Kristen Bell may be known for the hit Netflix series Nobody Wants This, but before she was romancing a rabbi played by Adam Brody, the actress was solving crimes in Neptune, Calif. Now, Bell’s series Veronica Mars is on Netflix, with the first three seasons available to stream on the platform starting today. And if you haven’t yet checked out creator Rob Thomas’s juicy murder mystery, which aired its original three seasons from 2004 to 2007 on UPN and the CW, now is a great time to start this modern noir. In fact, you may even catch a few familiar faces — including one of Bell’s Nobody Wants This costars.

Here’s what to know about Veronica Mars and why it may be your next great Netflix binge.

What is Veronica Mars about? 

Veronica Mars follows Bell’s titular teenage character in the wake of major trauma. Her best friend Lilly Kane (Amanda Seyfried) was brutally murdered, and Veronica’s father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), botches the investigation, making once-popular Veronica a pariah in her beachside hometown. When Keith is removed as town sheriff, he starts his own private detective business, and Veronica takes on much of the sleuthing. As Veronica solves small-time mysteries in her town that’s staunchly divided by class and privilege, she also discovers that the person everyone believes killed Lilly didn’t, pushing her to uncover the real culprit behind her friend’s death.

Veronica Mars focuses on other overarching mysteries in subsequent seasons, such as a bus crash that claims the lives of Neptune High students and a series of campus sexual assaults at Hearst College, where Veronica enrolls post-high school.

Who stars in Veronica Mars? 

In addition to Bell, Percy Daggs III plays Wallace, Veronica’s best friend and confidant. Jason Dohring plays Logan, the former boyfriend of Veronica’s friend Lilly, who becomes Veronica’s love interest. Teddy Dunn plays Duncan Kane, Lilly’s brother and Veronica’s ex-boyfriend, who becomes a major suspect in her murder, while Ryan Hansen plays rich bro Dick Casablancas. Frances Capra plays Weevil, a high school student and biker gang member who becomes a confidant of Veronica’s.

Max Greenfield of New Girl fame also has a recurring role as Veronica’s cop love interest, Leo, and Tessa Thompson joins the cast in Season 2 as Jackie, Wallace’s girlfriend. In Season 3, Chris Lowell plays Piz, Veronica’s college friend and later boyfriend.

While this rounds out the major players, the show’s procedural element also means that plenty of familiar faces appear as guest stars. Leighton Meester, the real-life wife of Bell’s Nobody Wants This love interest Brody, who also has a role on Season 2 of the Netflix comedy, appears in two episodes of the show.

Other stars who have appeared on the show include:

• Jessica Chastain

• Paris Hilton

• Kristin Cavallari

• Aaron Paul

• Alyson Hannigan

• Ken Marino

• Joss Whedon

• Krysten Ritter

• Armie Hammer

• Paul Rudd

• Kevin Smith

• Charisma Carpenter

• Steve Guttenberg

• Lisa Rinna

• Dianna Agron

• Adam Scott

• Alia Shawkat

• Michael Cera

• Rider Strong

• Anthony Anderson

Where can I watch the Veronica Mars movie? 

Veronica Mars ended after its third season, with many storylines — including the fate of Logan and Veronica’s romance — left up in the air. The gang got back together, however, in 2014, for a Veronica Mars movie that was crowdfunded by fans. You can watch it on HBO Max.

The film actually centers on the murder of Meester’s character, Carrie. However, Meester did not return for the film, and her role was taken over by Mr Twin Sister singer Andrea Estella.

Where can I watch Season 4 of Veronica Mars? 

In 2019, in the wake of TV show revivals for series like The X-Files and Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars got new life with a new season on Hulu, in which the plucky private detective returned to her roots of solving crime in Neptune. The cast was joined by a slew of newcomers, including Patton Oswalt as pizza delivery guy Penn and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as club owner Nicole.

Season 4 of Veronica Mars follows our now-adult detective investigating a string of bombings in Neptune that target spring breakers — a major problem, as it threatens the beach town’s tourism-based economy. While many initially celebrated the return of the show more than a decade after the third season finale, not everyone was happy with the season, which concluded with a jaw-dropping twist that broke fans’ hearts.

Despite fan backlash, creator Thomas had no regrets about the ending of Season 4, which, ultimately, also became the series finale. While the intention of the dramatic ending was to launch Veronica into a new chapter in her life, Thomas said in a 2019 interview with TVLine, the show never received a fifth-season renewal.