Today in TV History: ‘Veronica Mars’ Closed Out a Perfect First Season

Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone. 

IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: May 10, 2005

PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: Veronica Mars, “Leave It to Beaver” (Season 1, Episode 22). [Stream on Prime Video.]

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: It’s funny to think that even as recent as ten years ago, it was almost unthinkable that a quality TV program could emerge from outside the inner circle of the Big Four networks and HBO. Certainly UPN, the laughing-stock broadcast netlet, wasn’t going to produce the next great TV drama. And yet, there stood Veronica Mars, in the midst of a not-inconsiderable TV season (this was the year of Lost, Desperate Housewives, and House, among others), turning heads of TV critics everywhere (and very, very few people with Nielsen boxes).

NOTE: Here’s where I tell you that if you want to watch Veronica Mars for the first time, you should do it now before reading the rest of this, as it does contain SPOILERS. 

The teen-detective series had a heart of noir and some of the smartest, snappiest dialogue on television, which was enough to put Veronica Mars on every “best show you’re not watching” list. It also boasted young talents like Kristen Bell and Amanda Seyfried. And as if that all wasn’t enough, the season-long story arc that saw Veronica trying to solve the murder of her best friend Lilly Kane was as compelling and smartly executed as you could get. Season 1 Veronica Mars is a rare vintage.

The finale of that first season, “Leave It to Beaver,” has one of those bad episode titles that totally makes you think it’s about another episode. (Specifically, I always think this is the second season finale, since that’s were Beaver’s whole sad, terrible story arc really came to a head.) But no bother. Here’s where Veronica finally figures out who killed Lilly, though not before doubting her mercurial pseudo-boyfriend Logan and casting suspicion his way. It wasn’t Logan who killed Lilly … it was Logan’s dad. Hey, remember how a pre-Mad Men Harry Hamlin and a pre-Housewives Lisa Rinna played Logan’s parents? Who says that mid-career lulls are so bad?

Anyway, after three edge-of-cancellation seasons, one movie, and a decade of distance, it’s probably time to give Veronica a weekend binge. The second and third seasons were shakier, but it did have that one perfect year.

[You can watch Veronica Mars‘ “Leave It to Beaver” on Prime Video.]