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I first started watching the TV series Veronica Mars back in 2006 when its second season was airing. This month, Hulu will stream the show’s fourth season. And if you’re wondering how a show airs its second season in 2006 and its fourth in 2019, the answer is simple: It’s the show that just won’t die.
Veronica Mars originally aired its first two seasons on UPN but then, UPN merged with The WB to form The CW. The show’s third season aired on The CW to underwhelming ratings, which prompted the series’ cancellation. The reasons for the show’s low ratings are I’m sure numerous, but the primary one that I always believed was because The CW was promoting the show like just another teen soap to fit in its lineup that included One Tree Hill and Gilmore Girls. While Veronica Mars features plenty of teen drama, at its core, it’s a modern noir detective show about class warfare, the haves and the have-nots, and some pretty twisted crimes. The show isn’t just about who’s dating who, and I think it failed to grasp an audience on a network trying to steer away from big issues.
Still, those of us dedicated to Veronica stuck with her and, in 2013, a Kickstarter was launched to fund a film continuation of the series. After that, two novels continued the story and now, the show is slated for a mini-series revival on Hulu.
Veronica is witty and fun and a seriously compelling protagonist. The show’s devilish charm and class warfare themes should play even better in 2019 than they did back in the aughts, and its inclusion on a big-boy streaming platform instead of a teen-focused network should allow the content to better reflect some of the show’s darker themes.
Seasons 1-3 of Veronica Mars are now streaming on Hulu. Season 4 will premiere on Hulu on July 24.
I’m Evan Rook.
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