Picture this: it’s eight at night. You’ve eaten dinner, taken a shower, and done all your homework. What better way to relax than turning on a good show?
You go on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, or whatever streaming service your family uses, but you end up disappointed by all the options. Every new show is a limited series with eight hour-long episodes that will end in a dramatic cliff-hanger. Then you know you will have to wait another three years for another season to come out, if the show gets renewed, which it most likely will not.
Let’s face it, there’s no point in watching a show where you get invested in the characters and conflict, only to be left with an unfulfilling ending and ten hours of your life wasted.
Like many teenagers who have picked up on this pattern, I have started looking to the past for a good TV show. One with an interesting plot and well-developed characters, as well as multiple 25-episode-long seasons.
Enter Veronica Mars.
To summarize a very complicated story, Veronica Mars used to be well-liked at Neptune High, before her father accused her best friend’s father of killing his own daughter. Now an outcast, she takes new kid, Wallace Fennel, under her wing while trying to uncover the truth behind the town that had shunned her family.
It is one of the best teen shows I’ve ever seen. Sure, there are rather trite archetypes like Weevil, the Mexican gangster, or Logan Echolls, the spoiled rich kid. But I felt like the show did a great job at developing the characters. The audience understands more about each character’s motives throughout the story and it is clear why every person thinks the way they do.
The show is also not afraid to touch controversial topics, albeit with an early 2000s touch. It discusses class division, race relations, queerness, and transgenderism in a surprisingly modern way. It doesn’t feel like forced diversity but rather meaningful conversation about issues still relevant today.
And I cannot forget about the romance aspect. Slight spoilers ahead, but I am a major Logan & Veronica shipper. In the first few episodes, I despised him and really wanted Veronica to get back with Duncan. But Duncan’s character got incredibly boring to me and I can understand why they had to write him off. Logan was a much more dynamic character and his storylines were a lot better.
Logan and Veronica’s enemies to lovers arc was absolutely perfect in the first season and somehow got better in the second season when they were exes. The tension and chemistry worked so well together.
This show, despite some plot holes and typical teen drama issues, is a perfect example of what most TV shows nowadays are missing. The shorter season format and longer wait-times create a lack of character development, which is why it’s so much more difficult to connect with current TV shows.
Audiences want to grow and change gradually with characters, not just check in every three years to see what their favorite characters are doing. In a world that is constantly moving, there had to be an actual relationship tethering viewers to the characters for a show to create a long lasting fandom. People don’t want a perfect six episode run, they want to see progress occur during the course of a season.