In some ways, it seems like it was just yesterday that Rob Thomas introduced us to his brainchild, Veronica Mars. It would be great to say that the show took the world by storm, but like many brilliant shows, the ratings never were never equitable to the online buzz; in the show’s third and final season, it finished 138th out of 142 primetime shows. The team at CliqueClack remember this show very fondly, and we are kicking off Veronica Mars Week today to remind everyone why.
Like few others, this show started strong, and never looked back. The pilot was easily one of the tightest, most informative, well-crafted hours of televisions ever. Veronica, teen detective, (Kristen Bell) was a lot more Buffy Summers than Nancy Drew (no pre-air logline of the show was missing either of those names). While she was supposed to be only “helping” at her dad Keith’s (Enrico Colantoni) private detective agency, she took a case or two on herself, and helped many a fellow student; but Veronica Mars was not a case-of-the-week kind of affair. An ambitious show might try to introduce one major mystery in its first episode; this show introduced no less than two in the first hour, and possibly more, depending on how you define “major.”
Other than the Mars men (can’t forget about Backup), there were many (many) boys in Veronica’s life. Best friend Wallace (Percy Daggs III), cardboard cut out / ex-boyfriend, Duncan Kane (Teddy Dunn), and Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) as Neptune High’s “obligatory psychotic jackass” as Veronica, at least originally, describes him. People come and go, and in the second season, the addition of Dick and Beaver Casablancas (Ryan Hansen and Kyle Gallner) and Wallace’s love interest Jackie Cook (Tessa Thompson) was balanced by the mid-season departure of Duncan. Season three meant college; Veronica’s friend Mac (Tina Majorino) and Sheriff Don Lamb (Michael Muhney) finally get upgraded from recurring to regulars, and newcomers Parker Lee (Julie Gonzolo) and Stosh Piznarski (Chris Lowell) round out the cast as roommates of Mac and Wallace.
Our goal this week, if nothing else, is to try to remember the magic that was Veronica Mars. The show was, at least in this humble blogger’s opinion, one of the better things on television in a long, long time. Many, unfairly I believe, knock the third season, saying it isn’t in the ballpark quality-wise as the brilliant first season or nearly as good second. Regardless, we hope you’ll join us for this walk down memory lane.
We have got some great posts lined up for you this week. Carissa is going to examine why the audience has always identified so closely with Veronica. Kona is going to take a look at what our favorite actors from Veronica Mars are up to these days. Carla has been feverishly watching all three seasons to deliver a series of trivia quizzes (which, I have to tell you, some of these questions are hard). I’m going to be taking a look at what makes a character like Logan Echolls tick, several of us will share our thoughts about a potential Mars movie, and we have several other fun bits to throw in the mix.
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Dec 13, 2010 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
It really was a great show… :(
If it were still on CW today the ratings would probably make it the highest rated show they have.
Really stupid idea to cancel it, even if it was 138th out of 142 it still beat 4 other CW shows. ;)
*POST AUTHOR*
Oreo: I was going to make the same statement about ratings, but I couldn’t find the Demo numbers for VM. In the case of Smallville, VM’s S3 ratings (in viewership alone) would have only beaten Smallville in its sixth season. Gossip Girl is such an outlier because of its demo numbers.
Wow. Great post, D.W.!
Love VM…. have all the DVDs, where’s the frickin’ movie?
Although KB is probably a little old to play Veronica, unless they have moved on all the way into her as a career woman/FBI agent, etc…..
Anyway, just makes me wistful for all the great tv that’s been deep-sixed.
Yes ! Veronica Mars just rocked !
I still like some really great tv shows aired now (True Blood, Dexter, Modern Family, Treme ect…) but without Veronica Mars i am not addicted to a tv show like i was with VM. Maybe it is not a bad thing after all..life can so much more interesting than tv !! lol This show i don’t know was very special..bad move CW that’s for sure but c’est la vie, anyway thank you for your nod to Veronica Mars.
It is so awesome that you are having a Veronica Mars week (or as I like to call it, a Veronathon). My girlfriend and I love and miss VM and a couple weeks ago we broke out the DVDs and started from the beginning. We are now sadly six episodes away from the end, and I think we may be just as sad now as we were when it ended the first go around. The plus side is we introduced a couple of our friends and my mom to our world of pain. Is it better to have loved and lost Veronica than to never have known about her at all? I say it was better to have loved Veronica. Maybe someday we will get a movie, hell it could be a made for tv movie (that would be sweet too). The only thing that matters, is we will always have the memories of a cool girl detective from Neptune CA.
Thanks so much for this. Nice to remember. A brilliant show whose loss is still lamented. Would have loved to have seen it develop. I have all the DVD’s too for a rewatch so at least that’s something.
I’m still hoping they make the movie!
Veronica Mars was EPIC!!
thanks for this! love this show!!!!!! a lot of it was filmed at oceanside high school- where I am from! so awesome
VM was the coolest, epicest show ever. They need a movie, a season 4 or atleast a 1-2+ episodes to uh, close the “cliffhangers”, bring LoVe back together,, etc. they just cant end a show like that. its stupid. im sure that vmars would have WAYYY more views and higher ratings right now in 2011. please consider something. i really want LoVe back together. dont make life worse for us veronica mars fans please?