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- Published: 18 Feb 2007
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Show name | Veronica Mars |
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Caption | Third season intertitle |
Genre | Teen dramedyMysteryNeo-noir |
Picture format | 480i (SDTV)1080i (HDTV) |
Audio format | StereoDolby Digital 5.1 |
Runtime | 42 minutes |
Creator | Rob Thomas |
Starring | Kristen BellPercy Daggs IIITeddy DunnJason DohringSydney Tamiia PoitierFrancis CapraRyan HansenKyle GallnerTessa ThompsonJulie GonzaloChris LowellTina MajorinoMichael MuhneyEnrico Colantoni |
Narrated | Kristen Bell (eponymous) |
Executive producer | Joel SilverRob ThomasDiane RuggieroJennifer GwartzDanielle Stokdyk |
Opentheme | "We Used to Be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols |
Country | United States |
Network | UPN (2004–2006)The CW (2006–2007) |
First aired | |
Last aired | |
Status | Canceled |
Num seasons | 3 |
Num episodes | 64 |
List episodes | List of Veronica Mars episodes |
The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the title character, a student who progresses from high school to college while moonlighting as a private investigator under the tutelage of her detective father. In each episode, Veronica solves a different stand-alone case while working to solve a more complex mystery. The first two seasons of the series each had a season-long mystery arc, introduced in the first episode of the season and solved in the season finale. The third season took a different format, focusing on smaller mystery arcs that would last the course of several episodes.
Thomas initially wrote Veronica Mars as a young adult novel, which featured a male protagonist; he changed the gender because he thought a noir piece told from a female point of view would be more interesting and unique. Filming began in March 2004, The critically acclaimed first season's run of 22 episodes garnered an average of 2.5 million viewers per episode in the United States. Veronica Mars appeared on a number of fall television best lists, and garnered several awards and nominations. During the series' run, it was nominated for two Satellite Awards, four Saturn Awards, five Teen Choice Awards and was featured on AFI's TV Programs of the Year for 2005. Following the cancellation of the series, Thomas wrote a feature film script continuing the series. Warner Bros. opted not to fund the project.
Thomas, who said he "conceive[d] the show as a one-year mystery", decided that he needed to introduce and eliminate several characters to be able to create an "equally fascinating mystery" for the series' second season. Thomas felt that he could not bring back the Kanes and the Echolls and "have them all involved in a new mystery"; he needed "new blood". The second season saw the introduction of Tessa Thompson as Jackie Cook, a romantic interest of Wallace and daughter of a famous baseball player. Previous recurring characters Dick Casablancas and Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas were upgraded to series regulars. Dick, played by Ryan Hansen, was an 09er friend of Logan, a womanizer and former high-school bully turned frat boy. Kyle Gallner portrayed "Beaver", Dick's introverted younger brother. Thomas explained that the Logan-Veronica-Duncan love triangle had run its course, and to keep the series fresh, there would need to be "other guys in her life". He attributed Dunn's removal to fan interest dominating the Logan-Veronica relationship, saying "it became clear that one suitor won out". Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie and Don Lamb, recurring characters in the first two seasons, were upgraded to series regulars. Mac, portrayed by Tina Majorino, was a computer expert befriended by Veronica. Lamb, portrayed by Michael Muhney, was the Balboa County Sheriff who won the office from Keith in the recall election.
Many of the series' scenes were filmed at Stu Segall Productions in San Diego, California. Producer Paul Kurta said that most of the scenes taking place in Neptune were filmed in Oceanside, California. Kurta liked that it was "a seaside town that still feels like middle-class people live there ... Most of the seaside towns feel resort driven."
The setting of Neptune High, which was featured in the first two seasons, was also located in Oceanside. The school, Oceanside High School, was paid $7,750 by Stu Segall Productions for the use of the campus and extras. The series' third season setting of Hearst College was mostly filmed on the campuses of San Diego State University, and the University of California, San Diego. Filming locations were chosen by the director and by production designer Alfred Sole. Sole reportedly "really liked the look and feel of the school", and San Diego State University invited the series with "open arms".
Kramon wrote the original background music to convey the film noir themes. For the pilot, Thomas wanted "a really atmospheric, kind of modern noir type of vibe", and Kramon used sounds similar to that of Air and Zero 7. Kramon used "traditional sounds" for the series, but also processed and filtered them. Among the instruments used were piano, vibraphone and guitar. When using an acoustic piano, Kramon would use compression so that it did not sound like a traditional piano. Live bass and percussion was also used, as Kramon did not like to program them. The main instrument used was guitar, but Kramon felt that piano was "by far the most important instrument for working on TV shows, especially when you're doing everything yourself." Veronica Mars: Original Television Soundtrack, a song compilation from the series' first and second seasons, was released by Nettwerk Records on September 27, 2005. Thomas revealed that the primary goal for the soundtrack was to "get more publicity, which will in turn hopefully get more viewers for the show".
