Unfortunately, Rob Thomas told Ausiello that the next season will start either the third or fourth week of September. He didn't get the release date he wanted, and he didn't get all the extra features that he wanted either.

electricspacegirl | June 30, 06:37 CET

That show is so good. It beats Buffy. But not seasons 1-3.

charisma | June 30, 07:24 CET

Nothing can beat Buffy from seasons 1 to 3. Those were the three best years of any show. But once they left the highschool and Angel left it went from being a great show to a pretty damn good show. If they didn't bring Spike on as a castmember it would've just become a plain good show.

Angel really fluctuated in quality though. It went from good(s1) to great(s2) to good(s3) to pretty damn good(s4) to great(s5). However, these are still excellent ratings for any show that I've seen. But still, nothing can ever beat those first three years of highschool on the Hellmouth.

SpikeBad | June 30, 07:32 CET

Veronica Mars is pretty good, but in my opinion it does not measure up to Buffy in any season. I'll probably watch again next season, but I won't be shelling out money for the DVDs.

palehorse | June 30, 07:52 CET

[ edited by Pastor Of Muppets on 2006-08-13 08:00 ]

Pastor Of Muppets | June 30, 08:00 CET

I watched the Season Premiere of Veronica Mars back in September because it was being hailed as the spiritual successor to Buffy. I was less than impressed. Maybe it was just that the actors were just all way too old to be playing high schoolers, but I couldn't get into it. So, I didn't tune in again until a few weeks ago.

Now that the summer's hit and there's very little on, I decided to give it another shot. And wow, this show has surprised me. I'm quickly becoming addicted to it. I was watching it tonight (while taping "The Inside"), hoping it would get a DVD release (because they were skipping a few episodes), and now my prayers have been answered. And it doesn't look like it's going to be ridiculously priced, so ummm... "Yay." Although, the current cover art is kinda crappy young adult novel (but maybe that's what they're going for).

WindTheFrog | June 30, 08:13 CET

I agree SpikeBad. :) I think Spike in the later seasons made it plain though. This show has comparisons with shippers too, however most Buffy/Angel fans I know love LoVe more than Duncan/Veronica which is different than what you might predict.

charisma | June 30, 09:28 CET

I watched the pilot episode re-run this month and couldn't get into it and tuned out. It might've been commercials that put me off. I usually fast forward through them but had spontaneously decided to watch this. Maybe if I watch the first 4(3?) episodes on DVD I'll get hooked.

eddy | June 30, 09:29 CET

Second everything WindTheFrog said! Even my love for Enrico Colantoni couldn't sustain my half-assed attempt to watch the Pilot last fall, but I saw it again last Wednesday and since then I've watched the entire series. SO GOOD.

And I agree about the cover art, it's pretty crummy. I'd like to see a less tom-boyish picture of Kristen Bell on there, since they pretty well ditched that element of the character after the first episode.

PwincessCupcake | June 30, 10:08 CET

I love this show! It's not Buffy, but it is my new Buffy, if that makes sense. I watched the whole season during the year, but I am rewatching this summer with friends to get them hooked! :) This is especially important now that we know the DVD's won't be out before the second season starts. For all you summer converts who need to get caught up on the episodes UPN has skipped marsinvestigations.net is a great resource. Enjoy!

teel77 | June 30, 10:23 CET

i'd say the ages of the cast are pretty average, or younger, for hollywood highschoolers. the buffy cast was all in their (mid) twenties for season 1, except for SMG. but yeah, it'd be nice if they actually cast high school age people more often. it'd certainly be less awkward when the whole college subject comes up, and everybody is (and looks) 30. (i'm looking at you, 90210) mila kunis who plays jackie on "that 70's show" was 15 when she was cast, and man! she looks so young in season 1.

does kristin bell's head look really odd, or is it just me? she's a cute girl, but UPN can't seen to photograph her, there was a really bad ad in entertainment weekly a while back where they had her making this really dumb face.

kittyholmes | June 30, 12:05 CET

I feel like those birds from Finding Nemo. (It was Nemo, wasn't it?)

Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.
;)

Niels(Telltale) | June 30, 14:46 CET

The cast fits perfectly for their roles, IMO. And this is coming from a highschooler himself. I wouldn't recommend beginning with the pilot, actually, because I think that was probably one of the season's weakest episodes. If you're really interested in watching this, then start with any random episode and you'll be able to tell how smart and how fun the show really is. THEN you can work your way back if interested.

Christopher | June 30, 15:52 CET

Point of interest, when I think of Buffy I tend to ignore the first 25 episodes... I'm sort of embaraced of the arc uptil that point. Sure there are some good episodes here and there and of course I love all the characters. But in my mind the show takes off with Surprise. Don't understand people who actually like season 1 really really much.

Anyway, this is the best news in like atleast the last 2 months. I'm a huge Veronica Mars fan and I've been hoping to get a DVD release for so long. Ok, so there's no commentaries, but maybe Rob Thomas could do what they've done with the Battlestar Galactica. For that show there are podcast commentaries available on the web. Very handy.

