW, hoping that the network would reverse its decision and renew the series. Rob Thomas thanked the fans of the series for their efforts, saying, "I love those people, and they have been so good to me, but it's not going to happen." A feature film continuation was made possible in 2013 through a Kickstarter fund, in which 91,585 fans donated $ 5,702,153 to get
18144-403: The show" and had "a lot of fun with her". Erica Gimpel portrays Alicia Fennel, Wallace's mother, dated Keith Mars at the end of season one and season two. Alicia later breaks up with Keith after he tried to investigate her past with Wallace's biological father. Kyle Secor recurs as Jake Kane, Lilly and Duncan's father, a software billionaire. He is Lianne Mars' sweetheart in high school and
18306-414: The six best dramas on television. He praised Bell as "a captivating star", and said that the series "uses its pulp premise to dramatize a universal teen experience: that growing up means sleuthing out the mystery of who you really are." Kay McFadden of The Seattle Times called the series an update to the "classic California film noir". She felt that Veronica Mars was the best new series on UPN, and that
18468-437: The sounds for the episodes, the crew had a "spotting session," where they would discuss with Thomas and the producers which type of music would be featured. Kramon did not decide the songs to be featured but composed and created the whole score. Since there was little orchestral music, and Kramon could play guitar, piano, bass, and drums, he played all parts without another musician. Veronica Mars: Original Television Soundtrack ,
18630-399: The studio and network executives. During his first audition, Daggs read four scenes from the pilot. Just before his studio test, Daggs read with Bell and had "a great conversation." He said that she "made me feel comfortable about auditioning" and was a big reason why he became more comfortable playing Wallace as the season went on. Francis Capra portrayed Eli "Weevil" Navarro, the leader of
18792-473: The suite and removes some of Duncan's hair from the shower drain. Aaron later uses the hair to plant false evidence implying Duncan committed the crime he was on trial, and Aaron was acquitted. When Keith discovered that Kendall is the beneficiary of the life insurance policies on her stepsons, who could have been killed in the bus crash that claimed the lives of several people, he began investigating. He and Veronica discover that everything they know about Kendall
18954-420: The tapes back. When Duncan found her body, he went into a catatonic state. When his parents discovered him reeling over Lilly's dead body, they assumed he had killed Lilly in an epileptic seizure. To protect their son, they began an elaborate cover-up of the murder. However, before Veronica can take the tapes to the police, Aaron tries to kill her. After a chase, Keith arrives, and he manages to subdue Aaron, and he
19116-464: The tapes were stolen because Leo was not at his post. Leo is promptly fired from the sheriff's department, but is able to keep the money that Logan paid him to help his sister. Leo begins working for a private security company and finds himself working for Woody Goodman's daughter Gia. Leo contacts Keith when he is concerned that his security company's warehouse is about to be robbed. Leo loses his job for involving Keith, although Keith asks him to return as
19278-533: The term was also included in the fan-funded film . The CTV Television Network began airing Veronica Mars in Canada as a mid-season replacement on May 30, 2005. CTV decided not to pick up the second season, which began broadcast by Sun TV on July 18, 2006. The third season was initially only available through American border stations. The fourth season premiered in Canada on the Crave streaming service (owned by
19440-494: The third mystery was to occur over the last six episodes of the season. This was changed when The CW ordered a 20 episode season instead of the usual 22 episodes. The second mystery arc was shortened from seven episodes to six, and the third mystery was first changed from a six-episode arc to a five-episode arc. After an eight-week hiatus for the series was announced, the final mystery was changed to five stand-alone episodes designed to be friendlier to new viewers. The final mystery
19602-549: The third season "was very choppy," it still had "plenty of witty dialogue and a continually engaging performance by Kristen Bell as the title character." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette opined that Veronica Mars had taken a dive "creatively", from "the mopier version of its theme song to stalled storylines." The reviewer felt that "the arcing mysteries had grown less convincing and compelling as time went on and were too drawn out." Fox News Channel 's Bridget Byrne pointed out that Veronica had "gone from punky to—dare we say—preppy" in
