A reboot of the 1999-2002 WB series “Roswell,” The CW’s “Roswell, New Mexico” (9 p.m. Jan. 15, WPCW-TV) adds a timely, more specific immigration overlay as border patrol not only goes after illegal human immigrants but the military also tracks the hiding-in-plain-sight aliens who crash-landed in Roswell in 1947.
Sometimes the aliens-as-immigrants rhetoric is a little too on-the-nose (“They are a violent race,” says a military leader of the extra-terrestrial threat. “At their core, they’re killers!”) but as remakes go, this iteration of “Roswell” seems like it will appeal to the current CW audience (whether fans of the original watch is immaterial to CW execs; at this point fans of the first series are mostly outside The CW’s key demo).
The story begins as Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason) returns to Roswell after working in bio research in Denver. She reconnects with her teenage crush, Max Evans (Nathan Parsons), a Roswell cop who is also an alien with powers he uses to save Liz’s life after she is shot.
When Liz starts investigating her wound — Max healed it on the spot — Max wants to tell Liz his secret, much to the chagrin of his alien sister, Isobel (Lily Cowles), and their alien friend, Michael (Michael Vlamis).
Redeveloped by Carina Adly MacKenzie (“The Originals,” “The Flash”) and executive produced by Julie Plec (“The Originals,” “Legacies”), this iteration of “Roswell” ages up the characters. On the original “Roswell,” which began as a book series, the characters were all teenagers in high school. This new pilot begins with the characters attending their 10-year high school reunion.
Reimagined “Roswell” also contains a murder mystery and a gay couple, which was not part of the original mix. Isobel is married to a human and he doesn’t know her secret (yet).
As for casting different actors as these characters who generally adhere to the same archetypes (just older), they’re fine but may be hard to embrace for fans of the original series. One potential couple has notably more chemistry than another potential couple.
Was a “Roswell” remake necessary? Probably not but if it prevents The CW from making yet another superhero series then it’s accomplished something positive.
First Published: January 2, 2019, 5:00 p.m.
