It's been two decades since Shiri Appleby and Jason Behr first made us obsess over the teenage love story of human Liz Parker and alien Max Evans on Roswell. Now the CW is bringing them back to life for a whole new generation with Roswell, New Mexico. But the network's reboot about hot aliens hiding in plain sight is completely overhauling what fans of the original series may be expecting. The WB's original Roswell, which debuted back in 1999, was loosely based on the Roswell High YA book series, but it actually whitewashed the book character of Liz Ortecho into Liz Parker onscreen. The reboot is taking the main character back to her Latinx roots as Roswell, New Mexico adopts a decidedly more political tone. The fact that Roswell is a border town features heavily, and the new drama mixes the issues and themes of undocumented immigrants and actual aliens from outer space living among humans in secret to tell more diverse and inclusive stories. And the fact that the reboot has aged the characters 10 years helps make all the characters' stories and issues more mature. Goodbye high school angst, hello complicated adult interpersonal relationships! Before Roswell, New Mexico premieres, on January 15, get to know all of the show's key players and how they're bringing the fan-favorite characters into 2019. And don't worry — we'll try to keep the "out of this world" comments to a minimum (but no promises). Jeanine Mason as Liz Ortecho You'll definitely recognize Roswell, New Mexico's star, Liz Ortecho. She's an amazing dancer who actually won So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 before diving more seriously into acting (but expect to see her bust some moves on the reboot!). After various appearances on Bunheads, You're the Worst, Awkward, Big Time Rush, and Major Crimes over the years, she had a major recurring role last season on Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Sam Bello, aka Andrew DeLuca's ex-girlfriend. Now she stars on the CW series as Liz Ortecho, returning home to Roswell 10 years after her sister's death. The accomplished but jaded biomedical researcher and daughter of undocumented immigrants is about to rekindle her high school crush on Max Evans, but she has no idea the drama that awaits her when it comes to his secret alien identity. Nathan Parsons as Max Evans Nathan Parsons is no stranger to playing romantic heartthrobs on TV. The Australian-born actor made a name for himself in the supernatural genre, first playing a vampire on the final season of True Blood before switching teams to play a werewolf on The Originals. He also appeared on Once Upon a Time as Hansel. Now he's aging up alien Max Evans to play the former teen love interest as an adult Roswell police officer, dedicated to keeping the peace in a border town where racial tensions are at an all-time high. But in the 10 years since he last saw Liz, he's never stopped thinking about her. And a chance encounter on Liz's way back into town could change everything for the normally reserved and secretive alien. Lily Cowles as Isobel Evans-Bracken Relative newcomer Lily Cowles had only a few credits to her name before Roswell, New Mexico. Her first credit is "Bitch Customer" from the 2015 film Enchantments, a romantic comedy loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma. Since then she's appeared on the TV series BrainDead as Germaine Healy and on Jones vs. the World, as well as in the short Stages of Android. Since Roswell, New Mexico has matured all the characters, the adult version of Isobel (the alien foster sister of Max, originally played by Katherine Heigl) is now married to a human. But her husband has no idea that she's hiding a huge secret from him. Michael Vlamis as Michael Guerin Bad-boy alien Michael Guerin is back, and this time he's played by Michael Vlamis. The Chicagoan has been working steadily as an actor for the past 10 years, getting his start in various shorts before appearing on New Girl as a "hipster jerkwad" in Season 2. He was also in the drug heist film Simi Valley, before taking on the fan-favorite role of Michael Guerin, originally played by Brendan Fehr. The last of the three aliens who crashed-landed on Earth when they were just toddlers, Michael is the only one who didn't get adopted into the Evans family. Instead, he bounced around from foster home to foster home, making him the more cynical of the three. The brilliant but troubled guy only shows his vulnerability in secret with Alex. Tyler Blackburn