The fourth and final season of ''

Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series pr ...

'', an American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

created by Rob Thomas, consists of eight episodes that were all released on

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...

on July 19, 2019. It serves as a continuation of the 2004–07 television series as well as the 2014 film.

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...

reprises her role as the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

, and it features the return of several characters from the original series as well as the introduction of new characters.

Production and development

On August 21, 2018, it was reported that

was planning an eight-episode revival of ''Veronica Mars'' with Kristen Bell returning in the title role and series creator Rob Thomas returning as well. On September 6, 2018, it was reported that production would begin in October 2018 and continue through March 2019 in Los Angeles.

Diane Ruggiero-Wright Diane Ruggiero-Wright is an American television writer and producer. Her credits include '' That's Life'', ''Veronica Mars'', '' Free Agents'', ''Dirty Sexy Money'', '' Big Shots'', the ''Mythological X'' remake ''The Ex List'' and '' iZombie'', ...

and Dan Etheridge returned as executive producers. On September 20, 2018, Hulu officially confirmed the revival, and announced it would premiere in 2019. The season was originally scheduled for release on July 26, 2019, however, during the series' appearance at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

on July 19, it was announced that season would be available that day. Along with Thomas and Ruggiero, the writing staff consists of Heather V. Regnier, David Walpert, Raymond Obstfeld, and former NBA player and author

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

. Bell stated that the season was going to be darker and bigger and more cinematic, a little bit different" in comparison to the original series. Thomas stated the season takes place five years after the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

and would "take ''Veronica Mars'' back to its hardcore So-Cal noir roots" and that it is "One big case ..This is a detective show." The revival features a new version of the original theme song, "

We Used to Be Friends "We Used to Be Friends" is a song by American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album ''Welcome to the Monkey House'' on 23 April 2003. The single did not chart in the US but peak ...

" by

The Dandy Warhols The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford. H ...

, covered by

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...

Plot

(

) and her father

Keith Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons i ...

(

Enrico Colantoni Enrico Colantoni (born February 14, 1963) is a Canadian actor and director, best known for portraying Elliot DiMauro in the sitcom ''Just Shoot Me!'', Keith Mars on the television series ''Veronica Mars'', Louis Lutz on the short-lived sitcom ''H ...

) are

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

s in Neptune, California, a popular spring break vacation destination. Real estate developer Richard "Big Dick" Casablancas (

David Starzyk David Starzyk (born July 14, 1961) is an American actor. Career Starzyk has guest-starred in a number of notable television series, including '' Home Improvement'', '' Felicity'', ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' '' Pacific Blue'', '' NYPD Blue'', ...

) campaigns for the enactment of city beautification laws; local business owners protest the likely expense of complying with such laws. Meanwhile, Veronica rejects a marriage proposal from her longtime boyfriend

Logan Echolls ''Veronica Mars'' is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Balanc ...

(

Jason Dohring Jason William Dohring (born March 30, 1982) is an American stage, television and voice actor who is best known for his role as Logan Echolls on the television show ''Veronica Mars'' (2004–2007, 2019) and the 2014 film continuation as well as ...

). When a beachside motel is bombed, the Marses are hired to investigate by Congressman Daniel Maloof (

Mido Hamada Mido Hamada ( arz, ميدو حمادة ; born 1971) is an Egyptian-German actor in film, theatre and television. Early life He was born in Cairo, Egypt to an Egyptian family that moved to Germany, where he studied at the American Embassy School ...

), whose brother's fiancée was killed in the explosion. A Mexican crime boss, whose nephew was another victim, sends two assassins, Alonzo ( Clifton Collins Jr.) and Dodie (Frank Gallegos), to find and kill the bomber. Injured in the blast is Penn Epner (

Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom '' The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...

), a

true crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 pe ...

enthusiast, who seizes the spotlight to accuse Maloof of the crime. The late motel owner's daughter, Matty Ross ( Izabela Vidovic), investigates on her own; Veronica eventually takes her under her wing to supervise her. Veronica also befriends nightclub owner Nicole Malloy (

Kirby Howell-Baptiste Kirby Howell-Baptiste (born 7 February 1987) is a British actress. She has appeared as a series regular on ''Downward Dog'' (2017), ''Killing Eve'' (2018), '' Why Women Kill'' (2019), and '' The Sandman'' (2022). Her television appearances also ...

), and occasionally consults with Penn and his club of amateur crime-solvers. Their investigation implicates a local ex-con, who apparently commits suicide before he can be arrested. However, after his death, three more bombs explode in Neptune over several days. The Marses uncover evidence that Casablancas's fixer Clyde Pickett (

J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...

