I didn’t need to be a long-time fan of Veronica Mars to know how much of an epic following the show had. Running for only three seasons in the early 2000s, girls wanted to be like Veronica, wanted to find a bad boy like Logan, and most likely wanted to live in the luxury that most of the folks in Neptune did. Friends of mine were elated by the 2014 Kickstarter movie. Fans were even more excited to hear that the series was coming back to Hulu. Finally, the show many had grown up on, met friends through, and even donated money to, was back.
SPOILERS
Except season four of Veronica Mars ended in a way, no one expected it to. Logan Echolls, the bad boy who Veronica had been on and off with for years; was finally getting his life together. Not only was he in the armed forces, but he was going to therapy to improve himself and calm his anger. We saw a human being that grew into a mature adult, who recognized his downfalls, and looked to be better. Something that Veronica struggled with throughout season four. Not only within herself, but Logan as well. Veronica, like many young girls; probably gravitated to Logan because he was the bad boy in high school. But, people need to grow up. While Veronica struggled to keep that high school aspect of herself around and therefore Logan’s as well, I’m sure Rob Thomas (the creator) felt the audience would be the same. But those who were in high school during the series’ original run are grown up now and appreciated seeing Logan working on himself. They didn’t appreciate Veronica’s constant attempt to have Logan devolve into someone he was trying not to be.
Because Thomas wanted to “get rid of the high school drama” and seemingly thought he was still writing a high school character, not an adult; decided to off the second most popular character on the show. More popular really, if you want to think about it. Logan had been with the show since day one and was blown up in the season finale, as if he were a loose thread that needed to be rid of.
Fan Backlash
Not only were fans angered at the decision to kill Logan off, but also angry at Thomas and star Kristen Bell’s reasoning behind it. An event like this makes me wonder if we should ever want a canceled show to actually come back? Could it in fact tarnish the reputation that it had? Many feel scorned and have claimed to leave the fandom, feeling as if their patronage has been insulted.
I am still so incredibly angry about what @RobThomas did in #VeronicaMars s4 and the way he’s gaslighting his fans because he wants to be more “noir”. You don’t know what noir is. You didn’t follow noir themes or conventions or style and you betrayed your story and your fans
— NikkiNomoney (@NikkiNomoney) August 5, 2019
So I just found out what happens at the end of S4 of Veronica Mars and i am LIVID. If your fan base is so powerful that they can kickstarter a film that jumpstarts the creation of new seasons WHY WOULD YOU PISS THEM OFF LIKE THAT???? #robthomasisdumbaf
— Bed is where the heart is (@AmorSperare) July 31, 2019
I really regret ever wasting time on #VeronicaMars and donating my time and money to the Kickstarter that gave @RobThomas the breathing room to making this think less, lazy ass version of one of my favorite shows growing up. Cuss you.
— Jay (@stardustinheels) July 29, 2019
Thomas’ other show, iZombie; just finished its fifth and final season. While not directly canceled, it was the network CW that ordered for the fifth season to be its last. While that show ended happily, should us fans not hope for a revival years down the line? Lest Thomas do what he did with Veronica Mars and throw away beloved characters?
Should We Let Sleeping Dogs Lie?
What about a cult classic like Firefly? With only one season under its belt, it’s a series people still talk about and adore. I’m sure fans would be elated to hear Firefly revived, but would the people behind it do it any justice? What about Dollhouse? Even recently, Swamp Thing? What if Supernatural is off the air for a few years and decides to come back? Will it be what fans hoped for or a complete letdown? No one would want Netflix to bring The Defenders universe back from the dead, but would they or another network that would pick it up, let me and other fans down?
The problem is, like with Veronica Mars; is the era it’s in. The original series is very early 2000s. It’s deeply rooted in the culture, clothes, and music of the time. Something like that doesn’t always age well. And when the creator saw their show as one thing, they may not know how to transform it into modern time while still keeping the feel/what everyone loved about the original show. While your viewers back then were teenagers, they’re adults now. We’re in 2019; so much is different now than it was at the beginning of the century.
Should cancelled shows remain cancelled or should there be a chance to relive the magic? I don’t have the answers, but what do you think?
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
