“Veronica mars” season 3

Warner Home Video

Stater rating (out of five): ****

Though most of “Veronica Mars'” third and final season was a bit of a letdown, the special features on the DVD, released on Tuesday, make it a must-buy for all fans of the show (all four of you). On the set’s sixth disc you’ll find a never-before-seen fourth season pitch to The CW, which is a 15 minute mini-episode that fast-forwards four years to chronicle Veronica’s first year at the FBI Academy. It’s a sweet treat for fans of a show that struggled to find its identity for three low-rated seasons.

As for the season itself, the quality is all over the place, with shorter mystery arcs incorporated as a cheap ploy for ratings and some very shaky political subplots. Still, when the show is on its game, like in the final three episodes of the campus rapist story arc, and the excellent “Mars Bars” episode, it is still television to be reckoned with.

— Robert Taylor