Thomas stated that he was interested in writing a feature film based on the series, in the interest of providing closure to the story lines and character arcs. In September 2008, Michael Ausiello, writing for Entertainment Weekly, reported that Thomas had met with Bell to discuss the plot, which would likely involve Veronica solving crime in college rather than as an FBI agent. Thomas felt that the "FBI scenario was more of a 'What if...?'", aimed at getting a fourth season, and that he "would want to bring back our key players, and it would be tough to believe that the FBI stationed Veronica in Neptune." Ausiello later reported that Enrico Colantoni would be involved in the project. Colantoni said that he was fully aware of the talks taking place, adding, "cult shows have translated well into the film arena. Nothing's official, but they're talking about it." In addition to the feature-film possibility, Thomas has had a meeting with DC Comics to talk about a Veronica Mars comic book series.
In September 2008, Thomas told Entertainment Weekly that "I thought I had the idea broken, but I've hit a wall in the final act that I haven't quite figured out". Thomas explained that he was very busy writing for Cupid and Party Down, both of which he created. In June 2009, Bell said "I don't think it will ever happen, and here's why: [Series creator] Rob Thomas and I had a powwow, and we were both 100 percent on board. We took our proposal to Warner Bros. and Joel Silver told us that there is no enthusiasm [there] to make a Veronica Mars movie, and that is unfortunately a roadblock we cannot compete with." At the 2010 TCA Winter Press Tour, Rob Thomas stated that the movie won't be happening, "I would write it if anyone would finance it. If anyone's interested in making that movie I am available, Kristen's [Bell] available. I would love to do it. I think the closest we came was Joel [Silver] pushing it at Warner Bros. and they didn't bite. It has sort of gone away." In April 2010, Thomas insisted, "it's not dead. I continue to want to do it [...] We’re still looking into it." In June 2010, Silver was less optimistic about the film happening; "we analyzed all these areas about it. I talked to the home video people, because a movie like that would be driven by video. The [season DVDs] didn't do that well... So they didn't feel there was a need or an audience."
{| style="text-align:center;" class="wikitable" style="background: #FFFFFF;" |- ! Season ! Timeslot (ET) ! Network ! Season premiere ! Season finale ! TV season ! Rank/total series ! Viewers(in millions) |- ! 1 |style="text-align:left"| Tuesday 9:00 pm |rowspan="2"| UPN | September 22, 2004 | May 10, 2005 | 2004–2005 |style="font-weight:bold"| #148/156 | 2.5 |- ! 2 |style="text-align:left"| Wednesday 9:00 pm (September 28, 2005–April 5, 2006)Tuesday 9:00 pm (April 11, 2006–May 9, 2006) | September 28, 2005 | May 9, 2006 | 2005–2006 |style="font-weight:bold"| #145/156 | 2.3 |- ! 3 |style="text-align:left"| Tuesday 9:00 pm (October 3, 2006–May 22, 2007)Tuesday 8:00 pm (May 22, 2007) | The CW | October 3, 2006 | May 22, 2007 | 2006–2007 |style="font-weight:bold"| #138/142 | 2.5 |}
Although not a ratings success, the series was a critical success from its first season. Robert Abele of LA Weekly said "in this smart, engaging series about a former popular girl turned crime-solving high school outcast, the hard-boiled dialogue comes from its teen protagonist's mouth in a way that stabs any potential cutesiness in the heart with an ice pick." In her review, Paige Wiser of the Chicago Sun Times said that "on Veronica Mars, wholesome is out; gritty reality is in. The show never soft-pedals the timeless, fundamental truth that high school is hell." Joyce Millman of The Phoenix felt that the series was "a character study masquerading as a high-school drama." Joy Press of The Village Voice saw the series as "a sharp teen noir in the making. Tinged with class resentment and nostalgia for Veronica's lost innocence, this series pulses with promise." Michael Abernethy of PopMatters said that "intrigue, drama, and humor, Veronica Mars is also a lesson book for the disenfranchised. Few TV series aim so high; even fewer succeed so well." James Poniewozik of Time labeled it as one of the six best dramas on television. He praised Bell as "a captivating star," and said that the series "uses its pulp premise to dramatize a universal teen experience: that growing up means sleuthing out the mystery of who you really are." Kay McFadden of The Seattle Times called the series an update to the "classic California film noir." She felt that Veronica Mars was the best new series on UPN, and that the title character was potentially "this season's most interesting character creation." McFadden described the series as "Alias in its attitude, Raymond Chandler in its writing and The O.C. in its class-consciousness." Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com praised the first season finale for being "just the sort of satisfying capper you look for in a series that, week after week, keeps you asking questions."
Veronica Mars was also positively received by other writers. Joss Whedon, who made a guest appearance in the second season episode "Rat Saw God", said that it was the "Best. Show. Ever. Seriously, I've never gotten more wrapped up in a show I wasn't making, and maybe even more than those [...] These guys know what they're doing on a level that intimidates me. It's the Harry Potter of shows." Kevin Smith, who guest starred in the episode "Driver Ed," said that Veronica Mars was "hands-down, the best show on television right now, and proof that TV can be far better than cinema." Stephen King described the series as "Nancy Drew meets Philip Marlowe, and the result is pure nitro. Why is Veronica Mars so good? It bears little resemblance to life as I know it, but I can't take my eyes off the damn thing." Ed Brubaker called it "the best mystery show ever made in America."
