LOVING THE ALIEN
Murder, mystery and romance are on the cards as a CULT SCI-FI DRAMA gets a thrilling reboot
NEW SCI-FI Roswell, New Mexico Monday-friday, ITV2 HD, 8pm
BACK IN THE late 1990s, sci-fi drama Roswell became a cult hit as it followed a group of highschool teens living in the small town of Roswell, New Mexico – the site of the famous UFO incident – as they tried to protect their alien friends from being discovered by the US government.
Now the series has been reimagined for a 13-part thriller starring Grey’s Anatomy’s Jeanine Mason and True Blood’s Nathan Parsons as a human and alien who fall in love against a backdrop of conspiracy and murder.
The series begins as biomedical scientist Liz Ortecho (Mason) returns to her home town of Roswell to work in the family diner after losing her research funding. She left town 10 years earlier following the death of her older sister Rosa in a car accident.
‘Liz is a fast-talking, whipsmart scientist, but life has been tough, and it has put her through the wringer,’ says Mason. ‘For Liz, Rosa was her whole world. She’s suspicious about how her sister died and has a strong feeling that the story she’s been told isn’t true.’
INSIDE MAN
When Liz is mortally wounded in a drive-by shooting, the town’s deputy sheriff Max Evans (Parsons), who happens to be Liz’s former high-school crush, incredibly brings her back to life – and she later discovers that Max is, in fact, an alien with otherworldly powers.
Max reveals that his sister Isobel (Lily Cowles) and their friend Michael (Michael Vlamis) are also aliens who survived the legendary spacecraft crash in Roswell in 1947. Awakened decades later as human-looking babies, they’ve grown up in the community but live in constant fear of being exposed.
‘Max is breaking his own rules in telling Liz the truth, which causes a rift between him and the other aliens,’ explains Parsons. ‘She just got back into town. They haven’t seen this girl in 10 years, and suddenly she knows everything – how wrong is that? He’s letting love blind him to the dangers of what could happen.’
Meanwhile, Liz’s ex-boyfriend Kyle (Michael Trevino), now a doctor, becomes suspicious of Liz’s miraculous recovery and alerts Sergeant Jesse Manes (Trevor St John) – a war hero who is obsessed about the threat of extraterrestrials, and who runs a shady government organisation.
SEEKING ANSWERS
As Manes begins to investigate, Liz and Max grow closer, and she promises to protecthis secret. But what does Max know about the true nature of Rosa’s death?
‘As truth starts to spill out about Rosa’s death, it has a huge impact on their relationship,’ says Parsons. ‘Liz and Max want to be together, but circumstances are trying desperately to keep them apart. Will they be able to conquer all with their love?’