Why I’m Not Supporting Barsformars.com

This morning, theTVaddict received an urgent email from the recently revived ‘Save Veronica Mars Campaign.’ The email requested that theTVaddict.com promote the website BarsforMars.com.

Aside from the fact that the email failed to include the word PLEASE (really, what’s happened to manners in this country?) this TV Addict wanted to take a moment to write about why I will not be supporting the campaign (and yes I realize that by simply linking to the BarsforMars.com web site I’m inadvertently promoting the campaign).

A total lack of originality
One of the appeals of both VERONICA MARS the show, and the title character herself were their uniqueness and originality. Amidst an endless sea of blonde Neptune clones, Veronica marched to the beat of her own drummer. BarsforMars.com is a too-little-too-late pale imitation of JERICHO’s recently successful Nuts for Jericho campaign. Not cool MARS fans, not cool.

Where are the MARS bars?
Apparently, Mars bars are no longer available in the US leading the BarsforMars.com campaign to switch over to Snickers Bars. Now, I may not the most savvy MARS fan around, but I don’t recall Snickers ever playing a role in the show. Unless of course the original title for the series was going to be VERONICA SNICKERS, which let’s face it, may not have the same ring to it, but kinda works. After-all, Veronica did spend three seasons ‘snickering’ at everyone around her.

Just because it worked for JERICHO…
… doesn’t mean it’s going to work for VERONICA MARS. In fact, I’ll go as far to say that this campaign is a complete waste of everybody’s time and money. As much I loved VERONICA MARS, the show had its chance. It was given three seasons to prove that it could expand beyond its fiercely loyal fan-base, yet failed to do so each and every year. JERICHO on the other hand had a mere season under its belt — a season that CBS itself admits to completely mishandling with an ill advised three month delay between episodes.

Dawn Ostroff made the right call
If Dawn Ostroff didn’t notice when EVERWOOD fans dragged a life-sized ferris wheel to her office doorstep, she’s certainly not going to care if someone delivers a few boxes of chocolate to her lobby. Fans tend to forget that Ostroff’s primary job as head of the CW is to develop exciting new shows that advertisers will buy into. Having seen the entire CW fall lineup — including the already addictive GOSSIP GIRL, the original and funny REAPER and the network’s soon-to-be first bonafide comedy hit ALIENS IN AMERICA — this TV Addict doesn’t fault Ostroff for cancelling VERONICA MARS.

That said, who am I to tell fans how to spend their precious time, energy and hard-earned money. What I will say is this: In the end the only winner to come out of this campaign will be The Indian Food Store. Call me cynical, but how much money (and free advertising) are they getting off Barsformars.com?

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  • paketep

    Who cares?.

    I don’t mind if it’s Unoriginal, if it’s a me too campaign, or if The Indian Food Store makes money (they must have been making a lot of profits, but they saw the opportunity and grabbed it, and they’re certainly doing nothing illegal!). I don’t even care if they campaign managers are a bunch of unpolite b*st*rds (I agree that saying please it not that hard).

    If there’s still a possibility that any of this will help get back V Mars in any form, I say go for it!. I’ll still know later I did all I could!. It worked for Jericho, and it worked for Farscape. Isn’t that worth 2 dollars?. I sent more, and I’m from Spain!

  • paketep

    God, I said I’m from Spain and my English went down the toilet. Sorry!

  • http://www.duckyxdale.com duckyxdale

    I’m torn too as the CW does have until the 15th to officially kill it and not pick up their option but yeah, seems pretty pointless at this stage in the game.

  • Former Fan

    Finally someone who has the balls to stand up against the Robistas and fundraisers and call this campaign for what it really is; CLASSLESS, UNORIGINAL, and last but certainly not least FUTILE. The show has been cancelled. Let it go. It never lived up to it’s own hype anyway.

  • Q_H

    Thank you for using common sense and logic to point out exactly how stupid this whole campaign is. All the reasons you’ve pointed out in your article is exactly why I’ve been mocking this campaign for the last few days. And the fact that they ran out of Mars Bars and are using snickers? Priceless! However, I’m very happy for the Indian Food Company because they found a group of gullible customers and are using them to their advantage.

  • Myles

    They ran out of Mars Bars and switched to snickers w/ almonds because that’s the current US equivalent of the Mars Bar…

  • Josh

    I don’t disagree that ripping off the Jericho campaign is a bad idea, but I’m all for showing some form of support for Veronica Mars. If there had to be a campaign, I liked the idea to send marshmallows better than Mars Bars. It’d bring the campaign back to the Season 1 roots of the show.
    Regardless, The CW shouldn’t have cancelled it. I don’t care what you say, there’s no way Farmer Wants A Wife or Crowned is going to be a hit show. Instead of airing that universally hated crap, the network would be better off airing one of the few shows that actually gets them positive press attention. Besides, it’s partially the CW’s fault that the show never became a hit. They promoted it as a teen drama when it’s so much more than that. They should’ve targed people over 18 rather than the teens who watch One Tree Hill.

  • Aeryn

    Ah, what a breath of fresh air this piece is. I’m not a Jericho fan and even I knew that CBS had totally messed it up with their mind-boggling three month hiatus. As for Veronica, time to let it go folks. The quality declined steadily throughout the second season and sharply throughout the third. Best to say goodbye when you’re still able to derive some pleasure from it.

  • http://whatisthegfor.vox.com Tim G.

    “Ripping off Jericho?” Seriously? Haven’t there been numerous shows that have been canceled and lead to people sending crap to the network? Didn’t people send bottles of hot sauce to the WB when they canceled Roswell? It’s not an original idea, but saying it’s a rip-off of what the Jericho fans is rather disingenuous.

  • http://www.thetvaddict.com theTVaddict

    Tim G. — I didn’t mean to infer that JERICHO fans invented ‘sending crap to the network to save their show’… I’m just pointing out that this entire Barsformars movement started right after MARS fans witness the success of ‘Nuts for Jericho’

  • Rosco P. Coltrane

    THANK YOU!

    Veronica Mars has been given second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth chances. Jericho hasn’t even had a timeslot change to see if it would do better. Toward the end there, VM couldn’t even pull 2 million viewers. Even following its respective networks’ highest-rated, most compatible shows, Gilmore Girls and Top Model, it STILL didn’t work.

    And honestly, VM:FBI is not something I’d want to campaign for anyway. Season 3 was painful enough as it was with its sporadic uses of Weevil, Mac, Wallace, Lamb, and other characters who deserved better.

    I just think VM should be allowed to bow out gracefully.

  • http://hablandodeseries.blogspot.com battosaiiiii

    SO WHAT??

    It worth to try

  • http://memles.wordpress.com Myles

    While I agree with all of this (Heck, the reason I’m here is that you commented to agree with my own analysis of the situation), I think that one thing needs to be made clear: Veronica Mars was not allowed to “bow out gracefully”.

    Ostroff should have told Rob Thomas and Co. that there was no chance of renewal, that the show was ending. I think it would have resulted in a different finale, a different sendoff. Unlike Gilmore Girls, which knew there was a 50/50 shot, for some reason Thomas was given the impression there were better odds for his show and the result was a finale that was creatively strong but conclusively weak.

    Thus, I can’t outright damn this campaign, because I agree that something needs to be done. However, they need to realize that they’re fighting for something different than Jericho fans. They should be fighting for a chance for closure, a chance for this character to live on in some capacity, and not for a fourth season. Because, to be honest, the show has done nothing to deserve that much of a commitment.

    I guess I support a campaign of realism, as opposed to the idealist notions swimming in their heads following Jericho’s success. This isn’t the same situation, simple as that.

  • Angela

    Thank you for such a reasoned and cogent response. I can certainly understand devotion to a cult status show, but Veronica Mars was given ample opportunity to thrive by both UPN and CW and it simply failed to perform. End of story. It’s past time to let it go.