Djungelurban | June 30, 16:21 CET

On the other hand I don't understand people who don't like season 1. I was hooked from the very 1st episode, though it wasn't until Becoming that I realised it was the best tv show ever (at least imho). I still remember the excitement watching the 1st few episodes as they aired, waiting impatiently for next week. I also remember SFX reviewing season 1 and giving it an A saying that it only didn't get A+ because season 2 was even better and I just couldn't believe that was possible. Of course they were right :)

Paul_Rocks | June 30, 16:56 CET

I think that VM is a great show and I am looking forward to some rewatching after the DVDs come out. My mom (who watched Buffy before I did) also got hooked on it, when I talked her into watching. She's a huge Enrico Colantoni fan (and how can you not be?), so I didn't have to twist her arm too much. Buffy was good from the start, IMO, but it got so much better that I have trouble saying that S1 is great. It has its share of stumbles, but the promise of whats to come is so evident that I get giddy watching it :P Except Moloch... ;)

zeitgeist | June 30, 18:31 CET

Tried VM. Found it terribly wanting.

I Buffyvangelize by giving people Season 1 and asking only that they watch Welcome to the Hellmouth and The Harvest, and that if they want to watch after that, keep going.

Dozens (easily, and maybe more) have done so. Only one (my wife's aunt) has not. Get somebody hooked on Season 1, and when they finally get to Season 2, they're so overwhelmed that they usually call or write me and say something along the lines of "I need my life back!"

Chris inVirginia | June 30, 18:59 CET

good point, Chris. I think that we just forget how good S1 really is because of the heights it soared to later. aside from the stumbles, it really is quite excellent.

zeitgeist | June 30, 19:11 CET

Agree totally, Chris in Virginia. Although the production values could be somewhat wanting during S1 of Buffy, S1 had a brilliance that elevated it above other shows, in my opinion. I could tell right away that I was dealing with something wildly original and intelligent. And fun. And scary. The S1 arc was, I thought, wonderful. (Not a big fan of the Moloch thing, either, though.) I agree that S2 did transcend S1, but that doesn't mean that S1 was bad. On the contrary.

phlebotinin | June 30, 19:15 CET

I really enjoy this show, it's a non-Me show, with some ME hipness in it.

It did take me some time to really get into it. Cause the first episodes was just nice, but wasn't that special yet. It was almost like watching Buffy the first time, that you could already feel that something special might come out from it.
It's hard for to compare to Buffy, despite the obvious similarities that can be found. A lot of people consider Buffy S1-3, it's golden years, but I'm in the group of people, that consider season 4 and 5, the best Buffy seasons.

I just hope that VM people can keep the standards up, next season. Some shows get great, first seasons, but then just sadly gets lost, in the following ones.

Numfar PTB | June 30, 19:16 CET

I'm relieved to see that I wasn't the only one who couldn't get into the pilot episode. I watched about 45 minutes of it and was unimpressed. And yet, I'd like to give the show another chance. I think I'll check out the first few episodes, and hope that the pilot was just a fluke.

MindPieces | June 30, 21:18 CET

I believe Veronica Mars was the BEST show on Television last year. I just hope UPN doesn't tinker with it too much on the upcoming season. /bow to Rob Thomas!

chasingclerks | June 30, 21:30 CET

The end of the pilot is what grabbed me. It was heart-breaking. I could tell from the beginning that this show has something special. It's the only show that I put on the same level as the Jossverse. Rob Thomas is a brilliant creator, and Kristin Bell is an amazing actress. I can't wait to see where this show goes next. It's the best show on TV, and the only one that hits me on a deep emotional level, since Angel left the air.

electricspacegirl | June 30, 21:43 CET

I'd recommend VM. It does have a similar feel to BUFFY. I think Buffy and Veronica are similar characters and I think the "like Buffy in spirit" comment is accurate. I also think Veronica is at a similar point in her life that is Buffy in hers as season 1 began.

Kristen Bell really does drive the show and the father/daughter relationship is one of my favorite things about the show. But it is flawed (IMHO) and the writing is not on par with the best Seasons of BUFFY. But it's just got something about it that makes you want to see what's next in Veronica's life week after week. But at the same time, I understand why some people can't get into it. The plotting of the overall arc is good but the "mystery of the week" episodes are a little flat for the most part and I think that's what's turning off it's detractors. This show really could become something special if it has time to develop. And Kristen Bell just makes you give a damn about Veronica.

batmarlowe | June 30, 21:58 CET

Chris inVirginia, I'm glad you weren't the person who introduced me to Buffy! If I had just watched the first two episodes of season 1, I never would have gotten into Buffy at all. I really can't stand season 1, to the point of finding it actively unwatchable.

As for Veronica Mars, I really have to say that I thought the first season as a whole was brilliant. I can't wait until I can get the DVDs. I wish that there was going to be commentary on at least a few eps, but I understand why there won't be. But Rob Thomas is the only other tv producer that I'd say at the moment has as strong of a grasp on characterization and drama as Joss does. And the acting on this show is fantastic.

Melisande | July 01, 06:04 CET