19764-415: The third season. Byrne further explained that "with her quick, bright wit and sharp eye for life's darker moments [Veronica] has left high school and is going to college, doffing her dark threads and spiked tresses for something a little more stylish." The series, described as a "critical darling", appeared on a number of fall television best lists. In 2005, the series was featured on AFI 's TV Programs of
19926-455: The third season. Two new regular main characters are introduced: Stosh "Piz" Piznarski and Parker Lee, Wallace and Mac's respective roommates. The first mystery is established when Parker becomes a victim of the Hearst serial rapist , a storyline carried over from the second season . Feeling guilty for not helping her and remembering her rape, Veronica works to catch the rapist. The next mystery,
20088-420: The title character Veronica Mars , a high school junior and skilled private detective. Teddy Dunn played Duncan Kane , Veronica's ex-boyfriend and Lilly's brother. Jason Dohring played Logan Echolls , the "bad-boy" 09er, the son of an A-list actor. Percy Daggs III portrayed Wallace Fennel , Veronica's best friend and frequent partner in solving mysteries. Francis Capra portrayed Eli "Weevil" Navarro ,
20250-437: The title character was potentially "this season's most interesting character creation". McFadden described the series as " Alias in its attitude, Raymond Chandler in its writing and The O.C. in its class-consciousness." Stephanie Zacharek of Salon praised the first-season finale for being "just the sort of satisfying capper you look for in a series that, week after week, keeps you asking questions." Veronica Mars
20412-529: The titular Veronica Mars , a high school junior and skilled private detective. More than 500 women auditioned for the role; Bell felt that it was "just luck" that Rob Thomas saw that "I have some sass to me, and that's exactly what he wanted." Bell thought that her "cheerleader looks and outsider's attitude" set her apart from the other women who auditioned. Teddy Dunn portrayed Duncan Kane, Veronica's ex-boyfriend and Lilly's brother. Dunn originally auditioned for Logan but ended up portraying Duncan Kane. Dunn left
20574-412: The way it had been before Lilly's death: having broken up with Logan during the summer, she reunites with Duncan and is somewhat accepted by the 09ers. Her sleuthing sideline and tough persona keep her from fully assimilating into the wealthy crowd. 09ers Dick Casablancas and Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas deal with a gold-digging stepmother, Kendall Casablancas, with whom they are left when their father flees
20736-419: Was "about 100 times better than anyone else that we saw; she was just spectacular". He said that she ended up being so good in the series that he used her three or four more times than he initially planned. Corinne Bohrer recurs as Lianne Mars, Veronica's estranged and alcoholic mother. Lianne was the high school sweetheart of Jake Kane, who she believed was Veronica's father. At Neptune High, Lianne Reynolds
20898-421: Was Jackie or Veronica in the wrong; however, the audience automatically assumed that it was Jackie. Thomas decided not to change the story arc he had planned for Jackie, as he believed Thompson was "a fantastic actress and she's got more to play." He said that whether fans ended up liking Jackie was "up in the air", but he hoped that they did because "she's really, really good". Jackie was subsequently written out of
21060-467: Was Joel [Silver] pushing it at Warner Bros., and they didn't bite. It has sort of gone away." In April 2010, Thomas insisted, "it's not dead. I continue to want to do it [...] We're still looking into it." In June 2010, Silver was less optimistic about the film happening; "we analyzed all these areas about it. I talked to the home video people because a movie like that would be driven by video. The [season DVDs] didn't do that well... So they didn't feel there
21222-447: Was a big reason why he became more comfortable playing Wallace as the season went on. Thomas described Amanda Seyfried , who portrayed the murdered Lilly Kane , as "the biggest surprise of the year." When casting a series regular, he was able to see all the best actors in town, mainly because they all wanted to be a series regular. When casting Lilly Kane, who would only appear from time-to-time as "the dead girl," Thomas did not receive
