Veronica Mars is the fictional protagonist, occasional narrator (through voice-overs), and antiheroine of the American television series Veronica Mars, which aired on UPN from 2004 to 2006 and on The CW from 2006 to 2007. The character was portrayed by Kristen Bell through the duration of the series. Following the show's cancellation, Bell reprised the role in the 2014 film continuation. The character, created by Rob Thomas, was originally male and the protagonist of his unproduced novel Untitled Rob Thomas Teen Detective Novel, which eventually became the basis of the series. After the work's transition from novel to television series, Thomas changed the character's gender from male to female because he believed that a noir piece told from a female point of view would be more interesting. Before the show starts, Veronica's best friend, Lilly Kane, has been murdered, and her father, Keith Mars, has lost not only his position of sheriff in the fictional town of Neptune, California, but also his reputation, status, and wife. The series begins with Veronica at the bottom of her posh high school's pecking order, having lost her popular status and popular friends because her father accused her boyfriend's father of involvement in the murder. Character history Background and details of plot At the beginning of the series, Veronica is a 17-year-old junior at Neptune High in her the fictional town of Neptune, California, which is someplace near San Diego. According to series creator Rob Thomas, Veronica's birthday is in August. After (and sometimes before) school, Veronica works for her father, private investigator Keith Mars, the former sheriff of Balboa County, California. Veronica has few friends until she meets and helps Wallace Fennel, who becomes her best friend. Back-story to season one Veronica's story is told via voice-overs and flashbacks fitted into the main story. The year before the series picks up, Veronica was part of the in-crowd at Neptune High. Her best friend was popular junior Lilly Kane. Veronica was dating Lilly's brother, Duncan Kane and Lilly was dating Logan Echolls, Duncan's good friend. The four were at the forefront of the school's wealthy and popular "09er" clique (named after the 90909 zip code, a wealthy area of Neptune) that dominated Neptune High's social scene. Though Veronica did not meet the economic status of the other 09ers, she was accepted into the clique because she was dating Duncan, and because of her father's