First off, let it be said I have an addiction to buying TV shows on DVD, so it is not entirely unheard of for me to purchase a DVD set of a show I've never even watched before. I did it with Desperate Housewives. I did it with Dead Like Me. I did it with Veronica Mars.

The latter has turned out to be one of the best DVD sets I have ever purchased. I wasn't so sure at first, though. I will admit it took one full DVD for me to get hooked, but once I did, there was no turning back. At first glance, the premise of the show seems fairly simple: a blonde high school girl likes to solve mysteries. What could have turned out to be nothing more than a Nancy Drew ripoff, amazingly turned out to be a refreshing, satisfying, original series with some of the best dialogue and acting in television today.

Kristin Bell wonderfully portrays the title character, Veronica Mars. She's smart, she's cute, she's sarcastic, she's spunky - she's the kind of girl you would have loved to be friends with in high school. Funny thing is, though, Veronica is an outsider - shunned by the rest of the school. It wasn't always that way. There was a time Veronica was part of the in crowd (referred to in Neptune High as "'09ers") - but that was before her best friend, Lilly Kane, was murdered. At the time of Lilly's death, Veronica's father (played oh-so-perfectly by Enrico Colantoni) was one of the sheriffs involved in the murder investigation. After he implicated Lilly's own father, billionaire Jake Kane, as being the murderer, all hell broke loose and Veronica's stint as an '09er was officially over.

Fast forward to the beginning of the series. Nearly a year after Lilly's murder, Veronica's father, Keith, now owns his own detective agency, and Veronica gets to be his assistant of sorts - answering the phones, and occasionally helping him out on certain cases. Of course, Veronica (being her father's daughter) is a natural when it comes to sleuthing, and spends each episode trying to crack a new case. Sometimes, these cases are brought to her by fellow classmates (the ones who still talk to her). Other times, she stumbles upon them by chance. Either way, each and every episode is pure fun because not only do we get to follow Veronica on each case, but we can also try to solve the mystery before she does.

However, while some of the cases are purely lighthearted, there is one ongoing case that hits close to home for Veronica - the mystery of who killed her own best friend. While the supposed murderer has confessed and is doing his time in prison, Veronica (and her father) are convinced the real killer is still on the loose - thus providing us with an enjoyable season-long story arc - one that will have you guessing right up until the last half of the season finale.

Joining Veronica in this mystery is an incredible cast of characters: her new best friend, Wallace Fennel, whom she manages to have a strictly-platonic, yet completely adorable relationship with; her ex-boyfriend, Duncan Kane, who has been awkward around her ever since breaking up with her out of the blue last year; her arch-nemesis, Logan Echolls, who used to be her friend, but who now hates her more than anyone else does; her I do for you, you do for me biker buddy, Eli "Weevil" Navarro; and her aforementioned father, Keith, with whom she has the best father/daughter relationship I have ever seen on any TV show, ever. Period.

Filled to the brim with character chemistry, spot-on acting, witty dialogue, and fun guessing games, this is one television show that is worth owning on DVD. Unfortunately, the ratings for Veronica Mars are quite low - of course, going up against a powerhouse like Lost doesn't help its numbers much. But this is what is so great about TV on DVD - you can watch it whenever you want to. I, for one, bought this DVD on a Wednesday, started watching it the day after, and finished it on Monday. By Tuesday, I was re-watching episodes. That is how good this show is.

If you like good television, that doesn't dumb itself down just to try and get better numbers in the ratings, then Veronica Mars is for you. Don't be fooled by the fact the show revolves around high school students - teenagers and adults alike can enjoy this show. Anyone who has ever been a fan of other famous sleuths (anyone from Sherlock Holmes, to Nancy Drew, to Columbo) will love Veronica Mars - whether she's trying to solve a case, or just trying to survive the rest of the school day, she is a likeable heroine you will root for, no matter what. She will make you laugh with her biting, sarcastic remarks in one episode; and then in the next, she will make you cry as she deals with serious issues no teen should ever have to deal with (i.e. rape, losing a best friend to violence, etc.). After all, she is not your average OC teenybopper. She is a character with substance.

The only downside to the DVD set is the glaring omission of special features. Not even one episode commentary can be found anywhere on any of the six discs (which is a real shame; there are so many good episodes that would benefit from either cast or creator commentary). The only special feature that's included is a handful of deleted scenes, most of which you can really live without seeing. Luckily, though, the show is so good that the episodes alone are worth the money.

If you have never seen Veronica Mars, I recommend you do so. I had never seen even part of an episode before I purchased the DVD, and I was certainly not disappointed with my purchase. It's been a couple of months since I've had the DVD in my possession, because I keep lending it out to friends - and each and every one has fallen in love with it. Really, it's hard not to.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older