21384-464: Was a computer expert befriended by Veronica. Lamb, portrayed by Michael Muhney , was the Balboa County Sheriff who won the office from Keith in the recall election. Rob Thomas originally wrote Veronica Mars as a young adult novel for publishing company Simon & Schuster . Before his first television job on Dawson's Creek , Thomas sold two novel ideas. One of these was provisionally titled Untitled Rob Thomas Teen Detective Novel , which formed
21546-489: Was a need or an audience." On March 13, 2013, Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell launched a Kickstarter fundraiser in an attempt to get the film made, with the help of fans to reach the goal of $ 2 million. The campaign offered various incentives to those who donated more than $ 10. Thomas and Bell stated that they approached Warner Bros. with the idea and they approved and will be distributing the finished title. Bell, Thomas, Enrico Colantoni, Ryan Hansen, and Jason Dohring appeared in
21708-435: Was a recurring character in the first two seasons but was upgraded to series regular in the third. Julie Gonzalo portrayed Parker Lee, Mac's extroverted roommate at Hearst College, described by Thomas as "everything that Mac is not." Parker was introduced in the third season as a series regular. Chris Lowell played Stosh "Piz" Piznarski, Wallace's roommate at Hearst College and a music lover with his campus radio show. Piz
21870-443: Was alive; however, a video filmed by a freshman and his friends who were making a movie showed jumping from the bridge in the background, the exact time it was believed Lynn had jumped. Logan finally realizes that she's gone due to the video's evidence and after discovering that Trina was the one using his mother's credit cards. With all hope gone of his mother being alive, he breaks down crying in Veronica's arms. Later, when Lynn's will
22032-567: Was also in Oceanside. The school, Oceanside High School, was paid $ 7,750 by Stu Segall Productions for the use of the campus and extras. The series' third season setting of Hearst College was mostly filmed on the campuses of San Diego State University , University of San Diego and the University of California, San Diego . Filming locations were chosen by the director and by production designer Alfred Sole . Sole reportedly "really liked
22194-536: Was also positively received by other writers. Joss Whedon , who made a guest appearance in the second-season episode " Rat Saw God ", said that it was the "Best. Show. Ever. Seriously, I've never gotten more wrapped up in a show I wasn't making, and maybe even more than those [...] These guys know what they're doing on a level that intimidates me. It's the Harry Potter of shows." Kevin Smith , who guest starred in
22356-480: Was an attempt to give her some time off. He said that the mystery arcs of the second season had "way too many suspects, way too many red herrings" and that the third season needed a change. The third season was initially planned to include three separate mysteries that would be introduced and resolved in a series of non-overlapping story arcs. Thomas realized by talking to CW Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff that viewers got too confused by his original format, and
22518-624: Was announced that the web series, titled Play It Again, Dick , would premiere on September 18, 2014 on The CW 's digital content website, CW Seed in 8-episode installments with a length of 8–10 minutes per installment. Other cast members returning include Kristen Bell , Jason Dohring , Enrico Colantoni , Percy Daggs III , Daran Norris , Francis Capra , Chris Lowell and Ken Marino , who portrayed their "Veronica Mars" characters as well as fictionalized versions of themselves. Below, "rank" refers to how well Veronica Mars rated compared to other television series which aired during primetime hours of
22680-457: Was best friend to Veronica, who was dating Lilly's brother, Duncan. Before her death, Lilly had been dating Logan but had also been in a relationship with Eli "Weevil" Navarro , as Lilly did not like to be tied down. Lilly's murder changes Veronica's life completely, being the catalyst for a series of events that include Veronica's father Keith losing his job, Veronica's mother Lianne leaving town, and all of Veronica's friends abandoning her. Through
22842-530: Was chosen to play Veronica Mars from more than 500 women who auditioned for the role. Bell felt that it was "just luck" that Rob Thomas saw that "I have some sass to me, and that's exactly what he wanted." Bell thought that her cheerleader looks and an outsider's attitude set her apart from the other women who auditioned. Jason Dohring, who played Logan, originally auditioned for the role of Duncan. Teddy Dunn originally auditioned for Logan, but ended up portraying Duncan. Dohring felt that his audition for Duncan "was
