History: Series / Roswell

''Roswell'' was a [[CutShort short-lived]] ScienceFiction series that debuted on Creator/TheWB network in 1999. It was moved to {{UPN}} in 2001 in a package deal with ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', and completed a run of three seasons.

The series was a combination of a ScienceFiction[=/=]MonsterOfTheWeek show and a romantic TeenDrama. Many audience members felt that the show never quite got the balance right.

The three main characters, Max, Isabel and Michael, are Antarian survivors of the [[RoswellThatEndsWell Roswell UFO crash]], and were adopted by human families. Though Max and Isabel were raised in a privileged, loving family, Michael was raised in a trailer with his abusive foster father. Though the three successfully isolate themselves from the rest of their classmates through {{high school}}, their plan is disrupted when Max saves the life of a girl named Liz Parker using his alien superpowers.

Liz's sidekicky friends Maria and Alex add [[PluckyComicRelief the comedy]] to this otherwise broody and dramatic lot.

Based on the YA novel series, ''Literature/RoswellHigh''. Often considered to have set the stage for (and been superior to) ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', which uses a lot of the same themes, but with [[Franchise/TheDCU DCU]] characters instead of original ones.

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!!This TV series provides examples of:
* AbortedArc: Upon the discovery of their spaceship's hologram message, the group is met with a projection of Max's mother/the queen. She tells them how their planet has been overtaken, their people are now slaves, and she begs them to save them (presumably the reason they were even cloned in the first place). We expect some resolution of this in the end, but the final episode gives us the happily ever after of between Max and Liz, who seem to have forgotten all about the crisis on their home planet -despite the Skins (the invaders) being repeatedly establish as bad guys.
** Subverted with TheReveal of Tess' intentions. The whole situation of why the character's Protector would abandon his mission of protecting them and die so Tess could return home, and why the BigBad would even ''want'' Tess and Max's son to be the new heir when he's been trying to ''kill'' the Royal Three all series makes no real sense when you think about it.
*** Makes more sense when you realize that there is a resistance who are loyal to the royal four and would willingly accept rule from someone who came from the royal bloodline and who would presumably hold the seal, even if in name only. Stands to reason that if you control the ancient bloodline of the King, you control the throne and it's people. Though it turns out Tess' pregnancy yielded no results on that front. 
* AbusiveParents: Michael's foster father.
* AlienAmongUs: The three kids are raised human.
* AnchoredShip: Good God, Max and Liz went through almost every variety of this trope and Michael and Maria toy with it as well
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther 
* AppliedPhlebotinum
* BelligerentSexualTension: Michael and Maria ran on this trope
* CaliforniaDoubling: The wilderness scenes heavily featured KirksRock. The scenes of the town, including the Crashdown Cafe, were shot in Covina, CA.
* TheCastShowoff: Dang, Maria can sing. And have an arc devoted to her musical career.
* CloningBlues: The main characters are clones of alien royalty, and there's a spare set running around Earth.
* CutShort
* DawsonCasting: Jason Behr was 26 at the start of the show.
* DrunkWithPower: Michael when he receives Max's [[ItMakesSenseInContext royal tattoo.]]
* TheEmpath: All of the aliens, and whoever they heal.
* EvolutionaryLevels: The Hybrids are supposedly designed to be at the apex of human evolution.
* EvilTwin: The "spare set", who got dumped in New York. Though its half of a subversion, with only Rath and Lonnie being actually evil.
* FirstEpisodeResurrection: Liz dies at the beginning and is revived by Max, setting off the events of the entire series.
* FiveBadBand--> Season 2 - The Skins and allies
