LA Residents Miss Last Night's "Veronica Mars" But Season Four Looks More Certain

Those of us in LA fortunate enough to be far away from that awful Griffith Park raging fire tuned in to the CW last night hoping to get our minds off the fire by catching up with our favorite blonde sleuth. We were in for a bit of a nasty shock as the CW pre-empted the telecast in favor of the local news.

The episode of Veronica Mars ("Debasement Tapes") is up on the CW's website for those of you who can't wait for the televised version, but regardless, be sure to tune in to the rescheduled airing as we need to keep those viewing numbers up. (UPDATE: KTLA will show the episode in its entirety this Saturday at 9 pm.)

Meanwhile, the Hollywood Reporter is indicating that Veronica Mars is inching ever closer to a fourth season renewal, following a "warm reception" at the network towards the trailer focusing on Veronica as a Clarice Starling-style FBI agent in training. As previously reported, the new direction, envisioned by Rob Thomas, would propel the plot several years into the future, where Veronica would be studying at the FBI Academy.

Unfortunately, that means that Kristin Bell's Veronica would likely be the only character to make the jump, should the series return next season, a sobering prospect. With only a few episodes to go (and Veronica Mars' future unclear until the CW announces its fall lineup next Thursday morning), it looks like we'll possibly be making our peace with Mac, Logan, Wallace, Keith, and Piz, regardless if the series is cancelled or not.

The fate of the series also seems a little rosier now that the CW has announced that Gilmore Girls won't be coming back next year, so keep your fingers crossed that this new FBI angle really has wowed Dawn Ostroff and her ilk enough to keep our Veronica around for another year... Especially as Veronica Mars would be a fantastic companion for Gossip Girl, which from all indications seems a lock for a series pickup.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Jericho (CBS); Thank God You're Here (NBC); America's Next Top Model (CW); According to Jim/Notes from the Underbelly (ABC); Bones (FOX)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); Crossing Jordan (ABC); One Tree Hill (CW); According to Jim/Notes from the Underbelly (ABC); American Idol (FOX)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Medium (NBC); Lost (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: America's Next Top Model.

On tonight's episode ("The Girl Who Does Not Want to Dance"), the final four models learn a valuable lesson about self-expression and storytelling from some Aboriginals and, when Natasha gets sick, the other three girls spent a night on the town trashing Nata behind her back.

10 pm: Lost.

Lost is more than back on track for me. On tonight's episode ("The Man Behind the Curtain"), Ben introduces Locke to some of the island's secrets with a trip down memory lane, including some Dharma-related revelations and the identity of the mysterious Jacob, while Juliet's secret is revealed to the castaways.