Veronica Mars’ Three Revival Attempts Explained

Veronica Mars has been revived several times, and here’s every time a revival was attempted. Starring Kristen Bell in the titular role of aspiring private investigator Veronica Mars, the series created by Rob Thomas originally launched in 2004. The first two seasons of the noir series were released on UPN before The CW became its home for season 3. During these early years, Veronica Mars built up a passionate fan base, even though the ratings were never great.

The CW canceled Veronica Mars after three seasons, but fans wanted more. As the show that helped launch Kristen Bell’s career, the calls for more of Veronica Mars only grew as time went on. There was some hope that the series could be picked up by a different network that was interested in making season 4 a reality. Even with the following that it had, hopes for Veronica Mars‘ revival fell short at first. However, that didn’t stop Thomas, Bell, and fans from trying to get more of the critically acclaimed series.

Almost a decade after Veronica Mars‘ pilot aired, it was finally announced that Bell was returning to the fan-favorite role. But, one revival wasn’t enough for fans or those involved with the show. Over a decade after season 3, it was revealed that Veronica Mars was getting a fourth season after all, as the popular show became the latest winner of the streaming wars. While there were two successful revivals, there was also a third attempt to keep Veronica Mars on the air. Here’s a rundown of every revival attempt.

Veronica In The FBI

The original attempt to revive Veronica Mars came as part of the season 3 home video release. Thomas managed to include a 12-minute concept short for what season 4 could look like titled “Veronica in the FBI.” The short picked up four years after the end of season 3. Veronica had finished college and training at Quantico, so the story sets up her being a rookie field agent for the FBI. She is volunteered by her new co-workers to go undercover as a student for her first assignment. However, nothing materialized from this short.

Kickstarter Movie

In lieu of another season of Veronica Mars, Thomas and Bell went with a completely different approach to try and bring it back. After Warner Bros. opted not to move forward with a movie script written by Thomas, he and Bell announced a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to make the film. It made $2 million in record time and $5M in total after a month, resulting in WB greenlighting the movie. It began filming in 2013 and was released in theaters in 2014, almost two years to the date that the Kickstarter launched.

Veronica Mars only made about $3M at the worldwide box office but reportedly earned over $2M in its first two weeks of home release. The movie was set nine years after the season 3 finale and followed Veronica investigating the death of a former classmate supposedly killed by Logan Echolls.

Hulu Revival Series

A few years after the movie’s release, Veronica Mars was revived again for a fourth season on Hulu. News of the series was announced in 2018 with Thomas and Bell brought back again, along with several other cast members from the original series. Veronica Mars season 4 debuted on Hulu in 2019 and continued to push Veronica’s story forward. Despite mostly positive critical reviews, season 4 divided the fan base, especially after the controversial death in Veronica Mars‘ finale. Hulu has yet to announce plans for season 5, but perhaps another revival could come at some point.

About The Author

Cooper Hood
(5632 Articles Published)

See also  90 Day Fiancé: Natalie Spotted Partying With Florida Men After Mike Split

Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

More From Cooper Hood