'VERONICA' FANS GET SWEET IDEA

[Brian Damage]

PEANUTS worked for "Jericho," so now, the heartbroken fans of "Veronica Mars" are going to see if the Mars bar will do the same trick.

CBS said late last week that - under pressure from a grass-roots campaign that bombarded the network with hundreds of pounds of peanuts - it was reversing its decision to cancel the post-nuclear apocalypse drama "Jericho."

Naturally, the fans of "Veronica Mars" - a scrappy series about a Nancy Drew-ish school-girl detective - are taking note.

The CW cancelled the show in May - without enough notice for producers to put together a proper finale.

Now fans are vowing the "bury the CW" under a flood of Mars bars - until it changes its mind.

One problem: Mars bars are no longer sold in the U.S.

They are strictly a European candy bar these days - similar to our 3 Musketeers.

Fan sites like BarsforMars.com are directing fans to the importers on the Web who can ship British-made Mars bars to Dawn Ostrow, the head of the CW, and other TV execs.

The campaign took on great urgency over the weekend. The network has until Friday - under its contract with producers - to revive the show for a midseason replacement.

"In order for us to get our show back, we need as many people as possible," the Web site pleads.

The series just finished its third season.

Despite a young and passionate group of fans, the series has never had the kind of ratings that made renewal automatic. But a similar "Save Veronica Mars" campaign succeeded last summer.