Fast-forwarded future for 'Veronica Mars'?

As the television industry converges on Manhattan to woo advertisers, we'll give you the latest on new shows, renewals and everything in between.

This time last year an airplane flew over The CW headquarters with a banner that pleaded with executives to save "Veronica Mars." The detective-soap cult show, starring Kristen Bell, did indeed survive -- only to plummet in the ratings. Is there any hope for a fourth season? There's been plenty of speculation since the network announced that "Gilmore Girls" is coming to an end, leaving open that possibility. And creator Rob Thomas has pitched a storyline that fast-forwards Veronica's life past college and into the FBI Academy. Reached for comment Friday, Thomas said: "I can neither confirm nor deny that we'll get a fourth season. Not because I don't want to. We simply don't know. I can confirm that the network responded positively to the FBI presentation. I went into the meeting with fleeting optimism; I left with cautious optimism." The network isn't talking.
--Maria Elena Fernandez

photo by Glenn Koenig/LAT