"Veronica Mars" was a sadly short-lived teen drama that ran on the CW from 2004-2007 and then was revived in 2014 when a $5 million Kickstarter campaign paid for the theatrical release of a new movie. At the time this was the largest fan-funded crowdsource campaign to ever exist!

I never knew much about the show other than the fact that it was about a teenage detective investigating the murder of her best friend. But I figured that if so many people were passionate enough about this thing to donate their money, it had to be good. So over the summer I got around to watching all three seasons and the movie, and was NOT disappointed!

Despite its teen mystery show premise, "Veronica Mars" is one of the most intelligent, engaging, and well-written shows I have ever seen. Not only are the mystery arcs incredibly clever and planned out, the show doesn't shy away from serious discussions of race, class, mental illness, and sexual consent. All the characters are diverse, complicated people with important backstories. And at the heart of this amazing cast is the title character herself: Veronica Mars.

Veronica is possibly my favorite portrayal of any fictional teenage girl. She's determined and confident, always coming up with a new plan. But she's also damaged from being mistreated by her former friends and grieving from being mysteriously abandoned by her mother. She's funny and witty, but sometimes these traits lead to her coming off as arrogant and aggressive. She lashes out at people who hurt her but in the end always tries to protect the ones she loves.

Veronica Mars is many things, but above all she is a role model.

But her strength doesn't mean she's not vulnerable. Veronica isn't afraid to let herself break down when she's been hurt, and that makes her human. Crying doesn't make a female character weak, and watching her struggle to deal with her sexual abuse, the loss of her best friend, and her mother's abandonment made these problems feel so much more important because the show actually gave them the emotional seriousness they deserve.

And although she's a role model, Veronica's definitely not a perfect person. She's often stubborn, bitter, vengeful, and has a really hard time trusting people which makes total sense for someone with her past. Instead of having the other characters ignore these traits and treat her like she's perfect, her flaws actually cause a lot of fights with her friends and make it almost impossible for her to maintain a healthy romantic relationship

This is why the moments when she does open up to people or share her problems with someone else were so rewarding to watch because they showed real character development and acknowledged that even the star of the show could get it wrong sometimes.

Despite her claiming to be a loner, Veronica's friendship with Wallace was always affectionate and supportive. She stood up for him when no one else would, and he gave her someone to rely on other than herself. Even from the first episode they were total BFF goals.

Her closeness with her dad Keith is also one of the greatest father-daughter relationships I've ever seen on television. Veronica was never "too cool" for her dad. She admired his P.I. skills, constantly went to him for advice, and looked forward to their fun family dinners.The Mars duo always went above and beyond to keep each other safe, and their scenes together are some of the most heartwarming in the entire series.

Plus in addition to her super-sleuth skills and genius powers of deduction, Veronica was also inspirational for her academic dedication and commitment to her schoolwork. An entire season revolved around her efforts to gain a scholarship to Stanford, and she was constantly shown studying for exams rather than having her grades come .

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So if you're looking to be both entertained and inspired by your latest TV binge, I absolutely recommend checking out "Veronica Mars." And if you're still not satisfied after finishing all three seasons, there's always the movie!