** TheBigBad - Kivar
** TheDragon - Nicholas Crawford
** TheEvilGenius - Congresswoman Vanessa Whitaker
** TheBrute - Rath (Michael's EvilTwin), also Nicholas and Ida Crawford and the rest of "Skins"
** TheDarkChick - Lonnie (Isabel's EvilTwin)
** SixthRangerTraitor - Courney Banks
* FiveManBand: Season 1
** TheHero - Max Evans
** TheLancer - Isabel Evan (Although Michael Guerin switches roles on occasion depending on the episodes conflict)
** TheSmartGuy - Liz Parker
** TheBigGuy - Micheal Guerin (see above)
** TheChick - Maria [=DeLuca=]
** TheSixthRanger - Alex Whitman
--> Season 2 
** TheHero - Max Evans
** TheLancer - Micheal Guerin
** TheSmartGuy - Liz Parker (Although Maria also is the "street smart" version of this in some episodes)
** TheBigGuy - Tess Harding (she may be the smallest member in size but she has the personality and powers of a BigGuy
** TheChick - Maria [=DeLuca=]/Isabel Evans
** TheSixthRanger - Kyle Valenti
** TheMentor - Jim Valenti
** TeamPet - Alex Whitman
*** Season 3 is the same as season 2 but with Jesse Ramirez taking Alex's place as team pet
* GiveHimANormalLife: Max [[spoiler: gives up his and Tess' son Zan]] so that he can grow up in safety and relative normality.
* GovernmentConspiracy: The Roswell Crash coverup, the Special Unit, and the second crash coverup. All including assassination and torture 
* HalfHumanHybrid: The kids are later revealed to be alien hybrids rather than pure-up aliens to address the unlikelihood of HumanAliens.
* HappilyEverAfter: The last line of the series: "All I know is that I'm Liz Parker, and I'm happy."
* HealingHands
* HumanOutsideAlienInside: fairly subtle for the most part, but Michael's reaction to alcohol, where he had electrical lines running through his body and every sense in overdrive, was one of the more obvious cases.
* IBelieveThatYouBelieveIt
* IdenticalGrandson: Max looks like the old king of the Alien world of Antar.
** Actually, he would look exactly like his human donor, not Zan the king. The Hybrid Chronicles arc covered this up with Michael finding his family's donor, who were shocked at how similar Michael was to their father/grandfather. Of course he was the guy's clone.
* IllKillYou
* LesCollaborateurs: Vilandra betrayed her people for her lover, Kivar. Likewise Lonnie (from the spare set) and Rath collaborate with the skins. 
* {{Masquerade}}
* McLeaned: Alex, after Colin Hanks left the show.
* TheMenInBlack: The FBI Special Unit, focus of the first arc. TheRemnant of the deactivated unit returns in Season 3 for revenge.
* MindRape: Tess, to Alex.
* MultitaskedConversation: a convoluted instance involving a cell phone.
* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: The series ''opens'' with Liz introducing herself and telling us that "five days ago I died". 
* NewSuperPower: Michael's shapeshifting.
** More impressive and unexpected with Max's shield in the beginning of season 2. Also can be applied to Tess's sudden ability to wipe out and completely change memories, though no one seemed to be surprised in the show.
* OfficialCouple: Max and Liz.
* OneWorldOrder: Antar's government.
* RaceLift: Liz was Latina in the original books. On the show, she was played by the very white (or Jewish; close enough) Shiri Appleby, and her last name was changed from Ortecho to Parker.
* {{Room 101}}: The White Room 
* RoswellThatEndsWell: Of course.
* ServantRace: Shapeshifters like Nasedo, Kal Langley, and the two who died at the crash were genetically incapable of refusing an order of their king. 
* ShoutOut: Many parodies of ScienceFiction shows in general, including discussions of ''Franchise/StarTrek'', and guest appearances by Jonathan Frakes (a producer) playing himself.
* StoryArc
* TenPercentOfYourBrain :''Humans'' have psychic powers,which they've forgotten how to use.
* ThemeTune: Dido's "Here With Me". 
* TheyWouldCutYouUp
* TouchedByVorlons: Every humans whom Max brings back to life gains powers similar to the hybrids. It is not clear if they become half-alien themselves or just become as evolved as them. (See Evolutionary Levels above) 
* TownWithADarkSecret: ''Harvest'', 2nd season.
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