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LAist Watches: Veronica Mars
We admit it. Watching this TV show may or may not place us in high regard with you, the untold masses reading this site with keen interest every day. But, we just call 'em like we see 'em. We like to find shows that are good and deserve to be seen. This show is well written, funny and has a heart (yes, you guessed it) in the right place.
We are talking about, of course, Veronica Mars. This show, which counts movie mogul Joel Silver (Die Hard, The Matrix) as one of the producers, has humor, irony, danger, suspense and a murder investigation all wrapped up in teen high school angst drama. And we can't get enough of it. The story goes a little something like this.
In the wealthy, seaside community of Neptune, the rich and powerful make the rules, they own the town and the high school, and desperately try to keep their secrets, well, secret. Unfortunately for them, there's Veronica Mars, a smart, funny and fearless 17-year-old who works as apprentice to her private investigator dad.
Veronica (Kristen Bell) actually used to be one of the popular girls. But that ride ended after her best friend Lilly was murdered and her then-Sheriff father Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni) was fired for naming Lilly's billionaire father, Jake Kane (Kyle Secor), as the lead suspect.
During the day, Veronica must negotiate high school like any teenage girl. Along with best friend Wallace Fennel (Percy Daggs III), she goes to class but has on eye on her former popular friends, who often torment her now that she isn't part of the "in" crowd.
At night, Veronica helps with her father's private investigator business, sneaking through back alleys and scoping out no-tell motels with a telephoto lens and her history homework. Veronica has also taken up the challenge of finding her friend's real killer. A search that will ultimately lead her to her mother and the secret of her past.
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This show works most because you care about Veronica and her search for her friend's killer. Plus, her relationship with her father and her search for her missing mother also add to your empathy with the characters. And, Kristen Bell is definitely easy on the eyes, so that doesn't hurt either. She is also a fine actress with a great sense of comic timing.
Give Veronica Mars a shot. You might get hooked like we did.
Veronica Mars airs Tuesdays at 9pm on UPN.
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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