Claim: Veronica Mars is played by Kristen Bell.

Veronica Mars is the fictional protagonist , occasional narrator -LRB- through voiceovers -RRB- , and antiheroine of the American television series Veronica Mars , which aired on UPN from 2004 to 2006 and on The CW from 2006 to 2007 . The character was portrayed by Kristen Bell through the duration of the series . Following the show 's cancellation , Bell reprised the role in the 2014 film continuation . The character , created by Rob Thomas , was originally male and the protagonist of his unproduced novel Untitled Rob Thomas Teen Detective Novel , which eventually became the basis of the series . After the work 's transition from novel to television series , Thomas changed the character 's gender from male to female as he believed a noir piece told from a female point of view would be more interesting .   Prior to the series , Veronica had to deal with her best friend Lily being murdered , her father losing his reputation as sheriff and her mother leaving him as a result , and losing her status as one of the popular girls in high school because of it .