A suspenseful and touching new drama that blends science fiction with the alienation of young adulthood, this genre-bending one hour series comes from writer/executive producer Jason Katims ("Relativity,", "My So-Called Life") and director/executive producer David Nutter ("The X-Files,", "Disturbing Behavior").
In the tiny, but notorious, southwestern town of
Roswell, New Mexico, teenagers Liz Parker (newcomer
Shiri Appleby) and Max Evans (Jason Behr, "Dawson's
Creek") forge an otherworldly connection when he saves
her life while risking his own. In this sleepy town, Liz
waits table at her father's Crashdown Cafe and, when an
argument between customers erupts into violence, Liz is
caught in the crossfire, and shot. Max, a fellow
classmate at Roswell High, puts aside a lifelong pact of
secrecy and mysteriously heals Liz's gunshot wound with
the touch of his hand.
Liz's whole world comes crashing down when she learns
that Max, his sister Isabel Evans (Katherine Heigl, "My
Father, the Hero") and his friend Michael Guerin
(Brendan Fehr, "Disturbing Behavior") are surviving
descendants from beings on board the fiery crash of an
alien spacecraft that popular legend says plummeted to
the desert in 1947. Since emerging from incubation, the
three teenagers have grown up quietly among the Roswell
residents, experiencing firsthand all the emotions that
come with life on Earth and the struggles of
adolescence.
Soulful and vulnerable, Max has been secretly infatuated
with Liz since childhood, but always remained at a
distance. Liz, meanwhile, was forever changed in the
instant Max brought her back to life and the intimacy
between the two of them is both frightening and
thrilling. Ultimately, his life - and his heart - are
in her hands.
In saving Liz's life, Max not only exposes himself but
also Isabel and Michael to the risk of their identities
being discovered. Now the extraterrestrial trio must
learn to trust Liz and her flighty best friend Maria De
Luca (Majandra Delfino, "Zeus & Roxanne") n order to
stay one step ahead of local officials and the FBI.
Leading the charge is Sheriff Valenti (William Sadler,
"The Shawshank Redemption"), who is driven by a very
personal need to expose the truth about what happened
that fateful night in 1947.
Putting the teens in heightened danger is their
overriding need to discover the truth themselves- about
who or what they are, and where their home might be.
The revelation that there was one of their own still
alive on Earth after the crash gives new hope of gaining
understanding. Bound together by the unbelievable
secret they share, the fact that Max, Isabel and
Michael's lives are at stake every day will always be an
invisible line dividing them from Liz and Maria.
On the outside of this tight inner circle is Alex
Whitman (Colin Hanks), Liz and Maria's best friend from
childhood who is confused and deeply hurt when he is
left out of their secrets for the first time, and Kyle
Valenti (Nick Wechsler), Liz's steady boyfriend and the
sheriff's son.
Developed by Katims, who serves as executive producer
along with David Nutter, Jonathan Frakes ("Star Trek:
The Next Generation"), Kevin Kelly Brown ("Soul of the
Game") and Lisa J. Olin, the series is based on the
"Roswell High" series of of books written by Melinda
Metz, and is produced by Jason Katims Productions in
association with Regency Television and Twentieth
Century Fox Television.