Veronica Mars

Story

Veronica Mars goes to school by day, but by night she helps at her father’s Private Investigation Agency. Her father, Keith had been the town sheriff but when Veronica’s best friend, Lily Kane was killed, Keith falsely accused Lily’s father of the murder. He was ejected from office and became a private investigator. In each episode Veronica solves a case, with her father’s help. The series also had longer mysteries which spread across several episodes or sometimes the whole season, starting in season 1 with who killed Lily Kane.

Why we chose it

Veronica Mars, high school student and private investigator – and a charismatic and resourceful lead character. Veronica’s investigations expose what’s hidden beneath the surface of her wealthy Californian town. Witty and clever writing and a plot full of suspense and satisfying twists and turns.

Where it came from

Thomas originally planned to write Veronica Mars as a novel and the main character was male. However he decided that telling the story from a female point of view would be more interesting and original which led to the TV series.

The series has been shown in the UK, Canada and Australia, as well as in the USA.

Where it went next

Veronica Mars lasted for 3 seasons before being cancelled due to low ratings. However it had developed a large fan base, which kept the series alive after series 3. A group of fans calling themselves ‘Cloud Watchers’ organised several campaigns to bring more viewers to the series, created merchandise including clothes and gifts.

Thomas then wrote a film script continuing the series which was released in 2014 after a huge Kickstarter campaign as Warner Bros decided not to fund the project.

After that, 2 novels were released written by Thomas which continue the story.

In 2019 an eight episode fourth season was released on the American streaming service Hulu.

Associated stories

Nancy Drew is perhaps the most famous teenage girl detective. The first Nancy Drew mystery was published in 1930 and she has gone on to appear in many further books, television series and films.