Roswell, New Mexico type TV Show network The CW genre Sci-fi

Drama

Turns out having an extraterrestrial as a love interest has its advantages!

Besides the obvious ones — like life-saving healing powers — the aliens of the CW’s Roswell, New Mexico have some other pretty useful skills when it comes to relationships. “We establish pretty quickly that Max has this effect on electricity around him,” explains Jeanine Mason, who plays protagonist Liz Ortecho on the show. “So when he’s feeling overwhelmed, whether it’s angry or particularly turned on, everything around him starts to flicker. That’s a pretty convenient tell — there’s no wondering if your partner is any kind of particular mood!”

A new adaptation of the popular Roswell High books (the first was the 1999 WB/UPN sci-fi series Roswell), the CW series tells the story of a couple of star-crossed lovers (an alien named Max, played by Nathan Parsons, and Liz, a human) and the prejudices and difficulties they face in their small, tourist-trap town. “It’s a show about otherness and a show about feeling like you belong, and who’s to say where you belong,” says Mason. “It’s so exciting for me to revisit Roswell for 2018 — which is when our show takes place — because we were able to acknowledge the political climate.”

Image zoom Lewis Jacobs/The CW

Mason adds that her character’s Mexican-American heritage and her family’s undocumented status help bring real and prevalent issues to the narrative’s forefront. “I think people will have their hearts opened a bit more, find a little more empathy for the Ortechos, and see that they are just decent people who love their community,” she says. “I’m proud of our show for how it’s sticking to its guns and it’s delivering on that front.”

Roswell, New Mexico airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on the CW.

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