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|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|5|8}}
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|5|8}}
|ProdCode = 3T5817
|ProdCode = 3T5817
|ShortSummary = Piz escorts aging rock star Desmond Fellows before a benefit concert for the radio station. When Fellows' irreplaceable backing tapes go missing, Piz recruits Veronica to locate them. Vinnie Van Lowe files to oppose Keith in the special election for sheriff.
|ShortSummary = Piz escorts aging rock star Desmond Fellows before a benefit concert for the radio station. When Fellows' irreplaceable backing tapes go missing, Piz recruits Veronica to locate them. Vinnie Van Lowe files to oppose Keith in the special election for sheriff. [[Paul Rudd]] guest stars as Desmond Fellows.
|LineColor = 79973F
|LineColor = 79973F
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Revision as of 01:26, 13 December 2010

Veronica Mars Season 3
Season 3
DVD cover art
No. of episodes20
Release
Original networkThe CW
Original releaseOctober 3, 2006 –
May 22, 2007
Season chronology
← Previous
2
Next →
Season 4
List of episodes

The third season of Veronica Mars, an American drama television series created by Rob Thomas, began airing on The CW Television Network in the United States on October 3, 2006. The season was produced by Warner Bros. Television, Silver Pictures Television, Stu Segall Productions, Inc and Rob Thomas Productions,[1] and Joel Silver, Diane Ruggiero and Thomas served as executive producers.[2] The third season comprises 20 episodes and concluded its initial airing on May 22, 2007.[3]

The season continues the story of Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell), now a freshman studying at Hearst College while moonlighting as a private investigator under the wing of her detective father. The first mystery is established when her friend Parker Lee (Julie Gonzalo) becomes the latest victim of the Hearst serial rapist in a storyline begun in a second-season episode. Feeling guilty for not helping her, Veronica sets herself to catching the rapist. The next mystery, a murder, commences in the same episode that the identity of the rapist is discovered.

To increase viewership, the third season format was changed to include two separate mysteries that would be introduced and resolved in a series of non-overlapping story arcs. Three of the regulars in the second season were written out of the series, two new characters were introduced and two others were upgraded from recurring roles. The third season received generally positive critical reviews; however, at least one reviewer expressed disappointment with the series finale, mainly because it did not provide closure for the storylines and characters.[4]

Cast

The third season features a cast of ten actors who receive billing,[3] an increase from the nine actors in the second.[5] Kristen Bell portrays the titular Veronica Mars, a college student and skilled private detective. Jason Dohring plays Logan Echolls, the "bad-boy" son of an A-list actor. Percy Daggs III portrays Wallace Fennel, Veronica's best friend and frequent partner in solving mysteries. Francis Capra portrays Eli "Weevil" Navarro, the previous leader of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) biker gang and Veronica's friend. Enrico Colantoni plays Veronica's father Keith Mars, a private investigator and former Balboa County Sheriff. Teddy Dunn, who portrayed Veronica's ex-boyfriend Duncan Kane, left the series midway through the second season because Thomas felt that the Logan–Veronica–Duncan love triangle had run its course. Thomas needed to put "other guys in her life" to keep the series fresh, and attributed Dunn's removal to fan interest embracing the Logan-Veronica relationship,[6] saying "it became clear that one suitor won out".[7]

Tessa Thompson's character, Jackie Cook, was created for the second season as a romantic interest of Wallace and the daughter of a famous baseball player. After an episode in which Veronica witnessed Jackie talking to a friend while dating Wallace, fan reaction to the character became generally negative. Thomas blamed the character's reception on his error in judgment: he had hoped fans would question whether it was Jackie or Veronica in the wrong; however, the audience automatically assumed that it was Jackie. Thomas decided not to change the story arc he had planned for Jackie, as he believed Thompson was "a fantastic actress and she's got more to play." He said that whether fans end up liking Jackie is "up in the air", but he hoped that they did because "she's really, really good".[8] Kyle Gallner, who portrayed Cassidy Casablancas, Dick's introverted younger brother, was a recurring character in the first season and was upgraded to a series regular in the second.[9] The characters of Thompson and Gallner were written out of the series at the end of the second season, due to Jackie moving back to New York and Cassidy committing suicide.[3]

Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie and Don Lamb, recurring characters in the first two seasons, were upgraded to series regulars in the third. 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.[7] The third season introduces two new series regulars, Julie Gonzalo portrays Parker Lee and Chris Lowell plays Stosh "Piz" Piznarski.[7] Piz, named after the director of the pilot, Mark Piznarski, was created so that Veronica could have a male friend of middle-class status rather than of upper-class. He is Wallace's roommate and a friend of Veronica, and his campus radio show serves as a narrative device to capture the mood of the university.[10] Parker is Mac's extroverted roommate at Hearst College and "everything that [she] is not", according to Thomas.[7]

