Confession: I’ve never been a big fan of “marshmallows,” the term for rabid fans of the dearly departed TV show — and soon to be movie — “Veronica Mars,” about a teen girl sleuth (Kristen Bell) who solves crimes and cracks wise in her hometown of Neptune, Calif. It ran for three seasons on UPN from 2004 to 2007, and was one of the smartest, wittiest shows of the decade. Obsessed fans, like me, have been mourning its absence ever since.
Anyway, I would have preferred the name “Martians.” But nobody asked me.
They did, however, ask me to donate to a Kickstarter campaign last year. After show creator Rob Thomas and his stars tried in vain for years to get financing for a movie, they finally went to the Internet — and it paid off big-time: They ultimately raised $5.7 million from 91,535 backers.
Of that money, $20 was mine. And as a producer, I’ve got some demands for what I’d like to see when “Veronica Mars” the movie finally hits theaters Friday:
1. Pair up Wallace and Veronica.
Wallace Fennel (Percy Daggs III) was, initially, Veronica’s only pal during her days as a virtual outcast at Neptune High, as she tried to solve the murder of her best friend Lily (Amanda Seyfried). He always got rather short shrift, but there was some chemistry there. Time to hook these two up?
I kid! Like every other “Mars” fan on earth, I’m dying to see Veronica reunited with the show’s bad-boy jerk-turned-tormented antihero, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). And about that . . .
2. Turn Logan bad again.
“Every school has an obligatory psychotic jackass. He’s ours,” said Veronica early on in the show, describing the arrogant celeb-spawn with whom she would eventually, improbably, fall in love. But by the time the show ended, Logan had marshmallowed; he and Veronica were foundering in a relationship that fell apart tediously, slowly and seriously. Take us back to the days of Season 1, when they threw rapid-fire barbs at each other and then made out.
3. More Dick, please.
As Logan’s boorish best friend, Dick Casablancas, Ryan Hansen was one of the funniest things about the show (“Man, this new wetsuit is like a cheap hotel — no ballroom”). I’ve always wanted to see what became of the odious, yet insidiously likable, Dick.
4. Make us forget ”New Girl” ’s Schmidt.
Before he was the douche-tastic doofus on “New Girl,” Max Greenfield was Deputy Leo, the law-enforcement agent with a thing for Veronica. Now that the once-brilliant “New Girl” is languishing in what appears to be a writerless void, let’s see him back where he belongs.
5. Bring back Amanda Seyfried.
Seyfried’s character, Lily Kane, was dead when the show began; she appeared as a ghost to Veronica periodically. As an homage to the powerful first season, I’d like a small role, in some capacity, for Seyfried, who’s become a big marquee name in her own right.
6. Deliver major cameo action.
The show was always notable for the number of recognizable faces who appeared on its cast list: Krysten Ritter, Alyson Hannigan, Leighton Meester, Jessica Chastain, Aaron Paul, Kevin Smith, Jane Lynch, Paul Rudd, Michael Cera. The movie, with its increased star magnetism, ought to be able to outdo its small-screen counterpart in surprise appearances.
7. Give Veronica the pony she deserves!
A long-running gag on the show was Veronica’s query of any surprise: “Is it a pony?” Let’s see the lady finally get her equine wish.