If you were to judge the series by casual glimpses, there would be nothing about Veronica Mars to set it apart from the multitude of american teen-dramas. High-school setting in southern California? Check. Scenes of class struggle between the have-nots and the spoiled progeny of movie stars? Check. Glossy-lipped über-cute blondie as protagonist? Check. So why bother? Well, because underneath the bubblegum wrapping you would find one of the hippest, wittiest, cleverest shows that our friends from the other side of the pond have produced in recent memory.

Veronica Mars has been described as a cross between Bogart and Buffy. From Humphrey Bogart it gets the film noir atmosphere, while from Buffy the Vampire Slayer it gets the witty characters, the snappy dialogues, and the strong female lead (not to mention that like Veronica Mars, Buffy is probably one of the most under-appreciated series ever, destined for cult status while being largely ignored by the mainstream).

Whatever way you want to describe it, Veronica Mars is one of the few programmes on television that does not assume that its viewers have the IQ of a lobotomised amoeba. The plot is best described as a frantic swirl of intertwining threads, complex enough to demand constant attention (blink and you're bound to miss something!). Nothing here happens by accident: the S/N ratio is as high as it gets on television. Moreover, rather than over-explaining every plot development, more often than not the viewers are left to fend for themselves (or to switch channels, which given the shows low ratings is the most likely outcome).

The show has just started its third season in the US. It's also likely to be its last. You see, it's not enough to be the darling of the critics or to attract a loyal fan base. Commercial television is based on the bottom line, and due to their very nature shows like Veronica Mars will never attract a sufficient number of viewers to please network executives. So what will be of it? Like Firefly it will become a cult show, a little gem swamped by the ratings race, known only to a lucky few. But it doesn't matter. It will remain our private pleasure.