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Can "Veronica Mars" Be Saved or Is it Curtains for Our Intrepid Sleuth?

April and May are always rollercoaster rides of emotion for television junkies like myself, as networks begin to shape up their schedules for fall and tease us with a few series renewals and cancellations ahead of the network upfronts in mid-May.

It's quite easy then to fall into a state of constant guessing as to whether your favorite shows will return next season. I was stunned to learn that, according to USA Today's Robert Bianco, the still-on-hiatus Veronica Mars (which, thankfully, returns to the airwaves May 1st and obliterates those dreadful Pussycat Dolls) is already a goner:

"San Francisco, CA: How come Veronica Mars wasn't included on the USA Today "save or axe" survey? Has its fate already been decided?

Robert Bianco: Yes. According to our reporter Gary Levin, the show has been cancelled. And he's almost always right about such things."

Shock, horror.

But fret not, Neptune fans. This morning, Kristin at E! released the results of her seventh annual Save One Show campaign poll. According to Kristin, two series tied for a record-making first place: the CW's own Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars.

As far as I am concerned, it's Gilmore Girls that's a foregone conclusion (and a rightful one as that series has already gone on one season too many), while Veronica Mars is the horse to bet on right now, given that it has not one, but two, potential Season Four strategies in at the network for the fall.

Kristin, meanwhile, plans to send letters of support for both series to The Powers That Be at the CW, which potentially could be promising. While I don't think that any network would make their primetime scheduling decisions based on a letter of recommendation, I do think that the proper positioning of fan bases around specific shows (particularly if said fans are in a desirable demographic) can make the programmers more likely to bring back a series that's on the bubble, especially if license fees or budgets can be chopped down a bit.

In the meantime,
Veronica Mars creator and executive producer Rob Thomas issued the following statement regarding the poll's outcome: "We're continually astounded by the fans' willingness to go grassroots to keep us around. More than ever, the letter-writing, vote-casting, plane-circling efforts of our fans may be just the push we need to make it back on the air."

Fingers crossed that Veronica's scheduled finale on May 22nd is a season finale and not a series finale...

Comments

The CineManiac said…
AAARRRRGGGGG!!!!!
That's how I feel right now, with so many "Veronica Mars is cancelled, no wait it's not cancelled because they haven't decided yet" reports out there it's driving me insane. All I want to know is if my beloved Veronica will be back.
So where can I send my letters to keep it on the air?
Anonymous said…
actually, I read the other day that Lauren Graham was back at the table negotiating for a possible shortened season, to keep it going.
Unknown said…
That's it. I'm not going to watch TV anymore. I'll wait until my library buys the DVDs of whatever shows I think look good. At least I'll know if it has an ending, and I won't have to wait for too-long hiatuses.

At least VM being canceled won't be as bad as some shoes like Nowhere Man, The Nine, and Reunion, which were axed before we could find out what was going on.
Anonymous said…
Say it isn't so! I would be heartbroken if VM was cancelled. I used to love Gilmore Girls but it's so far past its prime it's beginning to smell a little, well, rotten. But Veronica is still going strong. CW, please don't take away our favorite super sleuth and her Scooby gang!
Susan said…
I wrote in VM as my choice on USA Today's voting. I don't care that it wasn't an option. I tried to make it one. Maybe we can get enough people to do that and at least get it some recognition and rub it in the reporter's face. ;)
Anonymous said…
I am so serious about not watching television again if veronica mars gets cancelled.

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