) has been hiring the local juvenile delinquents, organized by Veronica's former friend

Eli "Weevil" Navarro ''Veronica Mars'' is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Balancin ...

(

Francis Capra Francis Capra (born April 27, 1983) is an American actor. He has played the roles of Max Connor in ''Kazaam'', and Eli "Weevil" Navarro in the TV series ''Veronica Mars''. Personal life Capra attended Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School ...

), to mug spring break visitors, driving away tourism; Casablancas is then able to buy beachfront property cheaply, planning to redevelop the land for more upscale businesses. Veronica's ex-boyfriend Leo D'Amato (

Max Greenfield Max Greenfield (born September 4, 1979) is an American actor. He appeared in recurring roles in ''Veronica Mars'' and ''Ugly Betty''. He co-starred as Schmidt in the Fox sitcom ''New Girl'', for which he received nominations at the Primetime Em ...

), an FBI agent, arrives to investigate the case. His rekindled flirtation with Veronica eventually makes her realize how much she values her relationship with Logan. She loses her friendship with Nicole when she confesses to considering Nicole a suspect in the case and

bugging A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, or wiretapping is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and ...

her office, and decides to accept Logan's proposal. The Marses eventually conclude that Casablancas was responsible for the bomb at the motel, but the subsequent bombs were the work of a

copycat Copycat refers to a person who copies some aspect of some thing or somebody else. Copycat may also refer to: Intellectual property rights * Copyright infringement, use of another’s ideas or words without permission * Patent infringement, a v ...

. Casablancas is murdered by Alonzo and Dodie after Clyde tips them off to his guilt. The Marses arrest Penn as the copycat, but he hires them to prove his own innocence. Evidence is uncovered which briefly implicates Penn's fellow amateur crime-solver Don ( Clark Duke), but Matty spots that the evidence has been tampered with: Penn was the copycat bomber all along, out for glory and attention. The Marses deduce the site of the next bomb, and Keith disarms the bomb with seconds to spare; but Penn gloats to Veronica as he is being arrested. Veronica and Logan are married that day. But a few hours later, Veronica's car explodes, killing Logan—one last bomb that Penn had set earlier. The next year, when Neptune is fully gentrified and spring break tourism is a thing of the past, Veronica leaves Neptune to solve cases on the road.

Cast

Main

, a

as Keith Mars, Veronica's father and a PI *

, Veronica's boyfriend and a Naval Intelligence Officer

Starring

, leader of the Pacific Coast Highway biker gang * Clifton Collins Jr. as Alonzo Lozano, a mid-level hitman for a Mexican cartel *

Percy Daggs III Percy Daggs III (born July 20, 1982) is an American actor best known for his role as Wallace Fennel in the Rob Thomas television series ''Veronica Mars''. He is also known for starring in television commercials for Hot Pockets and Orbit Gum. ...

Wallace Fennel ''Veronica Mars'' is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Balanc ...

, Veronica's best friend, a high school physics teacher and varsity coach who is now married with a child * Frank Gallegos as Dodie Mendoza, Alonzo's crime partner *

as Leo D'Amato, an FBI agent and former boyfriend of Veronica *

as Daniel Maloof, a Congressman * Ryan Hansen as Dick Casablancas, Logan's friend and now a movie actor *

as Nicole Malloy, the owner of a Neptune nightclub *

Dawnn Lewis Dawnn Jewel Lewis (born August 13, 1961) is an American actress. Lewis is best known for her role as Jaleesa Vinson–Taylor on the NBC television sitcom ''A Different World'' from the series beginning in 1987 until the end of its fifth season in ...

as Marcia Langdon, the new police chief of Neptune *

as Penn Epner, a pizza delivery guy and

enthusiast who runs a websleuth group called "Murder Heads" *

as Richard Casablancas, Dick's father and wealthy businessman who is a suspect of the bombings * Izabela Vidovic as Matty Ross, a teenager who loses her father in one of the bombings * Jacqueline Antaramian as Amalia Maloof, Daniel's mother * Paul Karmiryan as Alex Maloof, Daniel's younger brother *

as Clyde Pickett, an ex-con working as a fixer for Richard Casablancas

Recurring

Daran Norris Daran Morrison Nordland (born ), known professionally as Daran Norris, is an American actor. He has appeared or voiced characters in more than 400 films, video games, and television programs, including: Gordy in ''Ned's Declassified School Surviv ...

Cliff McCormack ''Veronica Mars'' is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Balanc ...

