A Saturn, for a Mars in Neptune

With many of my fav shows on hiatus for the Christmas break (or on season hiatus, Top Chef) I thought that now would be a good time to write about one of the most underrated TV shows of our generation - Veronica Mars. If you haven't heard of it, I'm not surprised. It originally ran on the UPN network and then was moved to the CW when the WB and UPN merged. It only lasted one season on the CW though before it was unceremoniously axed in its third season. A true tragedy if you ask this blogger.

Ok, ok, I will admit, I never watched the show when it originally aired. I don't think that I had a UPN channel (and clearly if I did, I didn't know about it) so I didn't have the chance to watch any of the first two seasons. Then when it was the CW, it was on after my beloved Gilmore Girls, but seeing as how I was in college at the time, I normally had to break to do other things like sorority events or I don't know, homework. I do remember catching about five minutes of one episode, but then get distracted by something else and well that was the end of that... or so I thought.

Last summer I found a wonderful gem of a website TheWB. They of course play shows that are affiliated with Warner Brothers. The show One Tree Hill, the OC, Friends, Gilmore Girls... check out the site for a list of more shows. Anyway, I stumbled across this site I noticed that they were showing the first season of Veronica Mars. I had remembered reading something about the show one time and decided that since I could watch a whole season online for free... well why the heck not? Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

At first glance, the premise of the show is, well, a little silly. A teenage girl, Veronica, lives in a wealthy community (fictional Neptune, CA) is shunned by her peers when her best friend is murdered and her sheriff father goes after the father of Veronica's friend who happens to be a prominent figure in the community. Veronica's father is ousted as Sheriff and is now a Private Investigator, while Veronica aides him in the Office and solves small crimes in her spare time. Riiiiiight. But from the word go, I was hooked. 100% hooked.

The show followed somewhat of a formula in which there was one BIG mystery (season one, Lilly's murder) and in each episode there are "mini" mysteries which are solved in the one hour episode. The big mystery of course is solved at the end of the season. While each episode solved a mini mystery, they each give a few clues to the big mystery. This give a little each time, keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you coming back for more. You just HAVE to know who killed Lilly. It's like, who shot J.R.??? You just have to know.

It's not just the suspense of the mystery that kept me coming back. The writing is smart and witty. While there is high drama involved (this is a high school show after all) there are plenty of pop culture references and funny moments that make you say, "Now that was clever." Then there is the character of Veronica. Veronica's wit and sarcasm is bar none. You just can't help but like her, neigh, love her. The witty Veronica is played by Kristen Bell, who is another reason to keep on coming back. Who doesn't love Kristen Bell? To not love her is unAmerican in my opinion. Seriously just watch a few episodes and you will understand. She makes Veronica relateable and loveable. Then there is the relationship between Veronica and her father. It is a close relationship and it's the type of relationship that I think all girls wish they could have with their fathers. They share everything with each other and listen and understand each other. You really believe them as a father/daughter team.

Despite receiving rave reviews from critics, the show lasted only three seasons and was cancelled after it's third season. Seriously, it's a damn shame in my opinion. There were so many more mysteries to be solved and drama to be had, but alas it was not meant to be. There has been some talk of a Veronica Mars movie, but I haven't heard any confirmation that the movie has been green lit. We can only hope and pray.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get hooked on Veronica!