Roswell, New Mexico (TV series)

Cast and characters

Jeanine Mason portrays Liz Ortecho, a jaded biomedical researcher and the daughter of undocumented immigrants. Nathan Dean plays Max Evans, a natural born leader and dedicated Roswell deputy sheriff who has kept his true identity a secret for years. Michael Vlamis appears 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 plays Isobel Evans, an alien and Max's sister who keeps her true identity a secret by living her life with grace and enthusiasm.

Tyler Blackburn portrays Alex Manes, an Air Force veteran with physical and psychological trauma who prepares to abandon his dreams and a future with Michael Guerin to fulfill his father's expectations. Heather Hemmens plays Maria DeLuca, Liz and Rosa's best friend, a bartender at the Wild Pony saloon who was previously oblivious to the existence of aliens. Michael Trevino appears as Kyle Valenti, a doctor and the son of the town sheriff who learns about horrible things in his family's past.

Trevor St. John portrays Jesse Manes (seasons 1–2), Alex's homophobic and violent father, a senior master sergeant with a secret to hide. Karan Oberoi plays Noah Bracken (season 1; guest season 2), Isobel's charming, devoted lawyer husband who senses a secret in his wife. Amber Midthunder appears as Rosa Ortecho (seasons 2–4; recurring season 1), Liz's older sister who was apparently killed in a car crash while driving high on drugs, killing two other girl passengers.

Liz gradually realizes Max may have been involved in her death. Carlos Compean plays Arturo Ortecho, Liz's father who runs the Crashdown Cafe diner and is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico hiding his status for nearly 30 years. Peter Diseth portrays Grant and Graham Green, an alien theorist and podcaster and his twin brother, a proprietor of an alien-themed museum. Kayla Ewell plays Nora Truman, Michael's biological mother present at the UFO crash in 1947.

Rosa Arredondo appears as Michelle Valenti (seasons 1–3), Kyle's mother who succeeded her late husband as sheriff of Roswell. Dylan McTee plays Wyatt Long (seasons 1–3), the brother of one of the girls Rosa killed in a car accident, who harbors a grudge against her family. Riley Voelkel portrays Jenna Cameron (seasons 1–2, 4), Max's fellow deputy and partner who joins the FBI in the fourth season.

Production

The CW gave the green light for a pilot of this series in January 2018, with Julie Plec attached to direct. Amblin Television, Bender Brown Productions, CBS Television Studios, and Warner Bros. Television were the production companies behind the pilot.

The network officially ordered the show to series on May 11, 2018. A second season was picked up on April 24, 2019, and it debuted on March 16, 2020. The series was renewed for a third season on January 7, 2020.

On February 3, 2021, before the third season even aired, the CW ordered a fourth season. The third season premiered on July 26, 2021, followed by the fourth on June 6, 2022. The CW announced on May 12, 2022, that the fourth season would be the show’s final one.

Casting

Jeanine Mason was cast as the lead, Liz Ortecho, on February 16, 2018. The rest of the main cast was assembled in early March, including 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 the last series regular to be added, playing Noah Bracken, on March 27, 2018. Trevor St. John was cast in a recurring role as Alex’s father on March 12, 2018.

Amber Midthunder, who played Liz’s older sister Rosa in a recurring capacity during the first season, was promoted to the main cast for season two in April 2019. In May 2020, Tanner Novlan was cast as Alex’s brother, Gregory, in a recurring role, first appearing in the tenth episode of the second season. It was confirmed later that year that he would return for the third season.

Filming

The pilot was filmed in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, with production running from March 14 to March 30, 2018. Filming for the remaining first-season episodes began on August 13, 2018, in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Production on the third season started on October 15, 2020. Work on the fourth and final season began in August 2021 and wrapped up in January 2022.

Did You Know?

• The series holds an approval rating of 55% based on 20 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
• Metacritic assigned the series a score of 58 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews.