Is that per episode, P-C, or total?

Total.

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That might be pretty reasonable. I saw a thing recently where they said the average cost of producing a one hour drama was $2M-4M per episode.

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Yeah, $3.3M is really cheap for two episodes.

I'm wondering if they'll run the final set of episodes for this season during May sweeps, or if they'll try to squish 'em in, before or after, then, and if that didn't contribute to the trimmed order.

I remember reading something about The CW wanting to try a new show in VM's time slot sometime when VM's on hiatus. Maybe that would be post-Feb. sweeps, so that VM would return for May sweeps.

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Yeah, $3.3M is really cheap for two episodes.

That's what I thought, too. I seem to recall BtVS having a per episode price of about that, at one point during the seven years.

I remember reading something about The CW wanting to try a new show in VM's time slot sometime when VM's on hiatus. Maybe that would be post-Feb. sweeps, so that VM would return for May sweeps.

There is another show for that slot, but I'm not sure when they're going to start airing it. Maybe they're not even sure which one they'll run for sweeps. It's not like they've got a stable full of ratings powerhouses. Poor CW. They added 1 and 1 and got 1.

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Question: I've just read the news about how Rob Thomas wants to make Veronica Mars into a boring, lousy, "safe" stand-alone show. No arc episodes anymore, only emotional drama will connect the episodes. Tell me this ain't true.— Peter

Ausiello: It's true — the stand-alone part, not the "boring, lousy, safe" part — and here's Rob Thomas' reasoning: "Our fear is that the big mysteries are keeping casual TV viewers away, and it's very difficult to engage Veronica in a multi-episode mystery without making it extremely personal. Season 1 was built around the mystery. Veronica's best friend was dead. Every series regular was intertwined with the mystery. Without replacing the cast with each mystery and/or killing Wallace, I'm not sure we can devise enough personal connection to a case to keep the momentum we had in Season 1." I'm of the opinion that a self-contained Veronica is better than no Veronica.

Oh my word, Rob. It's season three. If you get a season 4, kill Lianne. It's her mother. Deadbeat or not, you don't get much more personal. If you get a season 5, bring back Duncan and kill him (quickly). He's her first love. If you get a season 6, kill Mac or Wallace, her only true friends. If you get a season 7, kill Keith. Tim's e-mail address is in his profile, honey.

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I've always thought that killing off Wallace would be a good final season mystery. However, I wouldn't want every season to revolve around a murder. I'm gonna miss the long story arcs.

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Someone could frame Wallace for a horrible, horrible crime that even Veronica has to admit he could have done, and she works to clear him. There are lots of ways to make it very personal to Veronica, (including not having the crime happen in or before the first episode of a season, and therefore allowing time for a red shirt or actual villain to become important to her).

I would have liked to see a little bad/big bad formula, or little/medium/big bad formula, this season.

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If you get a season 4, kill Lianne. It's her mother. Deadbeat or not, you don't get much more personal.

I'd love a Lianne-kidnapping.

Was reading that Thomas cribbed the line-up-the-suspects-before-the-murder structure from that recent no-budget Steven Soderbergh movie 'Bubble'. I guess cribbing the structure from any old episode of 'Murder, She Wrote' wouldn't have the same cachet.

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Was Bubble actually fiction? I thought that was a documentary.

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What possible reason would anyone have to kidnap Leanne?

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