'Veronica Mars' Creator Reveals How There Could be "More and More Episodes"

Veronica Mars is back on the case in Hulu’s upcoming eight-episode revival. The thought that’s no doubt crossed everyone’s mind is whether or not this will be the show’s final hurrah. But this is Veronica Mars we’re talking about, right? The show may have been cancelled after three seasons, but there was a Kickstarter-funded movie years later, and it’s now back with a new season.

So there’s definitely hope for more adventures with Neptune’s favorite private investigator, even though Hulu has yet to confirm another season.

Veronica Mars series creator Rob Thomas certainly wants there to be more seasons though and, luckily for fans, he may have found a way to set that up in Season 4.

The showrunner has made it no secret that he’s willing to continue to write for Veronica Mars so long as there are more stories to tell. Season 4 has proven that when it comes to the mysteries in Neptune and Veronica’s personal life, there’s always more worth exploring.

We’ve seen all eight episodes of Season 4 of Veronica Mars, and it’s safe to say that Thomas knew exactly what he was doing when he decided to add new character Matty Ross (Izabela Vidovic), a character who shares many similarities with our titular hero. On top of that, the season ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. So yes, Thomas went in prepared — should Hulu decide to renew the show for another season.

In an interview with Variety, Thomas teased that Kristen Bell is on board to continue playing Veronica into old age if need be, but that there will be less focus on her personal life (don’t worry, there’s still plenty of that, too).

“Kristen [Bell] says she would do it until it’s Murder, She Wrote, and my feeling is for us to survive in that way, more and more episodes have to be about the mystery — about Veronica as a detective — and less of the soap opera personal life.”

If you’re not familiar with Murder, She Wrote, it was a drama that followed the story of Angela Lansbury’s Detective Jessie Fletcher as she solved crime mysteries. Clearly, Veronica Mars was very much inspired by the series, which began in 1984 and aired for 12 seasons. While the idea that Veronica Mars will be the next Murder, She Wrote of television might not be the case, never say never.

After all, Veronica Mars has already been resurrected twice now, so its appeal isn’t necessarily in question so much as its probable longevity on a streaming network like Hulu.

As with every show, characters and situations must evolve, or else the series would start to feel tedious and regressive. No one wants Veronica to stay the same forever, hence why the character Matty is important to Season 4 and beyond.

If Veronica Mars is to indeed become more about the mystery (and the eight-episode revival definitely skews more toward its noir theme), then new characters need to take root within the show. This isn’t to say that Veronica will no longer be central to the story, but if Thomas is serious about going for “more and more episodes,” then he has to be willing to venture outside of Veronica as well.

With Season 4’s introduction of Matty and Veronica’s slight shift toward mentorship, Thomas is already ahead of the game in that respect. Matty, who is just as sharp, capable, and just as keen on investigating unsolved mysteries as her mentor (and arguably just as troubled), might be the fresh face the series might rely on going forward.

Veronica Mars Season 4 premieres Friday, July 26 on Hulu.