"Veronica Mars" (2004)TV series 2004-2007

Creator:

Rob Thomas

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

22 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime | Mystery

Tagline:

Street smart with heart.

Plot:

After her best friend is murdered and her father is removed as county sheriff, Veronica Mars dedicates her life to cracking the toughest mysteries in the affluent town of Neptune.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Spy | Class Conflict | Dead Girl | Social Conflict

Awards:

1 win & 14 nominations

Cast

Kristen Bell	...	Veronica Mars (64 episodes, 2004-2007)
Percy Daggs III	...	Wallace Fennel (64 episodes, 2004-2007)
Jason Dohring	...	Logan Echolls (64 episodes, 2004-2007)
Francis Capra	...	Eli "Weevil" Navarro / ... (64 episodes, 2004-2007)
Enrico Colantoni	...	Keith Mars (64 episodes, 2004-2007)
Ryan Hansen	...	Dick Casablancas (52 episodes, 2004-2007)
Teddy Dunn	...	Duncan Kane (44 episodes, 2004-2006)
Michael Muhney	...	Sheriff Don Lamb (41 episodes, 2004-2007)
Tina Majorino	...	Cindy 'Mac' Mackenzie (34 episodes, 2004-2007)
Brandon Hillock	...	Deputy Sacks (29 episodes, 2004-2007)

Runtime:

60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 (season 2) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | USA:TV-14 (some episodes) | Singapore:PG (season 1) (season 3) | USA:TV-PG (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Oceanside, California, USA

Company:

Silver Pictures Television

Trivia:

In the original project notes and the original pilot script for the show, there were some name changes. Lilly's name was Samantha, Lianne Mars's was Rebecca, then Abbie, Wallace's last name was Collier, Logan's last name was Hewitt and the Kanes' last name was Cain, then Caine.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: While Logan is editing the tribute video to Lilly, among the video clips is one that shows her as a little girl between the age of 5 and 7 at Legoland California. Legoland California wasn't in operation until 1999, which means that Lilly would had to have at been least 10 or 11 during the visit, making her too old to have appeared in the aforementioned clip.

Quotes:

[Logan is playing solitaire]
Weevil: You know what I love, I love that I get a zero for talking. When you were the one talking to me. You get detention for dissing the teacher in front of everybody, I get detention for laughing. Let me ask you something man.
Logan: [looks upward] Is this detention or hell?
Weevil: How do you people not make yourself sick? It's like you walk on water in this school, for what? It's nothing that you do, I mean all that matters is who your parents are. And the zip code your mother shot you out in.
Logan: If I donate to the United Latino Pain-in-the-ass fund will you shut the hell up?
Weevil: You like playing with yourself?
Logan: Huh?
Weevil: Or do you want to make things interesting?
Logan: What did you have in mind?
Weevil: [cut to them playing poker] You're almost as bad as actor as your father.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Heroes Unmasked: The Casting Couch (#2.8)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

We Used to Be Friends

Huh?

While usually I find out the shows I avoid watching due to unjustifiable prejudice (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, etc, as far as new shows, which I watch an admittedly small percentage of) are actually not what I was expecting and in fact are quite good, I don't "get" this show. I understand it. I know what's going on. I just don't seem to care. The dialogue is occasionally cringe-inducing, in the way that hearing a parent attempt to use their children's slang to them is. Note: quoting Keanu Reeves is not "cool." Mind you, some people may feel it is, and that's just fine. But it's not terribly original, nor terribly witty. Which would be fine, except everyone seems convinced the show is both.

If you keep hearing this "noir" nonsense, be aware there's, uh, very little truth to it. For all the murder (actually, there isn't much) and other violent crime (not much in general, actually), the world's really pretty cheery. Everyone's pretty snarky, but even the people dealing with deaths are pretty upbeat. The world is bright and shiny and very, well, upscale California (I know, that's where it's set). The world isn't remotely corrupt, amoral or nihilistic. Veronica is not really all that jaded and trusts almost everyone implicitly on sight, unless it helps the plot along for her not to. She isn't terribly amoral herself either, and pretty much follows the usual methodology of teen drama protagonists in being a good person with some flaws. She occasionally does the odd thing that isn't "OK," like eavesdropping, but she is a private eye for crying out loud, and she usually feels pretty guilty about these things. So, between the bright cinematography, bright world and bright characters, this "noir" categorization has no real basis in reality. I see vague glimmers of appreciation of the style/genre show up every now and then (narration, flashbacks) but this is not a noir world. Not by a long shot. Comparing it to Chinatown or someone like Phillip Marlowe is either stretching a metaphor to transparency or complete ignorance. None of the full-fledged components are really present.

Does that make it bad? No. But considering I've been hearing "noir" since I first heard about the show, I was just a little bit let down.

The writing on the whole is a bit above average, but not much. Things are brought up but never resolved or addressed--sometimes they're even ignored! On one occasion it even occurred in the space between two episodes! Relationships appear and disappear in a single episode. It's a little too episodic, despite claims that it is "arc-based."

The gang is pretty stereotypical--or at the least, typical of film and TV, if not so much reality. So are most of the characters. There are glimmers of promise every now and then, but wading through the dross of the rest of it is incredibly difficult. Most of the complaints found in the negative reviews here are pretty legitimate, but I expect I'll get a slew of "unhelpful" votes simply for not calling this the best show ever.

I'm sorry, but it isn't. It may be the best show on right now, but that really doesn't say an awful lot, if you ask me. I have no judgments to make aloud or even to myself about those that like the show. More power to you, and I hope you get to keep it if you want to watch it.

Just not remotely my cup of tea, and this tea is also very much not noir.