TV Talk - Roswell (the original WB series)

One pro of getting rid of themed months is that I can talk about anything I want to now. I usually threw anything sci-fi related into the month of May, and this would have been thrown in there. Just recently, Liz and I went through the entirety of the original Roswell show. I gotta make that distinction because there’s a reboot on the CW called Roswell: New Mexico, and I haven’t gotten to that one yet. I just had to revisit the original, ya know?

Roswell debuted in 1999 on the WB. It was helmed by Jason Katims, who’s also known for shows like Friday Night Lights and Parenthood. Johnathan Frakes was even an executive producer and directed a few episodes. It was loosely based on a YA book series called Roswell High, and the writers of that series even helped out here. It lasted for three seasons total and ended in 2002. The show ended up getting cancelled after the 2nd season, but it got revived for one last season on the UPN network. It basically went through what Buffy: The Vampire Slayer went through in its later years. At least Buffy got two extra seasons when compared to just one.

Max: Here on this hallowed land, our fabled legend clashed with James T. Kirk! May we never forget The Gorn!

I started watching the show the day it premiered in 1999. It had aliens in high school, and that’s usually cool! It even made me remember this other animated show on the WB, but I’ll touch on that next time. Anyway, I stuck through with it for quite a bit until the second season. I just started high school, and I think band got in the way, I’m not sure. I do know that I lost track of the show with the second season and was surprised that it got put on the UPN. I did manage to catch the series finale when it aired. I also saw some reruns on the Sci-fi Channel back in the day.

It all starts in Roswell, New Mexico when Liz Parker is miraculously saved by Max Evans. When she starts to poke and prod about her impossible save, Max tells her that he, his sister Isabella, and their friend, Michael, are all aliens. They know nothing of their origins and were adopted when they were pretty young. Afterwards, she ends up telling her friends, Maria and Alex. They all do their best to keep the trio’s secret from everyone including the law. The town’s sheriff, Jim Valenti, knows something is up with Max, but can’t really pin it down. Eventually, the show gets even bigger with the government getting involved, more aliens being revealed to be on Earth, that little thing called Love, and a whole lotta drama.

PROS

The show had a pretty interesting premise: aliens in high school. It tried to play with the idea of feeling alone, different, and alienated (pun not intended). The idea of tying the show into the Roswell UFO theories and secret government cabals was pretty interesting. When re-watching this, I got reminded of another show that did this and did it well: Smallville. Yeah, when I saw them finding alien stuff in caves and interacting with the local Indigenous People, I was like “Hey, it’s Smallville!” Even Max’s dad reminded me of John Schneider at first! Seriously, I was looking at Liz and Max like they were Clark and Lana. At least one of these couples actually worked, and you can guess which one (IT WASN’T “CLANA”).

Yeah, it's true, Liz. I'm from the planet Krypton.

While the show wasn’t the best at times, one thing that did stick out to me was the strong cast. Barring a couple of moments, I honestly liked everyone here. The aliens (the Antarians) were good all-around for the most part. Max (Jason Behr) is the introverted leader, Isabel (Katharine Heigel) is the IT girl, and Michael (Brenden Fehr) is the rebel. On the human end, Liz (Shiri Appleby) is our normal girl with an alien boyfriend, Maria (Majandra Delfino) is the artistic girl, and Alex (Colin Hanks) is the band dude. Of course, you have the fourth wheels, Kyle (Liz’s ex) and Tess (another Antarian who has an interesting connection to Max). Finally, there’s Sheriff Valenti being the only adult in on the whole thing. While I did like all of them to varying degrees, my favorites were honestly Michael and Maria. Liz and Max were fine, but I liked that coupling better.

I thought the abilities the aliens had were pretty cool. While they all had similar abilities (they could manipulate matter), they still had different ones. Max could heal, Isabella could peer into folks dreams, and Michael… I guess could blow up stuff? While the show mostly had standalone episodes, most of the show dealt with the three trying to figure out their origins. It’s probably one of the reasons the first season stands out by being the best of the bunch. There was a lot of mystery there, and seeing them try their best to not get into trouble was pretty fun.