23004-574: Was credited to being a gossip and a friend to the deaf girl, Mary, who was later revealed to be the biological mother of Trina Echolls. Lianne later marries Keith; however, she has an affair with Jake. After the Lilly Kane murder is made public, Lianne develops a drinking problem and leaves town. When she returns, claiming to want to fix her problems, Veronica spends all of her college savings to enter her mother into rehab. Lianne returns to stay, seemingly sober; however, Veronica finds out that Lianne did not finish rehab. Veronica asks Lianne to leave, who steals
23166-425: Was darker in tone than the one aired. Thomas intended to take the script to FX , HBO or Showtime , but gave UPN "credit" as they only wanted it a bit lighter to match their standards and practices. A lengthy debate considered whether Veronica could be a rape victim; UPN eventually agreed. In the aired pilot, Lilly was found by the pool in the same spot where she was murdered. However, Thomas stated that Lilly's body
23328-458: Was featured on AFI 's TV Programs of the Year for 2005. The show was cancelled after its third season, and Thomas wrote a feature film script continuing the series. Warner Bros. opted not to fund the project at the time. On March 13, 2013, Bell and Thomas launched a fundraising campaign to produce the film through Kickstarter and attained the $ 2 million goal in less than 11 hours. They accumulated over $ 5.7 million on Kickstarter. The film
23490-473: Was found abandoned on the Coronado Bridge . She had jumped, but no body was found. Even after the funeral, Logan refused to believe that his mother was dead. He thought she left him clues that she was still alive (e.g.: leaving behind a lighter engraved with "Free At Last" that she always kept in her purse) and that she was faking her death to get away from Aaron. Logan hired Veronica to prove his mother
23652-422: Was getting dumped by her boyfriend, Duncan Kane, until the murder of her best friend, Lilly Kane. After Lilly's murder, Veronica's life falls apart. Keith mistakenly accuses Lilly's father, popular software billionaire Jake Kane, of involvement. When Mr. Kane is proven to be innocent, he has Keith ousted as sheriff in a recall election ; Keith is replaced by the corrupt Don Lamb. Veronica's mother, Lianne, develops
23814-490: Was given credit for seven. Poitier's removal from the series was rumored to be due to budget issues. Tessa Thompson portrayed Jackie Cook in the second season as Wallace's romantic interest and the daughter of a famous baseball player. Fan reactions to the character were generally negative, particularly after Veronica witnessed Jackie talking to a guy while dating Wallace. Thomas blamed the character's reception on his error in judgment: he had hoped fans would question whether it
23976-461: Was having an affair with her at the start of season one. Jake invented streaming video, making him one of the most influential men in Neptune, California via his software company, Kane Software. When Veronica interviews Abel Koontz , he suggests that Veronica is Jake's biological daughter rather than Keith's because Jake and Lianne once dated while in high school. Keith later has a paternity test and
24138-424: Was interested in writing a feature film based on the series to provide closure to the storylines and character arcs. In September 2008, Michael Ausiello, writing for Entertainment Weekly , reported that Thomas had met with Bell to discuss the plot, which would likely involve Veronica solving crime in college rather than as an FBI agent. Thomas felt that the "FBI scenario was more of a 'What if...?'", aimed at getting
24300-553: Was introduced in the third season as a series regular and was named after the director of the pilot, Mark Piznarski. The character's role was to have another male friend for Veronica, middle-class and not upper-class. Thomas used the radio show as a narrative device to capture the mood of the university. Throughout the third season, Piz is implied to have a crush on Veronica. The two develop a friendship, although he's initially hurt by seeing her with Logan. After Veronica breaks up with Logan, she starts dating Piz in " Debasement Tapes ." When
24462-432: Was on the boat with her. Veronica goes over to her apartment to confront her, and Gia reveals Cobb was the mastermind behind Carrie's death as well as what happened on Susan's boat; Susan succumbed to Alcohol poisoning , and Cobb took photos of a panicked Carrie, Gia, and Luke dumping Susan's body. He's been using the images to blackmail everyone. Veronica's bug broadcast everything on a frequency she believed to be unused but
