TVSquad

Apparently, the executives over at the CW network like to pull the chains of the collective viewer. Last year they did it when they said 7th Heaven and Reba weren't coming back, then they turned around and renewed them anyway. In 2007 they seem to be doing it again. This time with fan favorite Veronica Mars.

For months rumors have been flying about the apparent cancellation of VM. Now it seems that those rumors may not have as much merit as previously thought. According to Mike Ausiello over at TV Guide network executives over at the CW are taking a second look at the show, or at least the character of Veronica Mars in particular. Why the sudden change of heart? Well, there are a few reasons.

(S03E17) Y'know, these mini-mysteries (minsteries?) are growing on me. It's quite possible that not having to worry about a longer and larger storyline gives the writers more time to concentrate on some of the other aspects that make (or made) this show great. Hell, even the relationships are done pretty well -- from me, that's saying something.

If I had asked you back in August who Chris Lowell was you would probably have answered: "Chris who?" But about 8 months later, most of you do know who Lowell is as he is a regular on Veronica Mars. Those who don't know him will be introduced to this up and coming actor tonight on the two-hour Grey's Anatomy special as Lowell landed a role in the possible Grey's spin-off.

The 22-year-old actor from Atlanta, Georgia, attended the celebrated Atlanta International School, where he even founded the Film Program and Video Yearbook. He also studied at the University of Southern California. As it is the case for many actors, he got discovered while doing something not linked to acting at all. In his case, Lowell was discovered while playing beach volleyball.

(S03E16) First of all, I have to come out and say that I feel like an ass for not reminding readers of TV Squad that Veronica Mars was returning tonight. Unfortunately since my cable network doesn't carry The CW in HD, and since I don't watch anything else on the channel, I felt like the show's return came with very little fanfare.

The return of the show marks the beginning of the new mini-mystery-only format, though I think I can already see where they're going with things to keep fans of longer plots interested. While we didn't get the beginnings of a five-episode mystery arc, we did get a few nuggets thrown in that will more than likely last through to the season finale.

Those are the latest rumors spreading around the internets and the industry, that The CW has all but canceled the cult favorite Veronica Mars and that CBS is going to give a surprising second season renewal to Jericho, which looked like it might be dead in the water.

USA Today is reporting that a really good source is saying that Veronica Mars is "all but dead." Critic Robert Bianco says that fellow writer Gary Levin says the show is gone and he's "almost always right about these things." I think any buzz that the show might have had a year or so ago is now dead and a renewal is unlikely. (Isabelle talked about this last month, too.)

As for Jericho, SyFyPortal says that not only will CBS renew the drama, but it will move it to a new night in the fall to get it away from American Idol. Time will tell. The networks reveal their new schedules next month.

[via TV Tattle]

Every year in April (aka the time networks executives meet to prepare the schedule for the following season), Kristin from E! tries to save one show. A few weeks before her column hits the Internet, she asks fans to vote for the show they want to save. With these results in hand, she writes a column devoted to the shows that got the most votes in the hope it'll help the networks make the right decision and save those shows. She will also write a support letter for the show that got the most votes.

Welcome to TV Squad Lists (formerly 'The Five'), a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

Ah, the friendly neighborhood drinking hole. In one way or another, they're there to give you that much needed morning/evening buzz before/after work or school. In what order you visit them is up to you. We've seen our fair share of these booze and caffeine shoppes on TV throughout the years, and here's my pick for the top 18 -- why settle for just ten?

1) Cheers (Cheers) -- Let's get right down to it and start with the obvious number one choice before we move on. I'm not going to insult you with dragging you on to the end to see what is very obviously the most famous of all TV bars. And since I'm from the area, I have no business not making this number one.

The axe has fallen. Well, sort of. The network still has to confirm it but many solid sources have told E! Online's Kristin Veitch that Veronica Mars would not be coming back for a fourth season.

The CW show has been struggling in ratings since its premiere on UPN. However, a good fan base helped get the show renewed up to a third season even though it moved around the schedule a bit. Many fans and TV critics were optimistic that the Gilmore Girls/Veronica Mars pairing would work well for both shows and bring in enough ratings. However, it seems it wasn't enough to secure a fourth season for this gem of a show featuring Kristen Bell.

(S03E15) I'm going to take this moment to make a plea to Rob Thomas and The CW to not throw out the season long (or semi-season long) story arcs on this show. This episode was a prime example of what the buildup from several episodes of story can result in. Would the climax of this episode been as dramatic had we only been built up for one, two or even three episodes?

Sure, most of us called Tim the mastermind of the murder all along, but this episode threw so many wrenches into the works that I was quickly doubting myself. It wasn't until the final moments of the episode that I was once again sure Tim was responsible.

(S03E14) I know a lot of readers get really ticked off when we reveal any sort of spoilers before the jump of the post, so I'll just start off with a big "WOW!" If you saw the episode, you certainly know what I'm talking about. I'm both saddened and thrilled at the end result of things ... but I'll talk more about that later.

I think what makes me more sad is the fact that, after next week, we have to wait until April for a new episode. Boo.

(S03E13) I'll be first to admit (and remind some of you) how disappointed I was to hear of the Dean O'Dell murder being the final "big" mystery of the series. But hey, I think tonight's episode may have given me some hope for what's in store for the future -- semi-mini mysteries, spanning two episodes! Now this is more like it.

As this episode was shaping up, I had no idea that this would be a two-parter, so I was starting to gear up for it being not-so-great. We actually get a decent amount of big mystery details along with a decent semi-mini mystery. And hey, we get to see Wallace for once!

(S03E12) This was probably exactly the kind of episode that The CW executives want to see go away from Veronica Mars. It was definitely the kind of episode that you'd really need a fair amount of prior involvement with the series to understand, and that's not including the few details we got regarding the primary mystery of Dean O'Dell's death. But for me, I say keep them coming.

Finally Veronica learned to start confronting people when she hears rumors about them instead of simply continuing to lose sleep and making up scenarios in her head ... which she of course did anyway.

Remember that marriage proposal commercial that was supposed to run during the Super Bowl last night? It didn't run.

Seems that CBS just didn't have space for it, or something. The guy was watching the game with his girlfriend and kept getting calls from the network saying they "might" put it in, but it turns out they couldn't. However, the guy came up with a plan B: he's going to tape a proposal at a local station this week and it will run during his girlfriend's favorite show, Veronica Mars.

I know, you're wondering, "how is he going to pay for that?" The ad is only going to run in his local market, which he can't name right now to keep things quiet.

[via Pop Candy]

(S03E11) I'm sorry folks, but with every passing episode I'm finding I'm already missing the season-long mystery arc. Sure, we have a shorter one being followed now, but It's the last one. What's Keith going to spend his time working on then? Small-time jobs looking for cheating husbands/wives? Bah.

Nielsen Media Research is making a change to their television ratings. In the past, children of a Nielsen family that were away at college were not factored into the numbers. After doing some research, sponsored by Turner, WB, CBS, MTV, Fox, and ESPN, those college kids will now count in the regular Nielsen ratings.

The NY Times article (possible login) points to America's Next Top Model, Family Guy, Ugly Betty, and [adult swim] as programming that should see a boost in their ratings. Disturbingly, it also mentions that in a test done last November the most popular show among college men was Drawn Together. The audience for the Comedy Central cartoon jumped from 272,000 to 435,000. What are they teaching our youth on these campuses?

This certainly isn't the final answer in the ratings question. There are still plenty of problems and issues with the system, but it is a positive change. Especially so if it gives a much needed boost to the struggling Veronica Mars numbers.