about Paris Hilton is Veronica Mars

Paris Hilton's next role won't be much of a stretch. The next time you see the heiress on television, she'll be playing a snotty but wealthy high school socialite.

Hilton guests on the second episode of the new teen drama "Veronica Mars," which follows a modern-day Nancy Drew, who is on a mission to solve a murder mystery involving her late best friend, and in so doing, uncovers the dark side of her wealthy seaside community. The show premiered last week on UPN, and Hilton appears in the second episode, airing Tuesday at 9 p.m. (A second run of the program will air on MTV, starting October 19 at 7 p.m.)

"I play this girl named Caitlin, and I'm dating Logan, who's the cool guy in school, and we're, like, the 'it' couple," Hilton said. "And I'm doing a little bit of cheating with somebody."

That's not all the title-character suspects Caitlin of — there's also a case of identity fraud at stake, since a friend has been wrongfully arrested for stealing credit card applications from Logan's family. Uncovering the truth, though, might make Veronica Mars (played by Kristen Bell) even more of an outsider than she already is.

"It's not told from the perspective of a popular girl," Bell said. "That's what Veronica used to be, but now she's on the low end of the social totem pole. That's what 90 percent of the kids in America can relate to. It's very real."

Though this juxtaposition of the haves versus the have-nots — with the have-nots becoming the heroes — ends up making Hilton's character more of a villain, she doesn't mind. Unlike that 90 percent of the kids of America, "I was definitely not a nerd [growing up]," she said. "No, I was always cool."

Hilton's "Veronica Mars" guest appearance is just the latest in a string of TV cameos.

"I was on 'Las Vegas,' playing a girl who's really just in love with money. Trust me, I got the joke," she wrote in her recent autobiography, "Confessions of an Heiress." "I also shot an episode of 'The O.C.' ... I played a model/actress who was getting her master's degree in literature. She didn't want her friends to know she was a bookworm. I also did a guest shot on 'George Lopez.' I played his son's tutor. It was my biggest TV role."

Hilton is currently shooting her first lead role for the big screen, in "National Lampoon's Pledge This!" She plays the snooty president of an exclusive sorority.