Roswell Reboot With Immigration Focus Being Developed at The CW
Will you go down with this ship… again?
The CW is developing a reboot of Roswell, the alien drama that aired on The WB and UPN from 1999 to 2002, our sister site Deadline reports. This version of the story, still set in the titular town, would focus on the realities and complications of New Mexico being a border state.
Here’s the reboot’s official description, per Deadline:
After reluctantly returning to her tourist-trap hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, the daughter of undocumented immigrants discovers a shocking truth about her teenage crush who is now a police officer: he’s an alien who has kept his unearthly abilities hidden his entire life. She protects his secret as the two reconnect and begin to investigate his origins, but when a violent attack and long-standing government cover-up point to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him and destroy their deepening romance.
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Written and executive-produced by The Originals producer Carina Adly Mackenzie, the reboot comes from Bender Brown Productions, Amblin Television and Warner Bros. TV.
The original Roswell, based on novels by Melinda Metz and a cult classic in its own right, is also remembered for launching the careers of actors like Shiri Appleby (UnREAL), Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy), Nick Wechsler (Revenge), Emilie de Ravin (Once Upon a Time) and Adam Rodriguez (CSI: Miami).
Relive the Roswell theme song in all its glory below, then drop a comment: Would you watch this reboot?
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This is SO unnecessary. I’m just gonna watch the original again. Max and Liz were my life in high school.
It’s a no. And I think it’s more offensive to try and cash in on the issue of immigration. Loved the first Roswell, but wouldn’t a show about human undocumented immigrants be more compelling than having them both be “aliens” in one form or another (space/illegals). I would watch a show about a teen dealing with immigration issues, and I can watch the original series if I want to watch it.
Yes yes yes, totally agree with you. Why ruin such fond memories of this show with this rubbish? I’m gonna pull out my OG dvds and relive the max/Liz & michael/Maria of it all ❤️
Who is running development over at CW? First Charmed, now this. They should stick to the spinoff business and leave reboots alone.
Someone grossly incompetent, that’s who. CW needs a new head of development. No more reboots or spinoffs, please. Original ideas only!
Like the cancelled Reign, Containment, Cult, Hart of Dixie, Hellcats, Life Unexpected, Reaper, Ringer, Star-Crossed, The Messengers, The Secret Circle, Valentine, and Muscle (from when it was the Warner Channel. Joke here…), among others?
It’s not like The CW does not greenlights, produces, and airs original shows, it’s that people are not watching them.
I love “Cult”. People are not fans of originals shows on the CW infortunately. They loved adaptations (“The Vampire Diaries”, “The 100”, “Riverdale”…).
Indeed.
That description alone gave me a headache.
See. This is too much work. It should be “Liz comes back to Roswell where Max has taken over for Sheriff Valenti. Time has passed, but their connection is still there. Michael and Maria come to visit from LA, and Isabel reluctantly returns, which starts a chain of events which will test the aliens’ bond, as well as their human friends.” Done. Give us the original cast or keep it.
Deion, can we be friends, I would watch the hell out of that. I might also watch the reboot though, I’m a sucker, however I will stop watch if the chemistry is not there. That is what sold the show the first time around.
Yyyeeesss, having the whole cast back would be EPIC!!!
That would much better!!!
Max and Liz got married.
I would *definitely* watch this reboot!!
Why is this necessary?
Completely pointless. Original cast or I’m not interested.
If that’s a photo of the original cast, then a certain blonde actress is ratings poison these days.
Her ratings would be right in line with the CW though.
A ratings poison is a ratings poison no matter what network it airs. Just ask Brit Robertson. Even on Netflix her show got axed.
How are you? As if any network would easily agree to that. Look at Will and Grace dropping week to week in ratings. CW would never pay for those actors to come back.
Don’t see how an EP from The Originals, which kills off every POC and woman every single season, is fit to write a show that has immigration as a sole focus according to the description. No thanks.
“every” may be a bit of an exaggeration – they still have several women and people of color in the cast – but I see your point.
This sounds nothing like the original show, so why call it a reboot? Just create a new show and don’t associate it with “Roswell”. Also, don’t touch “Roswell”. Ever.
Nope CW. No.
NOOO… Why not tie in the original series. Let Max and Liz’s daughter fall in love with a unclassified immigrant and have all kinds of alien goodness coming from the original series… We don’t need a whole new show. It’s a cult classic for a reason, the show and the original cast. I can see why it appeals. And there in a way in this day and age to do it, and have it more of a audience (hopefully). But use the original show. Max and Liz!
I never saw the original and this description doesn’t make me want to see the remake
So basically this is a reboot in name only as it has nothing to do with the original. It’s just using the name for brand recogintion.
It will probably be set in Roswell and it involves aliens, so it would be a little silly if they called it something else.
Clever use of song lyrics in your intro line, but isn’t that the wrong Dido song? (They may have used “White Flag” at some point in the show, but “Here With Me” was the theme song, wasn’t it?
Maybe consider the alternate line, “They are who they are, they’ll do what they want”?
I just assumed it was a reference to their ship having crashed, bringing them to Roswell initially. Not a mixed-up Dido reference.
Didn’t melinda metz write the Roswell high books?
Yes, she did. Who is Kevin Kelly Brown?
this sounds freaking terrible
I’d rather watch Stranger Things to be honest.
Cadlymack sure has come a long way since writing Jared and Jensen porn fanfic.
Snorted.
You are being too generous. Lolololol
I still have the original recordings from this show because it had the best music – which changed for the DVD’s (yep got those too). Roswell had some of the best relationship’s. Kyle saying goodbye to the sheriff, at the end, can still get me choked up.
No mention of Adam Rodriguez ‘ s current TV show? Criminal Minds… which he has been on for two seasons now.
No mention of Brendan Fehr (The Night Shift)….
It better be darn good writing if it is wanting to follow the footsteps of the original Roswell.
I loved Roswell! No remake, maybe show about children of original aliens. And bring katherine heigl back as mom.
No Maria and Michael(my fav couple) and no Max and Liz!=====NO ME!!!!
As long as they don’t let Jason Katims anywhere near it, I’m in. (Yes, I know he’s gotten much better since the wretched second season of Roswell1.0, but he created something wonderful and then broke it on the rocks – and not even Ronald D. Moore could salvage it.)
Actually it was the WB network that broke it. They wanted Buffy type success and wanted more action, scifi and monster-of-the-week kind of stuff and it ultimately destroyed Roswell, The first season was near perfect with Jason Katim’s vision who really knows how to write dialogue. However, the network wanted a hit and changed the formula and Roswell never recovered.
Were you in the Roswell fandom back then by any chance? I was I can assure you it was Jason Katims & the awful writing of 2, the second half, that did the show in. It was the destruction of max & liz starting with the EOTW storyline and the max & tess baby mess that killed ratings. Kevin Kelly Brown even told fans at a convention to turn the channel if they didn’t like it. And they did, lol. Roswell was a cult classic with a strong small following that saved the show after s1. The max & liz relationship was the heart of the show because of Jason & Shiri’s chemistry. Once they messed with it there was no coming back from it. Katims pushed the bride story, Thania st. John and david nutter of s1 only planned to introduce Tess as Michael’s sister.
In the end, it’s always greed that kills something. That’s a lesson to us all!
Is a good original idea so hard to come by? Or are writers just too lazy and prefer reboots and spinoffs to work and risk less?!
The most interesting projects in development the CW has this season are “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and Rob Thomas’ “The Lost Boys”. This sound stupid.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina could have two ready-made CW crossovers with Captain Cold and Killer Frost from The Flash.