Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)

Roswell, New Mexico is an American drama and science fiction television series, developed by Carina Adly Mackenzie for The CW, that debuted as a mid-season entry during the 2018–19 television season on January 15, 2019. The series is the second television adaptation of the Roswell High book series by Melinda Metz.

In April 2019, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise
After returning to her hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, the daughter of undocumented immigrants discovers her teenage crush is an alien who has kept his unearthly abilities hidden his entire life. She protects his secret as the two reconnect, but when a violent attack points to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him.

Main

 * Jeanine Mason as Liz Ortecho, a jaded biomedical researcher and the daughter of undocumented immigrants.
 * Nathan Parsons as Max Evans, a natural born leader and dedicated Roswell deputy sheriff who has kept his true identity a secret for years.
 * Michael Vlamis as Michael Guerin, a troubled but brilliant alien drifter who survived a traumatic childhood and is trying to find a way to escape Earth.
 * Lily Cowles as Isobel Evans-Bracken, an alien and lawyer who keeps her true identity a secret by living her life with grace and enthusiasm.
 * Tyler Blackburn as Alex Manes, a military veteran with his fair share of physical and psychological trauma. Alex prepares to abandon his dreams and the possibility of a future with the man he loves to succumb to his father's expectations.
 * Heather Hemmens as Maria DeLuca, Liz and Rosa's best friend, who is a bartender at a popular saloon and oblivious to the existence of aliens.
 * Michael Trevino as Kyle Valenti, a doctor and the son of the town sheriff, who learns about horrible things that have happened in his family's past.
 * Trevor St. John as Jesse Manes, Alex's father, a chief master sergeant with a secret to hide.
 * Karan Oberoi as Noah Bracken (season 1), Isobel's charming, devoted lawyer husband who senses a secret in his wife.

Recurring

 * Rosa Arredondo as Sheriff Valenti, Kyle's mother who succeeded her late husband Jim.
 * Carlos Compean as Arturo Ortecho, Liz's father who runs the Crashdown Cafe diner.
 * Riley Voelkel as Jenna Cameron, Max's fellow deputy and partner.
 * Amber Midthunder as Rosa Ortecho, Liz's older sister who was killed in a car crash while high on drugs, killing two girls in the process. Liz gradually comes to realize that Max may have been involved in her death.
 * Sherri Saum as Mimi DeLuca, Maria's mother who suffers from an undiagnosed mental illness.
 * Claudia Black as Ann Evans, Max and Isobel's adoptive mother.
 * Dylan McTee as Wyatt Long, the brother of one of the girls Rosa Ortecho killed, who harbors a grudge against her family.

Development
In January 2018, The CW ordered the show to pilot, with Julie Plec set to direct. Production companies involved with the pilot include Amblin Television, Bender Brown Productions, CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television (previously produced from Regency Television and 20th Century Fox Television). The CW ordered the show to series on May 11, 2018. On April 24, 2019, it was announced that The CW renewed the series for a second season.

Casting
On February 16, 2018, Jeanine Mason was cast in the lead role of Liz Ortecho. In early March, the rest of the cast was filled out, with Nathan Parsons as Max Evans, Lily Cowles as Isobel, Michael Vlamis as Michael Guerin, Tyler Blackburn as Alex Manes, Heather Hemmens as Maria DeLuca, and Michael Trevino as Kyle Valenti. Karan Oberoi was cast in the final series regular role of Noah Bracken on March 27, 2018. Trevor St. John was cast in a recurring role as Alex's father on March 12, 2018. In April 2019, Amber Midthunder, who played Liz's older sister Rosa in a recurring capacity in the first season, was promoted to the main cast for the second season.

Filming
Filming for the pilot took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Production on the pilot begin on March 14, 2018, and ended on March 30, 2018.

The rest of the episodes began filming August 13, 2018, in Las Vegas, New Mexico and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Critical reception
The series holds an approval rating of 53% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 6.22/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. The website's critic consensus reads: "Roswell, New Mexico admirably adds modern political context to its premise, but this reboot hews too closely to its predecessor to transcend the pitfalls of a redundant retread." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 58 out of 100 based on 13 critics.