We Used to Be Friends: An Oral History of 'Veronica Mars'

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Kristen Bell, Rob Thomas, Ryan Hansen, Max Greenfield, Teddy Dunn, Jason Dohring, Percy Daggs III, Enrico Colantoni, Tina Majorino, and more reminisce about the landmark UPN series, 15 years after its debut—and shortly before it returns for a highly anticipated Hulu revival.

Welcome to Neptune, California, a sunny seaside haven that’s home to an unlikely hero: a 17-year-old detective underdog, a cynical sleuth fighting for just causes and decency in a world that’s never afforded her any.

Creator Rob Thomas channeled his voice into this prickly, sharp-witted, resilient teenager: the titular protagonist of Veronica Mars, indelibly portrayed by Kristen Bell. Veronica’s instincts for survival help her overcome incredible obstacles: her best friend’s murder, ostracism, abandonment, rape. What would break most anyone only fuels Veronica’s fire; no matter what she faces, she comes out the other side as a stronger, sarcastic Joan of Arc, seeking vindication for the downtrodden. As Bell put it: “Her self-esteem comes from helping people who are being taken advantage of. Having experienced that feeling, she has vowed to never feel it again.”

Though the show that bears her name aired for only three years on UPN (from 2004–2007), Veronica cast a long shadow. The show was adored by critics who appreciated its daring twists on hoary teen-drama tropes, regularly including it on their must-watch and best-of lists. It launched the careers of several future stars, including Bell, Amanda Seyfried, Tessa Thompson, and Ryan Hansen. And while its ratings may have been modest, Veronica also won the rabid devotion of a cult fandom—the self-proclaimed “Marshmallows” who have helped Veronica Mars live on long after its premature cancellation. They’re the reason Thomas and Bell have been able to bring Veronica back twice—first in 2014, after a 2013 Kickstarter campaign to fund a follow-up movie that blew past its $2 million goal in less than one day. (It ultimately raised nearly three times that much.) On July 26, Veronica will return to the small screen once more, this time in an eight-episode revival series set to premiere on Hulu July 26.

To celebrate this pioneering series’s 15th anniversary—and its upcoming reboot—Vanity Fair looks back at the television show’s history, as told by Thomas, Bell, Hansen, Ken Marino, Max Greenfield, Teddy Dunn, Jason Dohring, Percy Daggs III, Francis Capra, Enrico Colantoni, Tina Majorino, and more of the cast and creative team members who made Veronica Mars so unforgettable.