As it happens, my recent rewatch of Veronica Mars showed that even though a good part of the show takes place during the night or in dimly lit places, it was still perfectly viewable. Given the timing of the series it makes me wonder if digital filming made a difference in how dark things got. Film in poor lighting looks grainy and poor quality.

Also regarding colors, I noticed that Neptune seemed to use more stained glass than anyplace else I've seen! Despite the fact that Mars Investigations couldn't afford fancy digs, it was quite an attractive office light-wise. It made me wonder if the show couldn't go too grey in its desire for a noir feel, and the stained glass lighting was a compromise.

Similarly I noticed that in the Neptune Grand hotel rooms there was backlighting through amber glass and there were other buildings that also used light through colored glass to produce a unique look for the show.