as Alex Manes Fans will definitely recognize Tyler Blackburn, another teen-drama veteran. Best known for his long-running role on Pretty Little Liars, Blackburn then got his own, short-lived spinoff for his fan-favorite character Caleb Rivers on Ravenswood. He's also appeared on Days of Our Lives and Unfabulous. Now Blackburn is bringing Colin Hanks's original series character Alex Manes to life, updated as a military vet struggling with his queer identity and secret relationship with Michael. Michael Trevino as Kyle Valenti Three Roswell, New Mexico stars were born out of Julie Plec's The Vampire Diaries universe, and Michael Trevino is one of the OGs. He starred as jock jerk turned heroic werewolf Tyler Lockwood for almost all of the series' eight seasons and was the first TVD star to have a recurring role on the spinoff, The Originals. Before that, he appeared on the CW's 90210 reboot, FX's The Riches, one episode of the original Charmed, Cold Case, Without a Trace, and Bones. His first major role was in the Disney Channel Original Movie Cow Belles, as Aly Michalka's onscreen boyfriend. In the Roswell reboot, he plays Nick Wechsler's original role of Kyle Valenti, the son of the now-deceased town sheriff. Liz's ex-boyfriend from high school is now a doctor and begins to uncover the truth about what's been going on in the town right under everyone's noses. Heather Hemmens as Maria DeLuca Heather Hemmens is back on the CW after starring on the beloved, but short-lived, drama Hellcats, nine years ago. Since then, she's starred in Tyler Perry's OWN series If Loving You Is Wrong. Her other credits include The Dukes of Hazzard remake, Glory Road, Grey's Anatomy, The Vampire Diaries, and Yellowstone, among others. Now she's taking over Majandra Delfino's original role of Maria DeLuca, Liz's best friend, who owns the local bar everyone hangs out at. Amber Midthunder as Rosa Ortecho Another well-known face joining the Roswell reboot is Amber Midthunder, one of the breakout stars of FX's Marvel series Legion. Her other TV credits include an appearance on The Originals, Banshee, Longmire, and Hell or High Water. One of the original characters from the novel, but not one that appeared in the '99 WB series, Rosa is Liz's older sister, who died from an accidental drug overdose 10 years earlier. But when Liz discovers her sister's death might not have been an accident, she starts poking around her hometown for answers. Riley Voelkel as Jenna Cameron Another graduate of the Julie Plec extended-TV universe is Riley Voelkel, who joins Roswell, New Mexico in the recurring role of Cameron, Max’s quick-witted partner at the Sheriff’s Department. She has the rare ability to break through Max’s stony cowboy façade, and she always keeps it real, despite all the chaos happening in the town around her. Voelkel is best known for joining The Originals as the lost Mikaelson sibling back in Season 2, but she's also been seen on The Newsroom, American Horror Story, Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television, and Glory Daze. Related: Roswell, New Mexico Brings Together Sexy Aliens and the Ugliness of Today's World Let us slide into your DMs. Sign up for the Teen Vogue daily email.<doc-sep>Finding human-made sustenance when you’re not of this Earth can be tough for a hungry alien, especially if your stay among us mere terrestrials is bound to be the kind of long-term commitment that the E.T.’s of Roswell, New Mexico have taken on. Back in the day, the aliens of the original Roswell were known to swill the Tabasco brand of hot sauce like it was going out of style, but in The CW’s rebooted new series, they’ve ditched the spicy stuff in favor of something even more potent: nail polish remover. Straight from the “don’t get any ideas about starting a viral challenge” files, Roswell, New Mexico creator Carina Adly MacKenzie says there’s a pretty pedestrian answer for why Max Evans and his alien friends aren’t keeping the old show’s hot sauce tradition alive in 2019: the show is allowed to freely adapt from Melinda Metz’ Roswell High book series, but can’t lift the use of branded products from the 1990s version of the show. “We weren’t allowed to use hot sauce” for the new series, MacKenzie told Entertainment Weekly ahead of the new series’ debut. “We have the rights to the books, but we don’t have the rights to the original TV show, so anything that we do that references the original show in that way is a homage; it’s a treat for fans!” Finding a replacement just offbeat and quirky enough to stand out — without encouraging the most capricious viewers out there to follow suit in real life — came to MacKenzie almost as an afterthought. “I was like, ‘What’s the weirdest thing that’s readily available and I could imagine people drinking?’ I literally looked around my room and saw nail polish remover and was like, ‘That’s it!’” she explained. But in a society that’s all too ready to supply willing participants for ill-advised viral challenges, whether of the blindfolded or the laundry-fresh variety, MacKenzie knows it’s best not to draw the wrong kind of attention to the aliens’ new preferred tonic. These aren’t people, people, she’s quick to remind viewers. “We have so many bottles of nail polish remover all around our set, we keep saying we should really get a sponsorship,” she admitted, “but then also it would be like, ‘Don’t drink it, kids!’” Don’t drink it for sure — but definitely do check out the new series. Roswell, New Mexico has its debut tonight (Jan. 15) at 9 p.m. ET, with new episodes landing at the same time every Tuesday on The CW.<doc-sep>
Reboots are a dime a dozen these days — but The CW’s “ Roswell, New Mexico ” is unique. For starters, it’s drawing more from the “Roswell High” book series than the original “Roswell,” which aired on The WB and UPN from 1999-2002, with future “Grey’s Anatomy” star Katherine Heigl among its ensemble cast. And series star Jeanine Mason says this reboot is actually warranted. “It’s the right property to revisit. I don’t think that’s always the case [with reboots] but this one in particular really made sense,” says Mason, 27. “My character was Liz Ortecho in the book series. In the original show, she was Liz Parker [played by Shiri Appleby]. So there was part of the story here to really investigate and honor.” Premiering Tuesday at 9 p.m., “Roswell, New Mexico” follows Liz Ortecho (Mason, another “Grey’s Anatomy” alum), a Mexican-American woman who’s returning home 10 years after leaving. Her small town, which teems with alien kitsch — playing up its history from the 1947 Roswell UFO incident— includes her undocumented immigrant father (who some call ‘alien’) and Max (Nathan Parsons), an old flame who secretly is a real alien. “It changes the dynamic a bit [from the original],” says Parsons, 30 (“True Blood”). “We’re no longer in high school. We’ve jumped 10 years ahead. The show carries the same title and basis, but I think this is pretty original in its storytelling. There’s this alien aspect but [Max is] also a cop. So it’s this dichotomy between this very normal life as a deputy in the sheriff department … who also has secret powers. That’s fun to play with.” Character ages aside, Mason thinks it’s the perfect time for “Roswell” to return to pop culture because of Liz’s heritage in the reboot. “It’s exciting to me to get to revisit this property right now,” she says. “There’s this line … where a character is accusing Liz of being combative, and she says, ‘I’m a Mexican-American woman in 2018. I engage in combat just by getting out of bed in the morning.’ It made me laugh and hurt my heart because it rang so true.” Neither actor watched the original show when it aired 20 years ago, but Mason’s sister was a fan and Mason binged it on Hulu once she was cast. Parsons avoided watching so he could make Max his own, but he was familiar with the real Roswell and its status as America’s alien capital. “I grew up in Texas, so for a trip one time we went to Roswell to check out the [UFO] museum,” he says. “I always had an interest in space and life on other planets. Then it comes around and now I’m on this show.” Unlike many genre shows — which use Vancouver as a stand-in for their locations — this series was filmed on-location in New Mexico. “I think it is one of the biggest draws of our show,” says Mason. “It’s just cinematically so beautiful [that] it feels singular on this network.” “There’s no way you could re-create New Mexico,” says Parsons. Though it’s straying from the original, “Roswell, New Mexico” has support from that show’s cast; “Roswell” star Appleby (most recently known for “UnREAL”) even directed an episode. “She was so fun to work with,” says Mason. “She loves this property so much. She kept bringing up shots from the original series which she wanted to mock, of her and Jason Behr [who played Max in the original]. She wanted us to re-create the visual. Every detail with her was so fleshed out and enthusiastic. “That woman is a badass.”