Veronica Mars is a television show created by Rob Thomas. It centers around Veronica Mars, a seventeen-year-old young woman who lives in the fictional town of Neptune, California and the mysteries she uncovers. The show first aired in 2004, but was canceled after three seasons. 

Fans known as “marshmallows” were outraged and have since been campaigning for more. They were able to accomplish this by starting a grassroots movement for a movie and getting another season through Hulu, a streaming service that also has all three seasons. Season four was created by Hulu in collaboration with Thomas.

The show’s fans have been supporting it since the debut of its breakout first season. The first season is what established the backdrop of the show and built the character of Veronica Mars along with her supporting cast. 

The pilot illustrates the class divided Neptune where the so-called “09ers” rule the local high school and the whole city. Veronica was once a part of this crowd but has fallen down the social ladder since she was dumped by Duncan Kane and her best friend, Lilly Kane, was murdered. 

Her father, the local sheriff at that time, Keith Mars, was convinced Jake Kane committed the murders. The Kane family has contributed to the wealth of Neptune, so this accusation causes the loss of Keith’s position and the collapse of Veronica’s family. Veronica now works with Keith who is a private investigator.

One aspect that makes the show stand out is Veronica’s departure from the “dumb blonde” stereotype. Her judgement and insight on people are exceptional. She has recently started dating Troy Vandergraff who is friends with the “09ers”, but still pursues her which initially gives him some major points in personality. Viewers continue to view him as a good person, but Veronica is the one who truly sees his scheming ways and thwarts his attempts to escape “scot-free.” I, myself, was astounded as to how she figured out what Troy was really up to when I thought he was the perfect boyfriend the whole time.

We also see the way Veronica’s upbringing shapes her, which includes the class division in California. According to CalMatters.org, California has one of the worst income gaps in the country because of  the poor populations becoming even poorer, which allows for people like the Kanes to control cities. Much of Veronica’s life is fraught with issues of money due to her father’s job loss. She has had to work hard for her college savings and drives an old car while her classmates’ parents fund scholarship organizations for other people to go to school.

The realistic class division and the reversal of stereotypes make Veronica Mars a show worth watching, even though the high school setting may seem to make issues trivial. The problems Veronica deals with are real problems men and women alike face these days. We can learn from Veronica and the characters of Neptune in how they face loss, trauma and disappointment.