  • James

    [Reply to this comment]

    “They should’ve targed people over 18 rather than the teens who watch One Tree Hill.”

    Funny you say that, Josh, because One Tree Hill is The CW’s 2nd/3rd most-watched show (of the regular line-up this past season) in the target demographic – Adults 18-34. The CW has target adults in that coveted age bracket, and all of their success this year have the best ratings in that demo (America’s Next Top Model, One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls, Pussycat Dolls Present, and Beauty and the Geek).

    “I don’t care what you say, there’s no way Farmer Wants A Wife or Crowned is going to be a hit show. Instead of airing that universally hated crap,”

    Did you know that roughly a quarter of the population in the country where the Farmer show originated watches that show? Quite a significant number. Americans love reality crap – why do you think Farmer or Crowned will be any different? Not just Americans – people all over the world love reality. Why exactly do you say it’s “universally hated crap”? If anything, one could say Veronica Mars is the “universally hated crap” since so few people watch it (both U.S. AND worldwide).

  • http://jerichomonster.blogspot.com/ Jane

    Thank you for your article.
    What needs to be changed for all shows is how networks depend on Nielsen. All viewers should be counted.

    http://www.petitiononline.com/62951S/petition.html

  • Dominique

    “Ostroff should have told Rob Thomas and Co. that there was no chance of renewal, that the show was ending. I think it would have resulted in a different finale, a different sendoff.”

    I will strongly disagree on this one… Rob Thomas is the one to blame for the lack of closure. Rob tried to use the same tactic as Markyboy from OTH does almost every year which means ending the show without any closure so that he can show the network, they cannot win and he won’t let go easily. I believe Rob was told that chances were not really good for a new VM season and he said he would end the season like he would if it came back for another season because he didn’t want to give up on the show. That was his own mistake… he had done a lot in the past 2 seasons of the show because he sold out to the network especially this season. Rob knew VM was in danger (it is nowhere where OTH is ….) and he decided to play the no closure card in the end anyway.

    To be honest I am all for a VM movie to bring closure but I think VM cannot go back to the great season that was season 1 so I won’t send anything to the network especially a network that did not bring back Everwood after a group of fans paid for a big ferris wheel to show their support and Dawn did not bring the show back. But anyway, I never participate to those campain. Yes I did sign the Jericho petition online but that was it. I am happy Jericho is getting another chance. It is great because the first season was really good… it deserves another chance. VM got its chances and it didn’t work so time to let go. I still love the show but I am at peace with letting it go.

  • http://memles.wordpress.com Myles

    Dominique, I think that Rob Thomas certainly hedged his bets, and that was clearly a mistake in hindsight. However, considering that they had him create the trailer for the FBI Spinoff, considering that they went through that entire process, I don’t think it can be entirely his fault to have been optimistic in that scenario. As a result, feeling that The CW was clearly interested in the series enough to put that effort behind it, he designed a finale that would entice them to continue with it. The fact that they then summarily booted it shows that they were unlikely to have ever picked it up anyways, and Ostroff just didn’t have the guts to tell Thomas that.

  • There’s Another Campaign

    Hey, what about buying the finale off iTunes simultaneously… Isn’t that a better show of support?

  • Rae

    I agree with you. Surprising, I know! I don’t quite agree for all the same reasons. I’m mostly disappointed in the CW’s new shows but I do know that’s a mostly personal thing. I am disappointed in how Gossip Girl turned out but I can recognize that it’s already going to get better ratings than VM. And that’s where I was going with this. I love the show but it was given three years and I can’t blame Dawn for finally moving on to new material in hopes of trying to get something that will make her some money and get ratings. Just because I don’t agree with her choices on new shows doesn’t mean I can’t see the business logic in getting rid of things that aren’t working. So, yeah, no matter my personal feelings on the campaign itself (that all it does is create a hassle for the “grunts” at the network and how does harassing a network seem like the best way to get them to listen – I felt the same about the Jericho campaign even if it was at least clever and relevant), I think it’s a waste of time and money to do it.