Release

Critical reception

Reviews of the third season were generally positive. Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune praised Bell's performance, who she said deserved the "truckload of glowing press notices for her work as the tightly wound, emotionally resilient young detective". Ryan thought Veronica's relationship with Keith was "one of the best, if not the best, parent-child relationship on television", and described Logan and Veronica's on-screen chemistry as "sizzling".[11] Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com felt that although the third season "wasn't the strongest", it did show that Veronica Mars "could not only survive but continue to find ways to reinvigorate itself". Zacharek liked newcomer Piz, and realized how much she was going to miss the character Dick.[4] Melanie McFarland of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer felt that Veronica Mars "easily has a few more seasons left in it", and described the writing as "unfailingly hysterical and clever". McFarland praised the cast as "without a doubt one of the most likable on television", and called Dohring "the most beloved of the bunch".[12]

Keith McDuffee of TV Squad deemed the season "disappointing", mainly because the episodes offered nothing new: "most fans of Veronica Mars felt that season three was clearly its weakest".[13] Eric Goldman of IGN said that the main issue was the shift in the overall tone, with a lighter feeling than the previous seasons. Goldman believed that Logan had been most affected by the tone change; he was robbed of his darker aspects and changed into an "increasingly extraneous character". The reviewer felt that despite the concerns over the final five episodes, the series ended with "three very strong episodes, with lots of strong dialogue". Goldman concluded that although third season "was very choppy", it still had "plenty of witty dialogue and a continually engaging performance by Kristen Bell as the title character".[14] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette opined that Veronica Mars had taken a dive "creatively", from "the mopier version of its theme song to stalled storylines". The reviewer felt that "the arcing mysteries had grown less convincing and compelling as time went on and were too drawn out".[15] Fox News Channel's Bridget Byrne pointed out that Veronica had "gone from punky to—dare we say—preppy" in the third season.[16]

Ratings and awards

The third season premiere was watched by 3.36 million American viewers, an increase from the 2.42 million viewers who viewed the second season finale.[17][18] Ratings remained stable for the first ten episodes, and the ninth episode featured the most viewers of the season with 3.44 million.[19] Beginning with the eleventh episode, ratings dropped to a consistent viewership of a mid-2 million per episode,[20] and the final episode before the hiatus was watched by 2.66 million viewers.[21] When the series returned from its hiatus, viewers had decreased to 2.35 million,[22] and the final two episodes garnered only 1.78 and 2.15 million viewers respectively.[23]

The third season averaged 2.5 million viewers for all 20 episodes. Out of all regular primetime programming that aired during the 2006–2007 American television season, Veronica Mars ranked 138th out of 142, according to the Nielsen ratings system.[24] The third season was nominated for two awards: Kristen Bell was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television,[25] and the series was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for On-Air Promotion (Radio or Television).[26]

Distribution

The first two season of Veronica Mars aired on UPN; however, in 2006, CBS Corporation decided to merge UPN and Warner Bros. into The CW. Paul Maguire, the spokesman for The CW, said that the series was picked up because "the critics are behind it and our research has consistently shown that Gilmore shared more audience commonality with Veronica than with any other show from UPN, except Top Model".[27]

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,[28] Region 2 on December 12, 2008,[29] and Region 4 on February 11, 2009.[30] In addition to all of the aired episodes, DVD extras included unaired scenes with introductions by Rob Thomas, a gag reel, and a webisode gallery with cast interviews and various set tours. Also included were the featurettes, "Going Undercover with Rob Thomas" commentary and "Pitching Season 4", an interview with Thomas discussing a new direction for the series that picks up years later, with Veronica as a rookie FBI agent.[31]

The third season was simulcast in Canada by Fox 44.[32] The series had previously been broadcast in Canada by the CTV Television Network and Sun TV.[33][34] Despite airing the series to low ratings in the previous seasons, the United Kingdom's Living decided to air the series' third season.[35] Network Ten began airing the third season in Australia on March 30, 2007.[36] The series went on hiatus after the fourth episode on April 20, 2007,[37] and resumed on the newly created Ten HD in 2008.[38] The finale was aired on April 8, 2008.[39] The third season was broadcast in New Zealand by TV2.[40]

Cancellation and future

At the 2007 CW Upfront, Ostroff announced that Veronica Mars was not part of the new primetime lineup and was "not coming back".[41] When asked if the series could continue with the FBI concept, Ostroff said that the series was completely gone "in any form".[42] Upon the cancellation of the series, a group of fans calling themselves the "Cloud Watchers" sent more than 10,000 Mars bars to the CW,[43] hoping that the network would reverse its decision and renew the series.[44]