24624-409: Was originally going to be "unlike any of the others we've done before." Previously, "nice characters" like Wallace and Mac had always been absent from the big mystery because no one was going to believe them as a suspect. For the third mystery, Thomas had wanted to present a situation where Wallace and Mac could be fully involved, "key players [with] really interesting stuff to do." The original pilot
24786-460: Was originally going to be found in the ocean, and he had a plan for events that led there. Thomas pitched the idea to UPN, but the network felt that it was "too dark and creepy" for Jake to dispose of his daughter's body to protect his son, and the idea was changed. Many of the series' scenes were filmed at Stu Segall Productions in San Diego, California . Producer Paul Kurta said that most of
24948-499: Was originally scheduled for release on July 26, 2019; however, Hulu released the season one week early on July 19 shortly after the series' appearance at San Diego Comic-Con . A series of novels, written by series creator Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham, continue the story after the events of the Veronica Mars film and also feature Logan, Mac, Wallace, and Dick. The first novel, Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line ,
25110-579: Was ranked number one on the lists of Ain't It Cool News and the Chicago Sun-Times , and was ranked number six by Metacritic . In 2007, the series ranked number 18 on TV Guide ' s list of the "Top Cult Shows Ever". In 2008, AOL TV ranked Veronica Mars the 10th Best School Show of All Time. The same year, British film magazine Empire ranked it number 48 in their list of the "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time". The magazine said that "smart storylines and witty riffs on pop culture pepper
25272-463: Was read, it was discovered she had recently altered it, cutting Aaron out and leaving everything to Logan. Trina initially thought she had been cut out, too, only to be informed that she had not been left anything before it was altered. Alyson Hannigan plays Trina Echolls, Logan's adopted sister and a struggling actress. She is first mentioned by Aaron in " Clash of the Tritons ," who says that she
25434-410: Was released by Random House on March 25, 2014, as a Vintage Books trade paperback ( ISBN 978-0-8041-7070-3 ), an eBook ( ISBN 978-0-8041-7071-0 ), and an unabridged audiobook read by Kristen Bell ( ISBN 978-0-8041-9351-1 ). It featured the return of Veronica's mother, Lianne Mars. The second novel, Veronica Mars: Mr. Kiss and Tell , also published by Vintage Books,
25596-430: Was released on January 20, 2015. Thomas has said in interviews that the novels are canon , and would not be negated by a future film. In January 2014, it was announced that a digital spin-off of Veronica Mars was in development with creator Rob Thomas. The metafictional concept features Ryan Hansen portraying himself in an attempt to make a spin-off based on his character Dick Casablancas . On August 13, 2014, it
25758-458: Was released on March 14, 2014. An eight-episode fourth season was released on July 19, 2019 on Hulu . In November 2019, it was announced that there were no plans for Hulu to order a fifth season. Season 1 revolves around Veronica Mars , a high school student and private investigator in the fictional Southern California seaside town of Neptune . As the daughter of well-respected County Sheriff Keith Mars, Veronica's biggest life problem
25920-411: Was remixed in a softer piano style with dark and vibrant electronic beats to reflect the more noir-influenced opening credits in the third season. Kramon wrote the original background music to convey the film noir themes. For the pilot, Thomas wanted "a really atmospheric, kind of modern noir type of vibe," and Kramon used sounds similar to that of Air and Zero 7 . Kramon used "traditional sounds" for
26082-399: Was the daughter of Jake and Celeste Kane. She was murdered on October 3, 2003 – roughly eleven months before the show's first episode. Abel Koontz, a disgruntled employee, fired from Jake's firm, confessed to the crime and was awaiting execution. Lilly is seen on the show throughout a series of flashbacks and Veronica's daydreams, which portray her as a fun, wild, and stylish teenage girl. She
26244-450: Was used by a local rock station. Cobb heard everything from a radio in his apartment in the building across the street and then shot Gia through the window before coming after Veronica. Veronica calls the police and lures Cobb to the basement, beating him unconscious with a golf club. Gia is revealed to have died from her gunshot wound after Cobb is arrested and guilty of murdering her and Carrie. Clifton Collins Jr. portrays Alonzo Lozano,
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