Fun
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Nostalgic
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Choked Up
Curious
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Weird
Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.
IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: July 18, 1980
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Did you know that Kristen Bell has spent the last five years playing a character named Jeannie van der Hooven on Showtime’s House of Lies? Maybe you knew that in your head, but do you feel it in your heart? Do you see Kristen Bell and go, “Ah! The star of Showtime’s House of Lies!”? You probably don’t. There’s a way in which TV stars become tethered to their most notable roles that doesn’t allow us to think of them as anything else. Often, it takes an extraordinary second act to even create a dual perception (Michael C. Hall as Dexter after Six Feet Under, to use one example).
For better or for worse, Kristen Bell is always going to be Veronica Mars. At least in TV land. In the movies, it’s easier to separate, and Bell’s recent string of movies — The Boss with Melissa McCarthy; Bad Moms with Mila Kunis and Kathryn Hahn — is working hard to establish a whole new identity for her as a movie actress. But as far as the realm of TV goes, Veronica Mars is one tough character to shake.
On the bright side, that only goes to point out what an indelible character Bell created with Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas. A character for the ages, really. Though allow me to put in a good word for Bell’s performance as Uda on Party Down, an underrated character on an underrated show, both of which deserved a whole lot more love than they got.
And finally, I would like to make a case for Kristen Bell’s true best TV performance: her sloth-related freakout on the Ellen show.
[You can watch Veronica Mars on Prime Video.]
[You can watch Party Down on Hulu.]