Thomas stated that he was interested in writing a feature film based on the series, in the interest of providing closure to the storylines and character arcs. 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.[45] In January 2009, TV Guide reported that the film was Thomas' first priority after Cupid. Thomas noted that as well as writing the script, someone would need to pay for the film, but indicated that producer Joel Silver was ready to green-light the film.[46] In late March, Thomas stated that although the film was not green-lit by the studio, the possibility was still there. Thomas revealed that the film would take place before Veronica's graduation, and feature Wallace, Logan, Mac and Weevil.[47]

Episodes

Veronica is still living at home with her father Keith, and Piz and Parker are introduced as the respective roommates of Veronica's friends Wallace and Mac. Weevil takes a job at Hearst as a maintenance man, while Lamb continues to serve as Sheriff. During the season, Keith begins an affair with a married client, Wallace struggles to balance academics and sports, Mac begins dating again after previous failed relationships, and Dick has a breakdown and appeals to Logan for help. The season chronicles Veronica and Logan's failing attempts to maintain their relationship in the face of Veronica's mistrust.

№ # Title Directed by Written by U.S. viewers
(million) 		Original air date Production
code
451"Welcome Wagon"John KretchmerRob Thomas3.36[18]October 3, 2006 (2006-10-03)3T5801
462"My Big Fat Greek Rush Week"John KretchmerDiane Ruggiero2.96[48]October 10, 2006 (2006-10-10)3T5802
473"Wichita Linebacker"Harry WinerPhil Klemmer & John Enbom3.12[49]October 17, 2006 (2006-10-17)3T5803
484"Charlie Don't Surf"Jason BloomDiane Ruggiero & Jason Elen3.33[50]October 24, 2006 (2006-10-24)3T5804
495"President Evil"Nick MarckJonathan Moskin & David Mulei2.70[51]October 31, 2006 (2006-10-31)3T5805
506"Hi, Infidelity"Michael FieldsJohn Enbom2.75[52]November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07)3T5806
517"Of Vice and Men"Harry WinerPhil Klemmer2.69[53]November 14, 2006 (2006-11-14)3T5807
528"Lord of the Pi's"Steve GomerDiane Ruggiero2.57[54]November 21, 2006 (2006-11-21)3T5808
539"Spit & Eggs"Rob ThomasRob Thomas3.44[19]November 28, 2006 (2006-11-28)3T5809
5410"Show Me the Monkey"Nick MarckStory by: John Enbom
Teleplay by: John Enbom & Robert Hull		3.23[55]January 23, 2007 (2007-01-23)3T5810
5511"Poughkeepsie, Tramps and Thieves"John KretchmerDiane Ruggiero2.69[20]January 30, 2007 (2007-01-30)3T5811
5612"There's Got to Be a Morning After Pill"Tricia BrockStory by: Jonathan Moskin & David Mulei
Teleplay by: Jonathan Moskin & Phil Klemmer & John Enbom		2.40[56]February 6, 2007 (2007-02-06)3T5812
5713"Postgame Mortem"John KretchmerJoe Voci2.37[57]February 13, 2007 (2007-02-13)3T5813
5814"Mars, Bars"Harry WinerStory by: Phil Klemmer & John Enbom & Joe Voci
Teleplay by: Phil Klemmer & John Enbom		2.27[58]February 20, 2007 (2007-02-20)3T5814
5915"Papa's Cabin"Michael FieldsJohn Enbom2.66[21]February 27, 2007 (2007-02-27)3T5815
6016"Un-American Graffiti"John KretchmerRobert Hull2.35[22]May 1, 2007 (2007-05-01)3T5816
6117"Debasement Tapes"Dan EtheridgeJohn Enbom1.85[59]May 8, 2007 (2007-05-08)3T5817
6218"I Know What You'll Do Next Summer"Nick MarckJonathan Moskin & David Mulei2.10[60]May 15, 2007 (2007-05-15)3T5818
6319"Weevils Wobble But They Don't Go Down"Jason BloomPhil Klemmer1.78[23]May 22, 2007 (2007-05-22)3T5819
6420"The Bitch Is Back"Michael FieldsRob Thomas & Diane Ruggiero2.15[23]May 22, 2007 (2007-05-22)3T5820