, a public defender *

Ken Marino Kenneth Joseph Marino (born December 19, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He was a cast member on MTV's ''The State'' and has starred in shows such as '' Party Down'', '' Marry Me'', '' Burning Love'', and '' Chil ...

as Vinnie Van Lowe, a private investigator and competitor to Veronica and Keith * Clark Duke as Don, a member of the Murder Heads *

Dannah Phirman Dannah Phirman (born Dannah Feinglass) is an American actress, comedian, and writer best known for co-starring as Narge Hemingway in the Adult Swim series ''Newsreaders''. She is also the co-creator and co-star of the Hulu reality TV parody series ...

as Carol, a member of the Murder Heads * Tyler Alvarez as Juan-Diego De La Cruz, a member of the PCH biker gang * Onahoua Rodriguez as Claudia, Weevil's sister * Patrick Wolff as Hector, Weevil's friend and member of the PCH biker gang

Guest stars

Eliza Coupe Eliza Kate Coupe (born April 6, 1981) is an American actress, comedian and model, known for playing Jane Kerkovich-Williams in the ABC comedy series '' Happy Endings'', Denise "Jo" Mahoney in the final two seasons of the medical comedy-drama '' ...

as Karsyn Farr, a wealthy client of Veronica *

Josh Duhamel Joshua David Duhamel (; born November 14, 1972) is an American actor and former fashion model. After various modeling work, he made his acting debut as Leo du Pres on the ABC daytime soap opera '' All My Children'' and later starred as Danny M ...

as Magnus, Dick's co-star in ''Catalina Heat'' * Rodney Rowland as Liam Fitzpatrick, head of the Fitzpatrick crime family who is now running a shady vending machine company *

Ryan Devlin Ryan Patrick Devlin (born June 5, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his recurring roles in the television series '' Brothers & Sisters'', ''Cougar Town'', ''Veronica Mars'', '' Big Shots'', ''Jane the Virgin'' and ''Grey's Anatomy ...

as Mercer Hayes, a serial rapist in prison at Chino who Veronica caught in season three * James Jordan as Tim Foyle, the man who killed Dean O'Dell in season three who is serving time in Chino *

Sarah Hyland Sarah Jane Hyland (born November 24, 1990) is an American actress and singer. Born in Manhattan, she attended the Professional Performing Arts School before having small roles in the films '' Private Parts'' (1997), '' Annie'' (1999) and ''Blin ...

as Alyssa, a spring breaker * Adam Rose as Max, Mac's ex-boyfriend who is now running a marijuana dispensary *

Christopher B. Duncan Christopher B. Duncan (born December 4, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his television series regular roles like Braxton P. Hartnabrig on ''The Jamie Foxx Show'', President William Johnson in ''The First Family (TV series), The First ...

as Clarence Wiedman, a freelance security guard *

Mary McDonnell Mary Eileen McDonnell (born April 28, 1952) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received Academy Award nominations for her roles as Stands With A Fist in '' Dances with Wolves'' and May-Alice Culhane in ''Passion Fish''. Mc ...

as Jane, Logan's therapist *

Kyle Secor Kyle Ivan Secor (born May 31, 1957) is an American television and film actor. He is known for portraying Detective Tim Bayliss on the crime drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999). Early years Secor was born in Tacoma, Wash ...

as Jake Kane, software billionaire and owner of Kane Industries * Duane Daniels as Van Clemmons, principal of the newly built Kane High *

Julie Gonzalo Julieta Susana "Julie" Gonzalo (; born September 9, 1981) is an Argentine actress. On television, she has played Parker Lee on '' Veronica Mars'' (2006–2007; 2019), Maggie Dekker on ''Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), Pamela Rebecca Barnes on the so ...

as Parker Lee, a former girlfriend of Logan * Keith Morrison as himself

Episodes

Marketing and promotion

The first teaser trailer for the season was released on April 12, and the second on May 1, 2019. A panel for ''Veronica Mars'' took place in June 2019 at the

ATX Television Festival ATX Television Festival is an annual event based in Austin, Texas, that celebrates and showcases the past, present, and future of the television industry. Screenings, Q&As, cast reunions, and industry panel discussions take place over four days an ...

. A full-length trailer was released on June 14.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the fourth season has an approval rating of 89% with an average score of 8 out of 10 based on 66 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "Marshmallows, rejoice! ''Veronica Mars'' returns in fine form, capturing much of what made the series so beloved while adding new wrinkles that satisfy more often than they mystify." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the fourth season has a score of 75 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Home media

The season was released on DVD and Blu-ray (as "The Complete First Season (2019)") via the

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

in region 1 on October 22, 2019. Special features include the 2019 ''Veronica Mars''

panel.

References

External links

''Veronica Mars''
at

* {{Hulu Veronica Mars episodes 2019 American television seasons