    Plus, on a more personal level, unlike many others (including a few of the commenters above), I actually like the ending we got. I don’t want it ruined by an attempt to give people “closure”. I don’t begrudge anyone the right to want that or even to campaign to get it but I can’t find it in me to support the campaigning.

  • Chuck

    A VERY supportive Mars fan, I’m all for giving it a go. Personally, I found closure in the great ending, but I think the marshmallows is a GREAT idea! Can you imagine a dump truck pulling up to the CW parking lot with a load of marshmallows?

    That being said, I have to disagree with James. In the yearly reports that just came out, Veronica came in only 2 places down from One Tree Hill in both overall ratings and the prized 18-35 demographic. Ratings wise, it certainly warranted renewal.

    Additionally, networks make money other ways with shows. Veronica was the number 1 watched show on the CW site as well as downloaded from iTunes (though in fairness, not all of their shows were able to be downloaded). CW does make money from this, not the studio. Then there’s product placement/integration. One Tree Hill is well known for that, and Veronica stepped up with that this year. Yes, creatively we hate it. But it’s a HUGE part of how networks make money nowadays. (And I have to say Rob handled it very well).

    My biggest problem is Gossip Girl. Everything the characters stand for is the epitome of what Veronica was fighting against. CW is targeting young females and these characters are morally irreprehensible. It’s gross. People talk about how the female characters on Grey’s Anatomy set poor examples, Gossip Girl is even worse. (And yes, I have seen the pilot).

    Aliens in America was a surprise good time, but it’s never going to catch on. CW doesn’t have money to promote their comedies. It’s the reason Everybody Hates Chris fell apart this year in the ratings.

    All in all, CW is a struggling network and is catering to lowest common denominator. Veronica deserves to be on television for what the show stands for– and personally, even with last ditch attempts, I commend “her” fans for not giving up. THAT’S what Veronica stood for.

  • Rosco P. Coltrane

    It’s Rob’s fault the show got no closure. Didn’t he even say in an interview that he’d make it hard to cancel it?

    The cancellation sharks were circling in early April. There WAS time to write a conclusion for Veronica, but Rob chose not to.

    He used the same cocky tactics LAST year with his lame tacked-on briefcase cliffhanger.

    Maybe there is the reliance that the loyal fans will watch and campaign and this or that, but at the end of the day, if the show still doesn’t have the numbers, it doesn’t matter. VM was given two more seasons than most networks would have given it. Season 3 was a fluke and a gift, but apparently some things are not enough.

  • VCAD

    Ouch! that hurt. I think is worth the shot, too bad you dont agree with it. Thanks anyway.

  • Dominique

    “Ostroff just didn’t have the guts to tell Thomas that”

    That is true Myles… But I still believe with the FBI idea, Rob could have make a real VM ending giving closure to everyone and have the show come back as an entire new show. It would have been the end of the VM we know and the start of something new. Even if it came back as the VM we know, I don’t see why he couldn’t give some fans more closure (I say that because for me the finale was really good… I got what I wanted. Yes Veronica was not with Logan like many will say but I was always more a fan of them apart with the tension than together). I also think there was no way Rob could give the fans what they needed because VM has changed too much in the past 3 years… How could he have wrapped up everything with all the mistakes he made? I don’t see it. We got the VM we love only in the last 2 episodes IMO and it was nowhere season 1. I don’t even think another season would make up for all the mistakes.

  • http://seat42f.blogspot.com seat42f

    I’m on the fence on this. I applaud the effort but just wish it happened weeks ago instead of a “it worked for Jericho” thing. Jericho should not have been canceled and CBS just needed some bad press and the Neilsen report to realize they made a mistake so to me it’s completely different circumstances. Although I applaud the it aint over till it’s over mentality.