References

General
  • "Veronica Mars: Season 3". IGN. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  • "Veronica Mars — The Complete 3rd Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
Specific
  1. ^ "Veronica Mars Season 3". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) [dead link‍]
  2. ^ Elena Fernandez, Maria (November 9, 2005). "Cult king in orbit on Mars". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 4, 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b c "Veronica Mars: Season 3". IGN. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  4. ^ a b Zacharek, Stephanie (May 23, 2007). "Finale wrap-up: Veronica Mars". Salon.com. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  5. ^ "Veronica Mars: Season 2". IGN. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  6. ^ Madden Toby, Mekeisha (September 20, 2006). "Many Happy Returns". The Detroit News. pp. 01E. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b c d Goldman, Eric (July 18, 2006). "Veronica Mars Season 3: Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas Talk". IGN. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  8. ^ Ryan, Maureen (January 20, 2006). "Veronica Mars scoop". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 8, 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Goldman, Eric (August 10, 2006). "Veronica Mars: The Complete Second Season". IGN. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  10. ^ Jensen, Jeff (October 23, 2006). "The Veronica Mars creator on his recent job hunt". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 29, 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Ryan, Maureen (May 18, 2007). "So long, Veronica Mars. Thanks for three memorable years". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 4, 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ McFarland, Melanie (October 2, 2006). "Ones to Watch: The Veronica Mars special edition". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved November 8, 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ McDuffee, Keith (October 21, 2007). "Veronica Mars season three — DVD review". TV Squad. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  14. ^ Goldman, Eric (June 14, 2007). "Veronica Mars: Season 3 Review". IGN. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  15. ^ "Men are for Mars". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 1, 2007. Retrieved September 18, 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Byrne, Bridget (October 23, 2006). "Veronica Changes Image for New Season". Fox News Channel. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  17. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 16, 2006. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
  18. ^ a b "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. October 10, 2006. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  19. ^ a b "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. December 5, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  20. ^ a b "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 6, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  21. ^ a b "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. March 6, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  22. ^ a b "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 8, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  23. ^ a b c "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 30, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  24. ^ "2006–07 primetime wrap". The Hollywood Reporter. May 25, 2007. Archived from the original on July 16, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ "The 33rd Annual Saturn Awards Nominations". Saturn Award. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
  26. ^ "2007 Writers Guild Awards Television & Radio Nominees Announced" (PDF). Writers Guild of America Award. December 19, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 6, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  27. ^ Storm, Jonathan (May 20, 2006). "CW network sets its first fall lineup". The Philadelphia Inquirer. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ "Veronica Mars - The Complete Third Season". Amazon.com. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  29. ^ "Veronica Mars - The Complete Third Season". Amazon Germany. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  30. ^ "Veronica Mars - The Complete 3rd Season (6 Disc Set)". EzyDVD. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  31. ^ Porter, Rick (October 23, 2007). "DVD Review: Veronica Mars, Season Three". Tribune Media Services. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  32. ^ Mudhar, Raju (October 3, 2006). "Hoping there's life on Mars" (Registration required). Toronto Star. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  33. ^ "CTV unveils 'new, original' programming plans". CTV.ca. June 7, 2004. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  34. ^ Brioux, Bill. "Sun TV announces fall sked". Jam!. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  35. ^ Wilkes, Neil (September 14, 2006). "The same old drivel". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  36. ^ Knox, David (March 29, 2007). "Fri / Sat / Sun Mar 30 / 31 / Apr 1". TV Tonight. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  37. ^ Knox, David (April 19, 2007). "Fri / Sat / Sun / Apr 20 / 21 / 22". TV Tonight. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  38. ^ Schwartz, Larry; Tsang, Simon (January 14, 2008). "I can see clearly now". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved March 27, 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  39. ^ Knox, David (April 3, 2008). "Veronica Mars takes a final bow". TV Tonight. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  40. ^ "Veronica Mars - TV2". TV2. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  41. ^ Gray, Ellen (May 18, 2007). "Fox and CW unveil lineups for the fall" (Registration required). Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  42. ^ Goldman, Eric (May 17, 2007). "Veronica Mars is Dead, but Kristen Bell is now CW's Gossip Girl". IGN. Retrieved September 17, 2008. [dead link‍]
  43. ^ "Empire: Features - Veronica Mars". Empire. Retrieved September 20, 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  44. ^ Menon, Vinay (June 12, 2007). "Mars Bars can't save Veronica". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 16, 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  45. ^ Ausiello, Michael (September 9, 2008). "Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on Grey's Anatomy, House, The Office, Prison Break, Chuck, Smallville, and More!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 15, 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  46. ^ O'Connor, Mickey (January 16, 2009). "Rob Thomas: Veronica Mars Movie Is Next". TV Guide. Retrieved January 16, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  47. ^ Wieselman, Jarett (March 23, 2009). "Exclusive: No Veronica Mars Movie Anytime Soon, Says Creator". New York Post. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  48. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. October 17, 2006. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  49. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. October 24, 2006. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  50. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. October 31, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  51. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 7, 2006. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  52. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 14, 2006. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  53. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 21, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  54. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 28, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  55. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. January 30, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  56. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 13, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  57. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 21, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  58. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 27, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  59. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 15, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  60. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 22, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.

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