While the later seasons aren’t as good, they were still pretty fun. We end up finding out more about the trio’s origins and that they ain’t the only aliens on Earth in the second season. For season three, it gets really convoluted since someone didn’t like the fact Season 2 was so alien-heavy. You still had some good episodes in that run. Even though the series ended in a pretty rushed manner, I thought the ending wasn’t too bad. I won’t spoil anything here, but it’s a bit downbeat.

The overall look of the show was fine. They did their best to make that area look authentic. I actually went to Roswell, New Mexico back in 2009, and it while there was no Crashdown Diner, it did have a cool UFO museum. The music for the show was cool and eerie like it was trying to mimic the X-Files and other shows like that. The theme song is probably what most folk remember from this show. Dido’s “Here With Me” was one song I didn’t skip because it was cool and also because Hulu didn’t provide the show with a skip button.

 

CONS

Yes, the show had "evil" twins for the aliens. The goth/punk was pushing it a bit though.

While I did enjoy the show, it did have some pitfalls. There’s a reason it only lasted three seasons. The alien elements took over in negative way as the show went on. It started to become less about aliens in high school and more like a typical alien action show. It wasn’t all-out bad, but you would run into some plotlines that were just not that good. I’m not talking about the one involving Alex toward the end of the season because that was pretty interesting.

Season Three had its own problems though. They ditched a lot of the alien action (even the good stuff) and just replaced it with a bit too much fluff. Things do really ramp up in the last few episodes, and that’s a bit of a shame. The creators also didn’t know what to do with certain characters in Season 3 like Jim Valenti. Even Alex was a bit wasted in Season 2 which is probably why Colin Hanks left the show. At least he went out… uh, never mind. What happens with Tess was also a twist that kinda didn’t make too much sense. You’ll see what I mean.

While I didn't hate Tess, some things are done with her that don't put her in a good light.

Some characterization could be off with some folk. Even the alien trio was a bit off with that season though Max was already becoming a bit unlikable with some things that happened in Season 2. I guess when you find out that you were a king in a previous life, you become a bit of a douche. Heck, even Michael gets pretty douchey moments. “Who Died and Made you King?” was a weird one. Also, be ready for a big dose of melodrama. This is the WB/CW, and we have folk in high school. “You were warned,” I slyly say with a smile on my face. While some of it was fine, it could be a little too much at times. 

FAVORITE EPISODES

So, what got our characters dressed up in 1940's clothing? Just check out "Summer of '47."

Finally, here are my favorite episodes from each season

Season 1:

1. Pilot – The series starts off as Liz is saved by Max and finds out he’s an alien.
2. Heat Wave – Romances start to heat up while Liz tells Alex the secret.
3. The Convention – While an alien convention (that features Jonathan Frakes) is in town, an alien hunter comes to town.
4. Tess, Lies, and Videotape – When the group wonders if Tess and her father are connected to the government, they try to spy on them.
5. The White Room/Destiny – Max gets captured by the government and tortured. The group along with Valenti do their best to get him out.

Season 2:

1. The End of the World – A version of Max from the future comes back to the present day in order to keep Liz and himself from being together.
2. Summer of ’47 – Michael ends up finding out about the Roswell cover-up through a retired veteran.
3. A Roswell Christmas Carol – Max ends up having guilt about the death of a man he refused to save.
4. Cry Your Name – A death happens within the group and that sets everyone on edge especially Liz.
5. The Departure – The aliens prepare to leave Earth but find out a horrifying secret about Tess.

Season 3:

1. Secrets and Lies – Max heads to Los Angeles to find another shape-shifting alien and find another alien ship.
2. A Tale of Two Parties – It’s New Year’s Eve, and most of the group is searching for an elusive year-end party.
3. Four Aliens and a Baby – Tess returns and she has a bit of a surprise for Max.
4. Graduation – The series concludes as alien hunters set their sights on the group.

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In the end, Roswell was a fine show. It started out pretty well, but it couldn’t stick that that quality as the show continued. While I do like it, I see why it only lasted as long as it did. I am glad we got some sort of finale. Some sci-fi shows don’t even get that at times. Remember Sliders’ last episode? What they did to “The Cryin’ Man” was horrible! Anyway, this does make me want to check out the reboot on the CW. Anyway, I’m outta here. Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there.