    And I have to say I LOVE VM and Rob Thomas to death but the writing was on the wall going into this year. Average 3M plus viewers or we wont have room for you was basically what was handed down yet somehow almost no one seems to be pointing a finger at Rob in all of this. He had plenty of notice that it was “iffy” at best to come back and even made several comments back in Jan that he was nervous and still he chose to not shoot two endings. He played russian roulette with the fanbase and lost. No no matter how hard you try and how good the intentions are a movie may not ever work out because of cost or schedules etc. Will be a crying shame if the “closure” is internet based in some sort of online text series.

    Crossing Jordan was in the exact same predicament and shot two endings and when they were officially canceled they aired the ending the fans wanted.

    Plus we all know The CW is going to take the candy to shelters so why not send something that could be handed out to shelters or the homeless in the area that’s more appropriate.

    Until June 16th there’s still a chance :)

  • galveston

    Sadly, I have to agree with TVGal and I *applaud* her for writing this piece. Veronica Mars has had its chance, and it is 100 percent completely Rob Thomas’ fault that there was little closure in the finale. Don’t tell me that the man had zero clue that the plug might be pulled. Don’t tell me that. It’s garbage. He decided to make it hard on the network, and the network called his bluff.

    Let’s face it: Veronica Mars simply wasn’t that good this season. It’s a shadow of its former great self. It’s not critically acclaimed anymore. It’s not an insult to good television that it’s cancelled. It had been renewed twice with subpar ratings. How many chances did Rob Thomas and the faithful expect to get? He had a chance to allow his beloved creation to bow out gracefully. It’s time for Veronica to die with a little dignity.

  • http://seat42f.blogspot.com seat42f

    The CW dragged their feet so the “bad news” could roll out in the summer with very little damage outside of the VM fanbase PR wise. The press was all over the Jericho stuff because they struck before everyone mentally went on Summer break. No one is covering the VM campaign because it’s “Summer”.

  • http://seat42f.blogspot.com seat42f

    and the $1.99 iTunes buy on Tuesday? Not sure what cut the CW gets but isn’t there a better way to send a message then essentially sending the CW money? It’s like the bully stole your lunch and to prove a point your going to give him your allowance as well…

    How about a charity? get one of them involved and they can tally up how many people donated $1.99 and use that as a message… everybody wins

  • Rosco P. Coltrane

    No one is covering the VM campaign because it’s a lost cause. Were it a valid news item for the media to cover, they’d be all over it.

    95% of the television media and those who watch television already accept the fact that the show is gone.

  • Norway

    What you people, who is not fans of the show Veronica Mars must realise is that even thou the show has been on since 2004 it has NOT had many chances! Yes, the show came back after season one, even thou the show had bad ratings, and the same thing happened with season 2, and so on…. But, the reason why it had bad ratings is because they aired it on the wrong day and time, and all of you mother f….rs KNOW that I’m right! Sorry, I’m little mad right now.. And I think we all know the main reason why so many people didn’t give the show a chance, and that is simply because of what they called the show. Veronica Mars, is a stupid name for a show, and they should have given it a new name! I know that is the reason why so many of my friends didn’t watch it, including me. But, one day when I got bored I watched it, and after that episode I got hoooooooked on it! It is, and it will always be the best show. I really don’t want veronica mars to come back if they are going to make a “new” show out of it. Veronica Mars:F.B.I. NO Thanks! Veronica Mars, season 4, college, long mysteries, YES PLEASE! Bring it back for a season 4! PLEASE! But not as VM:FBI! No one other then us loyal fans will watch that, and I think they know that…..

  • Julie777

    I wouldn’t call this necessarily a ripoff of the Jericho fans. The VM fandom has been campaigning for this show off and on for 3 years. And I think the BarsforMars site was put up almost immediately after the cancelation. It’s just looking like a ripoff because Herc from AICN has upped it up a notch by finding the Indian Store and causing the fans to jumpstart into action in the final week. But I do agree with the fact that some fans have not been respectful but that shouldn’t be said of the entire fanbase.

  • BHcolin

    okay i used this comment on another site that talked about htis campaign

    First of all, I love Veronica Mars and I wish it would continue. But no offense to the fans out there- but I’ve heard nothing but bit-hing from people the last two seasons. From the those who didn’t like the arc last year with the bus, and PCH murders -to how it was resolved with Cassidy. Then there are those who just didn’t like the short arc (the rapes, the Dean). Then there are those who didn’t like the stand alone episodes. So I have no clue what would make fans happy– cause if they flashed ahead 4yrs I’m sure there would be an uproar about something.
    Again– I love Veronica Mars and I really enjoyed all three seasons. I think VM suffers from things like Lost and Hereos do — there isn’t a way to make their fans 100% happy There just seems to be a large base complaining about something
    Which I think can lead to problems — and major ones if you already suffer from low ratings. From the network side of things — the CW gave it a great time slot, ratings still weren’t coming in. And you have the fans bit-hing online about this and that. What are they supposed to do. Yes, I’d like another season -but I can see why it won’t be back.

    I’d like to offer a suggestion. Sit back, Relax, and Enjoy.
    I love tv- I really love good tv (which is what VM is), but no matter what Itry to let go and just relax and enjoy what I’m watching. I think all these online groups to that end up tearing apart shows that they love is just sad/ Cause it’s going to lead to ” well we can’t please the fans, so let’s end it”
    You know what I mean? Just a thought I had. And I know it’s just people get so into something and wnat every aspect of it to be perfect. I understand that

    Oh but about Dawn Ostroff- I hope the Mars bars work, but do you think she cares. And I totally agree about Everwood last year and the fu-kin’ ferris wheel. She didn’t give a sh-t about that– and that was a fuc-in’ ferris wheel!

  • Rosco P. Coltrane

    “What you people, who is not fans of the show Veronica Mars must realise is that even thou the show has been on since 2004 it has NOT had many chances! Yes, the show came back after season one, even thou the show had bad ratings, and the same thing happened with season 2, and so on…. But, the reason why it had bad ratings is because they aired it on the wrong day and time, and all of you mother f….rs KNOW that I’m right! Sorry, I’m little mad right now.. ”

    Your grammar implies that you may be very young, either that or kind of dim, so I apologize if I’m being mean to a child… but… the show had aired on CBS for four episodes, they’ve gotten high-profile guest stars, AND the past two seasons VM was given the best time-slots on the network(s) following two of their highest rated shows (Gilmore Girls and Top Model). What part of that is not getting a chance?

    If I had been Dawn Ostroff, I would have cancelled it years ago.

  • InvaderSteven

    this campaign is a complete waste of everybody’s time and money.

    That’s exactly what I said when a friend of mine asked if I was going to do this.

    It’s over. The cast has moved on. I love this show, but I won’t be one of those who is in denial at the funeral.

  • Mars

    SNICKER -DOODLES!!!! Veronica made Wallace these many times to support him. It’s RELEVANT!

  • Sushi

    How is a Snicker Almond equivalent to a Mars bar? I haven’t had a Mars bar in a while, but last I checked, they don’t have any form of nut in them.

    As much as I love the show, even if it did lose it a bit, I agree and think a lot of people have just wasted there time and money. VM is noway near in the same situation as Jericho was.

    It simply didn’t get enough viewers.

  • Lila Rose

    Enrico Colantoni is already working on another project and other network’s are after Rob Thomas’ services. It’s over. It’s not fair to expect the cast to put their careers on hold for a show that has the slimmest of chances of being a midseason replacement on standby waiting for another series to fail. I wouldn’t do that.

    It’s over. Sending impolite e-mails to media personalities isn’t going to help matters. Veronica was renewed twice when it never would have been on any other network. It’s had chances. Saying it hasn’t is denial. Everwood should have been renewed. but Veronica Mars was. It’s had its chances.

  • skyroom80

    I agree with Myles that it’s unrealistic to hope for a full 4th season of Veronica Mars on the CW. I also agree that the show ended badly with countless loose ends. I do not blame The Veronica Mars team for this. All season Rob Thomas and the writers had been altering the show at the behest of the CW. The CW marketed the show to preteens, when it marketed it at all.

