Veronica Mars (season 4)
The fourth season of "Veronica Mars", an American drama television series created by Rob Thomas, consists of eight episodes that were all released on Hulu on July 19, 2019. It serves as a continuation of the 2004–07 television series as well as the 2014 film. Kristen Bell reprises her role as the title character, and it features the return of several characters from the original series as well as the introduction of new characters. Production and development. On August 21, 2018, it was reported that Hulu was planning an eight-episode revival of "Veronica Mars" with  Kristen Bell returning in the title role and series creator Rob Thomas returning as well. On September 6, 2018, it was reported that production would begin in October 2018 and continue through March 2019 in Los Angeles. Diane Ruggiero-Wright and Dan Etheridge returned as executive producers. On September 20, 2018, Hulu officially confirmed the revival, and announced it would premiere in 2019. The season was originally scheduled for release on July 26, 2019, however, during the series' appearance at San Diego Comic-Con on July 19, it was announced that season would be available that day. Along with Thomas  and Ruggiero, the writing staff consists of Heather V. Regnier, David Walpert, Raymond Obstfeld, and former NBA player and author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bell stated that the season was going to be darker and bigger and more cinematic, a little bit different" in comparison to the original series. Thomas stated the season takes place five years after the film and would "take "Veronica Mars" back to its hardcore So-Cal noir roots" and that it is "One big case [...] This is a detective show." The revival features a new version of the original theme song, "We Used to Be Friends  by The Dandy Warhols, covered by Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. Plot. Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) and her father Keith (Enrico Colantoni) are private investigators in Neptune, California, a popular spring break vacation destination. Real estate developer Richard Big Dick" Casablancas (David Starzyk) campaigns for the enactment of city beautification laws; local business owners protest the likely expense of complying with such laws. Meanwhile, Veronica rejects a marriage proposal from her longtime boyfriend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). When a beachside motel is bombed, the Marses are hired to investigate by Congressman Daniel Maloof (Mido Hamada), whose brother's fiancée was  killed in the explosion. A Mexican crime boss, whose nephew was another victim, sends two assassins, Alonzo (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Dodie (Frank Gallegos), to find and kill the bomber. Injured in the blast is Penn Epner (Patton Oswalt), a true crime enthusiast, who seizes the spotlight to accuse Maloof of the crime. The late motel owner's daughter, Matty Ross (Izabela Vidovic), investigates on her own; Veronica eventually takes her under her wing to supervise her. Veronica also befriends nightclub owner Nicole Malloy (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), and occasionally consults with Penn and his club of amateur crime-solvers. Their  investigation implicates a local ex-con, who apparently commits suicide before he can be arrested. However, after his death, three more bombs explode in Neptune over several days. The Marses uncover evidence that Casablancas's fixer Clyde Pickett (J. K. Simmons) has been hiring the local juvenile delinquents, organized by Veronica's former friend Eli "Weevil" Navarro (Francis Capra), to mug spring break visitors, driving away tourism; Casablancas is then able to buy beachfront property cheaply, planning to redevelop the land for more upscale businesses. Veronica's ex-boyfriend Leo D'Amato (Max Greenfield), an FBI agent, arrives to investigate the  case. His rekindled flirtation with Veronica eventually makes her realize how much she values her relationship with Logan. She loses her friendship with Nicole when she confesses to considering Nicole a suspect in the case and bugging her office, and decides to accept Logan's proposal. The Marses eventually conclude that Casablancas was responsible for the bomb at the motel, but the subsequent bombs were the work of a copycat. Casablancas is murdered by Alonzo and Dodie after Clyde tips them off to his guilt. The Marses arrest Penn as the copycat, but he hires them to prove his own  innocence. Evidence is uncovered which briefly implicates Penn's fellow amateur crime-solver Don (Clark Duke), but Matty spots that the evidence has been tampered with: Penn was the copycat bomber all along, out for glory and attention. The Marses deduce the site of the next bomb, and Keith disarms the bomb with seconds to spare; but Penn gloats to Veronica as he is being arrested. Veronica and Logan are married that day. But a few hours later, Veronica's car explodes, killing Logan—one last bomb that Penn had set earlier. The next year, when Neptune is fully gentrified  and spring break tourism is a thing of the past, Veronica leaves Neptune to solve cases on the road. Episodes. <onlyinclude></onlyinclude> Marketing and promotion. The first teaser trailer for the season was released on April 12, and the second on May 1, 2019. A panel for "Veronica Mars" took place in June 2019 at the ATX Television Festival. A full-length trailer was released on June 14. Reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season has an approval rating of 89% with an average score of 8 out of 10 based on 66 reviews. The site's critical consensus  is, "Marshmallows, rejoice! "Veronica Mars" returns in fine form, capturing much of what made the series so beloved while adding new wrinkles that satisfy more often than they mystify." On Metacritic, the fourth season has a score of 75 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Home media. The season was released on DVD and Blu-ray (as "The Complete First Season (2019)") via the Warner Archive Collection in region 1 on October 22, 2019. Special features include the 2019 "Veronica Mars" San Diego Comic-Con panel.