Californian high school student Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) is an outcast. She is pretty and smart, yet the popular circle despises her since her best friend Lily (Amanda Seyfried) got murdered at her own house and Veronica’s sheriff father Keith (Enrico Colantoni) blamed Lily’s dad for it. But Lily’s dad being a rich and powerful man, Keith got fired and ridiculed. Lily’s friends asked her to choose, and she stuck with her dad. So her boyfriend Duncan (Teddy Dunn) dumped her, and so did his circle of friends. Moreover she was raped at a party. Oh, and Veronica’s mom couldn’t handle the pressure, loss of income/reputation and left the family “for a while”.
But being an outcast made Veronica the strong, sassy and the independent girl she is today. Her father was replaced by the jerk of a sheriff. Keith Mars now runs a private investigation business and Veronica helps him .
The episodes include that week’s case for Keith, sometimes a separate case for Veronica while father and daughter try to solve the mystery of Lily’s death and Veronica’s mom’s whereabouts, usually keeping their efforts from each other.
Of course being the high school student, Veronica needs to deal with Logan (Jason Dohring) – Duncan’s best friend and constant trouble-maker, the local motorcycle gang and possible romantic involvements.
**
Veronica Mars is a really fun crime/mystery/drama that is not quite like your other high school series. Veronica has really original and entertaining ways of dealing with trouble and cracking her cases. She is more than able to take care of herself. But of course things with Duncan are really complicated. It seems like Duncan isn’t over Veronica and doesn’t quite know how to handle it. Who can Veronica really trust apart from her new friend Wallace (Percy Daggs III)?
**
Rated at 8.7 on IMDB (voted by nearly 14,000 people) Veronica Mars is a must-see for mystery lovers. The cast and writers do a good job, although I strictly prefer season 1 and 2 over season 3.
Fun notes:
- You might remember Enrico Colantoni as the fashion photographer from the comedy series Just Shoot Me.
- One of the guest actors is Sydney Tamaiia Poitier. As the name suggests, she is the daughter of Oscar-Winning actor Sydney Poitier.
- If the name and face of Jason Dohring seemed familiar, it is because you might have watched him as a fun-loving, 400 year-old, rich vampire in Moonlight. He played Josef, Mick St. John’s best friend.
- Paris Hilton appears as Logan’s annoying girlfriend for a couple of episodes. No worries. She fits the popular/dumb/bitchy blonde part.
Also on Kristen Bell:
When in Rome starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel
Forgetting Sarah Marshall starring Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Russell Brand
Serious Moonlight starring Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, Kristen Bell and Justin Long
33 Actors From My Generation – Actors Born in the Years Between 1980-1990
Also on Amanda Seyfried:
Chloe starring Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried
Also on Jason Dohring:
Moonlight starring Alex O’Loughlin, Sophia Myles and Jason Dohring