The story
In the sunny, deeply divided seaside town of Neptune, California, Veronica Mars balances classes with a sideline as a private investigator, learning the trade from her detective father. Each episode hands her a self-contained case, while a bigger season-long mystery keeps pulling her back towards her own painful history, all narrated in the wry, hard-boiled voice of a teenager who trusts almost nobody.
Why it matters
Few shows have been rescued as many ways. After The CW cancelled it, Veronica Mars returned through a Kickstarter film backed by 91,585 donors, a CW Seed web spin-off and finally a Hulu revival set twelve years after the original finale, showing how a devoted fanbase can keep a series alive until a streamer steps in.
How it was rescued
Veronica Mars began on UPN and finished its third season on successor network The CW, which cancelled it in 2007. Fans funded a 2014 film through Kickstarter, and in September 2018 Hulu confirmed a revival; the eight-episode fourth season was released on 19 July 2019.
Filed under: Cancelled, then revived online
Notable facts
- The 2013 Kickstarter campaign for the film hit its $2 million goal within hours and finished with $5,702,153. (source)
- The film campaign broke several Kickstarter records, becoming the site's largest successful film project. (source)
- The web spin-off Play It Again, Dick premiered on The CW's digital site CW Seed in September 2014. (source)
- Hulu released the revival a week earlier than planned, straight after the show's San Diego Comic-Con appearance. (source)