'Veronica Mars' Revival Series Is Coming To Hulu In 2019 [Updated]
Update: It's official – Veronica Mars is returning to Hulu in 2019. And, of course, the entire series will be available to stream as well. Details, including a new synopsis, have been added to our post below.
The best fictional detectives never really retire. They just take a break until the next big case drags them back in. A tumble off Reichenbach Falls couldn't kill Sherlock Holmes and cancellation by The CW couldn't kill Veronica Mars, who is about to make her second comeback since the end of her original television series.
Hulu is apparently in the final stages of pulling together a Veronica Mars revival series, with original star Kristen Bell set to reprise her role as the plucky sleuth.
Deadline has the story and the details are vague, but it should all prove very exciting for the character's devoted fanbase. Hulu is "finalizing deals" for the revival, with Bell once again set to star. It's not clear how much of the original supporting cast will return, but there are "preliminary conversations" about bringing back a number of other characters. The revival is an eight-episode limited series, but that doesn't mean future seasons are out of the question if this thing is a big hit. And honestly, the third time may the charm here.Veronica Mars was never a ratings smash when it was on the air from 2004 through 2007, but the teenage detective drama quickly gathered a dedicated cult fanbase who supported the show through its original three season run on UPN and The CW. That built-in following came in handy years later, when creator Rob Thomas made a big screen sequel to the movie via crowdfunding, with fans raising over $5 million to make the project a reality. The film, which was set nine years after the events of the show and followed an adult Veronica, was released in 2014.
As with the show and the film, Rob Thomas is behind the new version coming to Hulu.
Honestly, the time feels right for a new Veronica Mars series. The original show arrived at the awkward transition between old school television and "peak TV," and it's easy to imagine it having a longer and healthier life if it had arrived just a little bit later. Plus, a show with a niche following like this stands a stronger chance of success on a streaming service than on a network in the mid-'00s. And that's before you even talk about the nostalgia that's going to drag many people back into the world of Veronica Mars once more.
As a bonus, Bell's star has only risen in the years since the show and the movie. For the kids, she's one of the main voices in Frozen. For adults, she's the lead in the incredible comedy series The Good Place (Deadline notes that Veronica Mars will not interfere with her involvement in that brilliant NBC series).
The question now is when the new show will be set and where will it find Veronica? Will it return to Neptune, California or will Veronica be solving mysteries elsewhere? Will the movie figure into the plot or will that be treated as a non-canonical diversion? Like all good detectives, we'll just have to keep our eyes open and wait for the truth to reveal itself.
Update: Via an official press release, we learned today that Hulu has picked up the new season of Veronica Mars, which will consist of eight episodes and follow one central mystery. Here is the official synopsis:
Spring breakers are getting murdered in Neptune, thereby decimating the seaside town's lifeblood tourist industry. After Mars Investigations is hired by the parents of one of the victims to find their son's killer, Veronica is drawn into an epic eight-episode mystery that pits the enclave's wealthy elites, who would rather put an end to the month-long bacchanalia, against a working class that relies on the cash influx that comes with being the West Coast's answer to Daytona Beach.
The first episode will be written by series creator Rob Thomas, who offered up this tease on Twitter:
I will say this: the movie was nostalgic. The Hulu limited series isn't going to be. Hardcore So-Cal noir. One big case. Eight episodes to tell the story. This is a detective show.
— Rob Thomas (@RobThomas) September 20, 2018
The full list of returning cast members has not been confirmed.
In addition to the new episodes, all three seasons of the original show and the sequel film will be available to stream on Hulu next summer.