Despite being a critical success throughout its run, criticisms began to emerge of the series in its third season. Keith McDuffee of TV Squad described the third season as "disappointing," mainly because the episodes offered nothing new: "most fans of Veronica Mars felt that season three was clearly its weakest." Eric Goldman of IGN said that the main issue was the shift in the overall tone, with a lighter feeling than the previous seasons. He felt that Logan had been most affected by the tone change, robbed of his darker aspects and changed into an "increasingly extraneous character." Goldman felt that despite the concerns over final five episodes, the series ended with "three very strong episodes, with lots of strong dialogue and Veronica proving again just how tough she can be, and what a strong character she is." Goldman concluded that although the third season "was very choppy," it still had "plenty of witty dialogue and a continually engaging performance by Kristen Bell as the title character." Fox News Channel's Bridget Byrne pointed out that Veronica had "gone from punky to-dare we say-preppy" in the third season. Byrne further explained that "with her quick, bright wit and sharp eye for life's darker moments [Veronica] has left high school and is going to college, doffing her dark threads and spiked tresses for something a little more stylish."
The series, described as a "critical darling," appeared on a number of fall television best lists. In 2005, the series was featured on AFI's TV Programs of the Year, and on the lists of MSN TV, The Village Voice, the Chicago Tribune, People Weekly and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In 2006, the series was ranked number one on the lists of Ain't It Cool News and the Chicago Sun-Times, and was ranked number six by Metacritic. In 2008, British film magazine Empire ranked Veronica Mars number 48 in their list of the "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time." The magazine said that "smart storylines and witty riffs on pop culture pepper the scripts, while Kristen Bell lent ballsy charm to the title role and ensured that every episode of the show's three seasons was television gold. Its untimely cancellation was a slap in the face that still smarts to this day." Empire named "Not Pictured" the best episode of the series. In 2010, Kristin Dos Santos of E! ranked Veronica Mars number 8 on her list, "Top 20 TV Series of the Past 20 Years".
Subscription channel Living began showing the series in the United Kingdom in October 2005, averaging 50,000 viewers per episode for its first season. The channel began airing the second season on June 8, 2006, airing one episode per week rather than showing one every night as they did in the first season. Despite low ratings in the second season, Living decided to air the series' third season. Free-to-air channel E4 began broadcasting the series from July 16, 2009.
Veronica Mars premiered in Australia by Network Ten on November 28, 2005, where the series saw erratic airings. TV2 began showing the series in New Zealand on July 15, 2005, and has shown all three seasons since.
The second season was released in the US under the title Veronica Mars: The Complete Second Season as a widescreen six-disc Region 1 DVD box set on August 22, 2006, Region 2 on August 15, 2008, and Region 4 on September 8, 2008. In addition to all the aired episodes, DVD extras included two featurettes: "A Day on the Set with Veronica Mars" and "Veronica Mars: Not Your Average Teen Detective", a gag reel, a promo trailer for the third season and additional scenes, including an alternate ending to "My Mother, the Fiend".
The third season was released in the US under the title Veronica Mars: The Complete Third Season as a widescreen six-disc Region 1 DVD box set on October 23, 2007, Region 2 on December 12, 2008, and Region 4 on February 11, 2009. In addition to all the aired episodes, DVD extras included "Pitching Season 4", an interview with Rob Thomas discussing a new direction for the series that picks up years later, with Veronica as a rookie FBI agent; "Going Undercover with Rob Thomas"; webisode gallery with cast interviews and various set tours; unaired scenes with introductions by Rob Thomas; and a gag reel.
* Category:2000s American television series Category:2004 American television series debuts Category:2007 American television series endings Category:American comedy-drama television series Category:American drama television series Category:The CW Television Network shows Category:College television series Category:English-language television series Category:High school television series Category:Mystery television Category:Serial drama television series Category:Teen dramas Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Category:Television shows set in California Category:UPN network shows
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Caption | Czuchry at basketball game, Germany, 2008 |
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Birth date | May 20, 1977 |
Birth place | Manchester, New Hampshire, United States |
Occupation | Actor |
Birthname | Matthew Charles Czuchry}} |
Matthew Charles "Matt" Czuchry (; born May 20, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for having portrayed Logan Huntzberger on Gilmore Girls and for currently co-starring as Cary Agos on the CBS television series The Good Wife.
Czuchry co-stars on CBS's hit series The Good Wife as young, ambitious Harvard-educated lawyer Cary Agos. In the first season, Cary and Alicia Florrick (played by Julianna Margulies) are associates in the same Chicago law firm competing for one permanent position. At the end of the season, Alicia wins the competition and the position. When the second season starts, Cary is working for the state's attorney office, thus putting him and Alicia on opposite sides of the courtroom.
Category:1977 births Category:Actors from New Hampshire Category:Actors from Tennessee Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Manchester, New Hampshire Category:People from Johnson City, Tennessee
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.