8) Veronica Mars

It’ll never live up to the greatness of the first season, but Veronica Mars still satisfies me the way few shows do. The comparisions to Buffy the Vampire Slayer are inevitable—both shows are witty, dark genre pieces starring impossibly quippy and put-upon young women who are tasked with saving those they love and sometimes the world. But Veronica is her own girl, more mature than Buffy, more real than Nancy Drew. Despite her ever growing (and mostly justified) disdain for the world, Veronica is defined by the relationships with her dad, with Logan and with her friends. I feel like it’s hard to say more, that I have to be pretty vague when I discuss the show, because I couldn’t live with the guilt of spoiling either of Neptune’s big mysteries in 2006 for those haven’t watched the show (yet, I’ll assume yet). But half of the fun of Veronica Mars is letting its creator, Rob Thomas, play with us as viewers, throwing out clues and red herrings equally only to still surprise us with big reveals. But the other and more important half is watching Veronica battle her own optimism in the face of so much disappointment and betrayal. I remain hopeful that even though the CW cut this season a bit short, they’ll still grant a fourth season of heartbreak, murder and Neptune’s sunny noir.