    Ideally, I wish the series could be picked up by a cable channel (like USA) who treats its original shows much better than ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, or the CW treat theirs. Since that is unlikely, I do think a few TV movies are in order — to allow the show to explore its many loose ends, then lay them to rest.

    I’m not usually quixotic about a TV series. This one, however, has me mentally humming, “The Impossible Dream.” There is a lot of life still in Veronica Mars. The final episode opened too many doors into new mysteries. I guess we fanatics of of good mysteries and good detective work don’t want to leave any stone unturned in the quest for justice.

  • Jay

    Don’t really care about the show but it’s nice when fans show how much they love their show. I mean Roswell did it twice. Once with the Tabasco Sause which got us a 2nd season and then with the Snapple caps, but failed 2 give us a 4th season.

  • KayDee

    I’m all for participating in fan campaigns, having done so twice in my life, and know they’re a long shot. I feel bad for VM fans loosing something they love, but urge them to consider carefully whether to spend a lot of money on this campaign. It is rare a campaign succeeds, and VM had three seasons to gain viewers and perform well in the ratings. And despite heavy UPN advertising during its first season, it failed to gain even a modest-by-UPN-standards audience. Yet it got a second season, where it still lagged in the ratings. Usually this would be enough for a cancellation. Instead, with the merger of UPN and The WB, VM got another chance at life when it was paired with Gilmore Girls on The CW. Yet even this was not enough to pull the series out of the rating’s basement.

    VM recieved a rare gift: numerous chances to succeed, and the fans got 3 seasons of a show that under-performed in the ratings. That’s 3 seasons virtually no other low rated show has ever gotten.

    So, VM fans, I’m all for making your voice heard. But considering the likelihood of a renewel being dismal, instead of investing a lot of money in Snickers and Marshmellows, email the network, make a phone call, or more importantly, send a letter. A former UPN executive once said that 1 handwritten letter signified a 1000 voices. For the one person that took the time to write, there were a thousand others who didn’t. This avenue has a lot of power and doesn’t cost a lot of money.

  • Anne

    Actually this campaign has been around for awhile, prior to the idea with Jericho. I actually linked from a site and sent Mars Bars to Dawn Ostroff about 3 weeks ago when we first got the notice that Veronica Mars was cancelled so I would not say it is unoriginal. It just got more momentum because it worked for Jericho.

  • Michael

    I’m sorry, but the Mars Bars campaign was not “a rip-off of Jericho,” it was created long before that in The CW Lounge, but only now has gotten publicity because of The Indian Foodstore.

    And besides, Jericho, and ourselves, ripped-off of other people. Like the hot sauce when Roswell was cancelled. What else could we have done…it wasn’t until after May 17th that we began to think, and now here we are three weeks later trying to save a show.

    Sorry, but your information is incorrect.

  • http://goodtv.vox.com She Good

    Daniel, I did not participate in either the candy bar campaign, nor did I contribute to the ad in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. As a regular thetvaddict.com reader, I am asking you to please consider softening your stance toward those fans who have not yet abandoned the fight. They have some small reason to believe, as I’ve indicated in my e-mail to you (and have listed in full in my own blog: http://goodtv.vox.com). I suspect they forgot their “please” and “thank yous” not because they are rude, but because they are excited and overcome by a sense of urgency.

    There are still a lot of last minute opportunities to support the show, including what the fans are calling “iTunes Tuesday,” or “Bitch Download Day.” Fans will be buying the season 3 Veronica Mars finale, “The Bitch is Back,” en masse tomorrow, on iTunes. Their goal is to make it the most popular iTunes download of the day.

    For those fans who don’t want to send good money after bad, I should mention that the Invisible Children charity recently promoted on Veronica Mars, is keeping track of all fans who donate and mention while doing so that they learned of the movement from Veronica Mars. That’s a fine way to remember the series, and our smart girl who never gave up the good fight.

