Kristen Bell feels ubiquitous. Don’t get me wrong – not in a bad way. But she’s sneakily in everything in some form or another. She’s currently crushing it as Eleanor Shellstrop in The Good Place, but this is only the latest role in an incredible career. She’s starred in a variety of movies such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Burlesque, Bad Moms, and she provided the iconic voice of Gossip Girl. For some thoughts on Lonely Boy as Gossip Girl, you can check out this article and you can also watch Bell read some of Donald Trump’s tweets in her iconic Gossip Girl voice. She also voiced Anna in Disney’s Frozen, and has loaned her voice to the character of Lucy in Assassin’s Creed II (in my humble opinion, the best of the AC games). From 2012 to 2016, she starred in critically acclaimed series House of Lies, she had a brief recurring role in Parks and Recreation, and these are just a few career highlights.
But today I’d like to talk about possibly her most important role. Veronica Mars.
Teen noir drama series Veronica Mars, created by Rob Thomas, first aired from 2004-2006. The first season follows Veronica Mars, a 16-year-old girl in the Californian town of Neptune, whose best friend Lily (played by Amanda Seyfried) has been brutally murdered. Veronica’s father, the local sheriff, accuses Lily’s father, the town’s most wealthy man, of involvement in the murder, and as a result loses his job and is left by his wife. The series tracks Veronica who is an unofficial investigator at her father’s P.I agency, and her investigation into Lily’s murder.
Despite being a teen drama, the show was unflinching in its engagement with darker storylines – such as the date rape of Veronica at an 09er (the wealthy elite) party, or the stratification of the wealthy and the poor within Neptune.
The first season in unquestionably the best. As with many shows whose opening premise is a mystery, if that mystery is solved across the arc of the first season, subsequent seasons often fail to have a ‘big mystery’ which is as compelling as the first. Indeed, the murder of Veronica’s best friend is deeply personal, and as such, gives her a particularly heavy investment in the case which really draws the watcher in. But that doesn’t mean seasons two and three weren’t excellent. They were. And what’s more, they pushed the characters and the scope of what the show explored in new directions.
However, the show failed to perform to the network’s standard, and was cancelled after its third season.
Veronica Mars is part of the illustrious ranks of shows such as Star Trek, Friday Night Lights, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Lucifer, and Firefly, whose fans have simply refused to allow it to be lost to the foolishness of network executives. A Kickstarter campaign launched in March 2013 to secure enough funds to make a Veronica Mars film. Not only was the $2 million goal met in six hours, but in so doing, it absolutely smashed previous Kickstarter records. Cut to 2014, and the Veronica Mars movie was released to much acclaim.
Most recently, to the abject delight of ardent marshmallows (the name for die-hard fans of the show), Hulu announced in 2018 that it will release an eight episode series in the second half of 2019.
This article goes reasonably comprehensively through what is know about the upcoming season. Of particular noteworthiness is Bell’s comment that while there is no specific plan for a subsequent season, nothing is being ruled out.
Indeed, the strength of the movie was that it was able to look at how the intervening years had shaped the various characters and how the themes of class warfare, privilege, justice, and corruption, had developed both in general and for Veronica as she reflected upon them as an adult.
So what exactly is it about the show that has captivated the hearts of so many people (and will capture yours too if you watch it)?
First, Veronica herself is a great character. She’s actually quite flawed in her own way – she often will go into dangerous situations without thinking overly of the scope of threat to which she is exposing herself, at times she can be very mistrustful, and she can use people. But that makes her a complex character with whom we can actually empathise and connect. She’s not perfect, but I definitely want to be like her; resourceful, clever, quick-witted, observant, smart. Indeed, most of the characters fall into this category – complex in a way that makes them credibly flawed. That means we really connect with the entire ensemble.
Moreover, the show had great dialogue. The witty exchanges between the characters are the perfect offering of levity to provide relief from the darker moments of the show. Particular props should go to the Veronica/Logan dynamic and the Veronica/Keith exchanges
One of the things which people really get behind in a TV series is an ongoing love story. And Veronica Mars provides. I don’t want to ruin it too much for people who may not have seen the series, but the chemistry between the Veronica and Logan is pretty incredible, and it’s incredibly compelling to watch.
Additionally, the noir style is a pretty engrossing phenomenon. Mystery is one of the storytelling elements that keeps people hooked, and the hallmarks of the noir medium play on enough nostalgia and human interest to keep people coming back again and again (Jessica Jones is another example of a great noir style series which was wildly popular; ironically enough, one of Krysten Ritter’s earliest roles was in Veronica Mars).
However, it also busted people out of their stereotypes (Cindy “Mac” Mackenzie as a hacker) while also showing those who are constrained by them (Dick Casablancas is an arguable example of this and Weevil oscillates between the two).
Veronica Mars has endured in the hearts of its fans for a reason. The army of supporters who have adored and championed it over the years have been rewarded by the announcement of season 4. Now get watching so that you can be up to date when it comes out!
From the #VeronicaMars table read. This is some indication of who is in episode 1. It doesn’t mean your fave doesn’t come in later. @IMKristenBell @PD3Official @golfstoomuch @jason_dohring @dawnn_lewis @pattonoswalt @ricocolantoni @IzabelaVidovic @ccollinsjr @dstarzyk pic.twitter.com/3dlrVlykqK
— Rob Thomas (@RobThomas) November 14, 2018
You can follow the show on its Twitter or its Instagram account. Australians can currently stream Veronica Mars seasons 1-3 on Stan.
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