Why Veronica Mars is TV’s Greatest Current Drama and Why You Need to Watch It (Spoiler-Free)
Kristen Bell’s ever-overlooked series has put out television’s greatest true revival to date in an amazing return to form.
(This article is extremely spoiler-free as it is a pitch to watch the series, so there’s a bunch of great examples that I can’t talk about. Please don’t spoil anything in the comments; any comment concerning the season 4 finale will be removed.)
Back in 2007, famed horror/mystery writer Steven King asked, “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.” King is exactly right. Veronica Mars is not interested in reflecting reality, especially over its first three seasons. Characters don’t talk normally, the town of Neptune varies in size at the will of the writers’ room, and nearly everyone in Neptune is a stereotypical douchebag. And, of course, a teenage girl is a detective solving everything from cheating spouses and mysterious valentines to mass murder and rape — something that simply could not happen in the real world.
But here’s the thing: Veronica Mars is one of television’s greatest achievements. So, we must ask: what makes Veronica Mars so cussing good?
Rob Thomas and the Writing Approach
Typically, detective stories operate as procedural tales. A crime is committed or a mystery is introduced, the detective gathers evidence, and then, at the story’s end, they reveal the solution. (In modern mystery, we like to add some post-reveal suspense to raise the stakes.) This formula is what powers all of detective literature, including Veronica Mars.
Detective literature is limited though by its intent. The fun of reading a mystery is guessing who committed the crime and how. As a result, most works in the genre focus on plot, leaving almost no time for character work.
Veronica Mars, however, bucks this trend. Despite being packed with mysteries, Rob Thomas and his team emphasize characters’ developments and relationships over plot. The writers are able to facilitate this underscoring by interweaving Veronica’s personal life with the mysteries she’s solving. In season 1, for instance, the overarching mystery is that of the murder of her best friend, Lilly Kane (an excellent Amanda Seyfried); Meanwhile, her father Keith’s (Enrico Corlantoni), handling of that case as Sheriff got him kicked out of office. This mystery provides two excellent motives for Veronica to solve the mystery for herself — she wants justice for her friend and to prove her father right. Furthermore, because of her connection to Lilly, she has access to all of the relevant parties and sites that another investigator simply wouldn’t have.
However, these connections between Veronica and the mystery go beyond plot. In season four, for instance, after Veronica’s boyfriend goes out of town, she tells us, “I don’t know what it says about me that…the person I wanted to see, to share my frustration with, was the same person I was spying on, trying to determine whether she was a murderer.” There aren’t very many detective dramas in which the detective becomes best friends with one of their suspects. But more interestingly, Rob Thomas also understands the loneliness imbued in that statement.
Consistency
Another reason the show is so remarkable comes down to consistency of quality. Seasons 1–3 had upwards of 75 mysteries across 64 40-minute episodes in only three years. (Season 4 changes format). Yet somehow, the writers were able to ensure that each mystery was intriguing. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite TV show of all time, but I will be the first to admit it has some cussy episodes; Veronica really doesn’t, an amazing feat for a serialized show. The 2014 film of the same name was probably the lowest point for the series, but that was only because it was fan-funded fan service. Season 4 does the exact opposite, refusing to pander at all costs.
Moreover, the characters always stay true to their nature. This fact means that sometimes characters don’t always make the moves you want them to; instead, they make the moves they would actually do. In general, the writers seem unable to slip up (I see you season 4 finale haters, and you’re wrong). In fact, I have never been more confident in a drama series writing staff.
Thematic Bravery
The show is brave enough to go where other shows never would. Veronica Mars premiered back in 2004 on UPN, a now defunct channel that was absorbed into the CW in 2006. Both UPN and the CW target primarily teenage audiences, which is why it made so much sense to put a teenage detective on the network. But Veronica was never overly focused on heartbreak and kisses. Instead, the series delved into sexual and physical abuse, gender performance, institutional social pressures, and authoritarian corruption. But most importantly, Veronica Mars is, at its heart, a show about class conflict in a town without a middle-class. In fact, her first lines in the series are, “This is my school. If you go here, your parents are either millionaires or your parents work for millionaires.” This new season may have sex scenes and explosions, but, as Thomas said, its really about gentrification and the class warfare it can sprout.
Tone
Tone is key to Veronica’s success and is one of the reasons we need her so badly this time around. There is a belief among many that something can’t be truly great unless its dark and gritty or a scathing social satire. Veronica proves this theory false. The show is able to discuss subjects of great gravity with respect while maintaining a sense of levity. Moreover, this show often feels like liquid wit. The jokes and references are nothing if not intelligent. References include everything from Noam Chomsky to the space elevator and Brigadoon to The Big Lebowski. Jokes include an imprisoned Veronica sporting a fake unicorn “Thug Life” tattoo, and banter such as, “What is this, jealous?” “[No.] Jealous would involve piano wire.” This humor is critical to the working of the show, lending the levity that makes watching so irresistible. Even the much darker 4th season is filled with humor. The tone is further helped by crisp direction, upbeat music, a few intentional caricatures, and the SoCal aesthetic. This lightness makes the show stand out from other shows of its ilk.
Kristen Bell
Lastly, Veronica Mars has Kristen Bell. Kristen Bell performs miracles every episode, and without her, I don’t know if Veronica would have made it past the pilot. The idea that a teenage girl can be a full-blown detective is ridiculous, but Bell makes me believe it. Veronica is basically an unplayable role. She has to be able to chase down rapists, outsmart the FBI, and inspire fear in a drug-pedaling motorcycle gang, while also begging for a pony from her bright pink room and telling her friend Wallace (Percy Daggs III) to, “Be cool, soda pop.” It shouldn’t be doable. But somehow, against all odds, Bell prevails, usually in the first take according to her cast mates.
Don’t get me wrong. There are strong performances all around. Corlantoni, Jason Dohring, and Francis Capra, in particular, give spectacular supporting turns. Highlights among the recurring and guest characters include wonderful turns by Simmons, Patton Oswald, Krysten Ritter, Paul Rudd, Tessa Thompson, and more. But none of them are quite as good as Bell.
It’s worth noting that Bell is the lead on both Veronica Mars, arguably TV’s greatest current drama, and The Good Place, arguably TV’s greatest current comedy, simultaneously, and will reprise her role as Princess Anna (clearly the cooler sister) in Frozen 2 this November. That is not a coincidence. The reason for Bell’s success is simple: versatility. She can deal with both the highest highs and the lowest lows in the same scene. And yet, she is able to express these emotions with subtlety. I’m a big fan of Elizabeth Moss’s ferocious turn on The Handmaid’s Tale, but it does always feel like ‘a great performance’. Bell’s Veronica, on the hand, is so convincing, I often forget about how good she’s doing, and that’s the ultimate compliment for a performer. (2021 Emmys, if Bell doesn’t get nominated for either this or The Good Place, us marshmallows will riot.)
Revivals have been popular for years now, ever since Netflix added a 4th season to the Arrested Development stock back in 2013. Since then, we’ve seen the return of Full House, Rosanne, Will & Grace, and even Murphy Brown (because demand was so high…). However, up until this summer, only Twin Peaks: The Return lived up to its original quality (and that was really a deconstruction). This new season of Veronica Mars, however, has succeeded in doing its series justice. So please, do yourself a favor and watch the year’s best drama series, and help get this show the fifth season it so badly deserves.
You can and should watch all four seasons now on HULU.
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