SIR: 'Veronica Mars.' Plus More Premieres and Lifetime Takes to the Web

SEASON IN REVIEW: VERONICA MARS... I promised during its Finale Blowout edition that it wouldn't be the last you would hear from Veronica Mars for the summer, and today, I'm going to make good on that promise. We're going to revisit the show's sophomore season and talk about what worked, what didn't and what overall impressions were left when the season's closing moments wrapped up. First, it's truly exciting that we're going to get another season of this wonderful show, but the fact still remains that it needs more viewers, so we'll also take a look at what you can do to help the show reach the audience it deserves.


I've heard the rumblings across the Internet that Veronica's second season wasn't as strong as its first, but I think that's a tough comparison. The show's first season was a masterpiece that turned out nothing but first rate episodes. I can't think of one throwaway episode, character or scene from season 1 because it was incredibly strong from top to bottom. It was a freak of television nature, and not something that any show is likely to repeat. Those are some really huge shoes to fill going into a sophomore season, especially when most fans of quality shows have their expectations piqued too high entering second seasons. Having said this, Veronica Mars' follow up season was just a hair below the first in quality, an impressive feat. We still had consistent episodes that steered away from throwaway story lines and characters, and we also had a gripping mystery that turned in a chilling resolution with a shocking culprit. Sure, the bus mystery may not have been as compelling as the "Who Killed Lilly Kane" mystery of season one, but it was damn close. The show's only weakness this season (other than the interruption of flow, but that was due to network scheduling) was the way it seemed to lose sight of the bus mystery for the entire mid section of the season. When the mystery finally picked up again, we were thrown right back into it and it felt a little rushed. While I was watching episode 18 "I Am God," I couldn't help but think that it would have been better for the show to allow us to get to know each bus crash victim throughout the season instead of all at once in Veronica's dreams during that episode. We knew Meg, but we really didn't know most of the other victims like we did with Lilly Kane via season one's flashbacks. When the show lost sight of the bus crash mystery midseason, it could have given us more on each of the victims as a way of keeping it going.


Despite the lag in the bus crash story midseason, Veronica's second year was impressive and still miles ahead of most shows on television. This season saw flawless performances from both Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring, who both managed to top their season one outings. Season 2 was filled with hilarious scenes like the one in the elevator at the alternative prom or the many scenes between Sheriff Lamb and Veronica and Lamb and Keith, but it also turned out some of the show's most moving and dramatic. The scene on the roof of the Neptune Grande with Veronica and Beaver was one of the most emotional, intense and overall awesome scenes that I have ever seen. When Veronica thought that she had witnessed her father's death as the planeblew up in the night sky above her head, it was so intense and upsetting that I think my head almost exploded! Finding him alive the next morning was just as emotional and it had shades of season one's scene where Keith told Veronica that he was 100% her father. Watching Veronica fight back tears as she walked away from Logan's hotel suite after discovering him with Kendall was another emotional scene as was the discovery that Meg Manning's parents weren't exactly parents of the year. There were so many moments this season that managed to surprise us, to make us laugh out loud, to completely shock us, to make us cry our eyes out and most of all, to make us proud to be a part of the crazy VM fandom. It was a great ride and I can't wait to get back on this fall!


If you would like to help Veronica Mars secure more viewers, and in doing so help secure its future, click on over to Cloud Watchers to learn how you can participate in the DVD Campaign and other fun things that they have brewing. You can also score some fun VM merchandise from their store, with all the proceeds benefiting their VM campaigns. Also, you can spread the wealth by letting people know about VM and its new home on The CW on Tuesday nights after the popular Gilmore Girls. Most people don't realize that they're missing out on one of television's best shows, which is why it is our duty as fans to let them know. Happy campaigning!

COMING IN 1 DAY...

Pass the Remote's
Best Episodes of '05-'06

It's the kick off of the summer-long countdown of the best episodes of the 2005-2006 television season!! Find out which episodes from your favorite shows make the cut beginning tomorrow only at Pass the Remote! Tune in all summer to see which episode is number 1!!


QUICK CUTS

*TV TONIGHT: Fear Factor returns from hiatus tonight (8 p.m. NBC) and CBS rolls out its new Desperate Housewives-inspired reality show Tuesday Night Book Club (10 p.m.). It's not so much about a book club, so what is Tuesday Night Book Club? From the press release:

TUESDAY NIGHT BOOK CLUB, produced by Jay Blumenfield, is a highlight of the CBS original summer programming line-up. It’s a tantalizing glimpse at the suburban lives of a close knit group of everyday all-American women. TUESDAY NIGHT BOOK CLUB is a one-hour series which follows the lives of a group of real women, and uncovers surprising elements of life in suburbia -- from sex, to spouses, to their inner-most conflicts.

*And finally, cable network Lifetime is developing a new series that will further blur the line between television and Internet. The network will produce a TV movie starring The Wonder Years' Danica McKellar that will turn into a series of webisodes, episodes only viewable on the web. The movie, dubbed Inspector Mom, will deal with McKellar's character balancing her career solving mysteries with her two young children at home. The movie will introduce the character and set up for the 5 webisodes that will debut this fall. Later, Lifetime will air a second movie that will launch another set of 5 webisodes. Each webisode will feature a different mystery.


To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the kick off of Pass the Remote's Best Episodes of the 2005-2006 TV Season. Tomorrow, I'll unveil #31-29 (yes, I know there are 31 total best episodes, but I couldn't eliminate one, so we're stuck with 31) in week one of the countdown. Plus, all the latest television news!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.