    Like you, I cannot fault the CW for canceling the series, but I sure do hope they change their mind, and I’ll be so grateful to those fans who refused to quit, should Veronica Mars return to my TV as a mid-season replacement, next season. Won’t you? Take care.

    –She Good

  • http://iseemonsters.typepad.com Carrie

    I just wish I worked at The CW so I could eat all the “Mars Bars” aka Snickers w/ Almonds. They are my favorite.

  • http://barsformars.com Nathan

    This is one of the webmasters of BarsForMars, just wanting to clear one thing up. We did not send out the email to TVGal… but if we did, we definitely would have said “please” and “thank you” and “we will grovel before you for some love”.

    Although we don’t agree with your comments — because this Bars campaign originated right after the Upfronts, but just hasn’t picked up steam until this past week — we do appreciate you taking the time to read who ever’s email that was, visit the site, and posting on your blog. Take care!

  • http://seat42f.blogspot.com seat42f

    I brought this up yesterday.. don’t see the upside to sending money to the cw by buying VM on iTunes.. Now that Rob THomas has released the statement about the show being canceled shouldn’t we do something else?

    Show support but not to the cw?

  • http://www.tubetalk.blogspot.com tubetalkgirl

    I’ll support any effort to keep Veronica, if it will keep me from having to watch a farmer choose a wife. UGH!

    http://tubetalk.blogspot.com/2007/06/jericho-fans-inspire-veronica-mars-fans.html

  • Mark

    I just this year started watching Veronica Mars and soon became a dedicated fan along with several other family members. By the time I joined the campaign to try and save the show in late may the Bars For Mars was already underway and that was before Jericho fans got their victory.
    I believe that this show deserves a chance and I think Nielson Media got it wrong( I haven’t been able to really find out how they do there numbers but it seems 1 box is worth thousands of votes and the boxes may only be at someones house for a few weeks and then they go on to the next person selected because they don’t take volunteers), the targeted demographic is I think 14 to 34 and yet this age group is plugged in to technology and Nielson Media doesn’t count shows watched online or shows that were tivo/dvr after a 24 hr period and nowadays you can watch two shows that aired at the same time because of this technology.
    I could go on about how I feel about the show and the Veronica Mars camapaign but it sure seems obvious that the CW network doesn’t care about their fans and these fans have gotten organized. I would think if I was a CW executive I would want to have that work for me and not against me.

  • gina

    you’re an idiot. end of story. thanks.

  • Sara

    Gina is right, you are an idiot… Anyway thanks for the publicity… Good or Bad you talked about the campaign… Thank you and Goodbye…

  • Cindy

    The writing was fine this season. I think you are romanticizing season one. I’ve only seen two and three. Perhaps the first season was spectacular but the third season is still better than almost anything else you’ll see on TV.

    Vile, vile reality shows are CRAP and contributing to the ruining of American character. That’s that.

  • http://NONE DIE YOU ALL, DIE

    You guys suck so much, Veronica Mars rocks, so you guys can kick rocks, if you had any idea what good television was you’d watch Veronica as well. As for the guy who made this stupid blog, I’d be happy knowing that you were going to be so popular in hell! And for whats it’s worth, I just thought I wish you good luck on keeping this site running while leaving you with something to remember me by.

    Good luck with the out crowd they sound like real keepers!

  • Stephanie Z

    Sick of gyrating cats, Sick of OC type shows, I fight for this show because It’s one of the Very few that I like to watch on TV. I love it and it’s worth it to me.

  • Thelma

    Well you were right to not support the campaign since it didn’t work anyway. Now there are so many rumors and blame being cast as to why the show was cancelled or why the writing wasn’t up to par with previous seasons that it is difficult to know who to believe. I did support the campaign because at the end of the day, I wanted to know that I had done my all to save my favorite show.

    I do have a question. According to some rumors out there (how accurate they are, I don’t know), it was Les Moonves that said he wanted the show cancelled. Exactly how much input does CBS (the C) and Warner Bros (the W) have in the CW network. Does DO answer to them?