Screen Time

March 9 - 15, 2019 The Daily News and North Valley Community Papers 5 By Kyla Brewer TV Media E xtraterrestrials have long been fodder for sci-fi televi- sion shows, movies and books, but a new TV series goes beyond typical alien cliches to address broader issues such as racism and immigration. Biomedical researcher Liz Or- techo (Jeanine Mason, "Grey's Anatomy") learns that her one- time high school crush, Max (Na- than Parsons, "General Hospital"), is really an alien struggling to hide his true nature from those who wish to harm him in "Roswell, New Mexico," airing Tuesday, March 12, on CW. Now a local Roswell police officer, Max isn't the only alien in town, and his friends are also keen to keep their origins a secret. "Roswell, New Mexico" is actu- ally the second American television adaptation of the "Roswell High" book series by Melinda Metz. The first program, simply entitled "Ro- swell," aired on The WB and UPN from 1999 to 2002 and followed the lives of teenage humans and aliens in the eponymous town. The prime-time soap quickly became a cult hit. While "Roswell, New Mexico" does rely heavily on romantic sto- rylines, the show digs deeper to touch on modern-day hot-button topics. Instead of focusing on the lives of angst-ridden teens, the new iteration finds the main characters 10 years after graduation. In con- trast to the earlier series, which was criticized for white-washing all of the main characters, CW's new show is truer to the books, featur- ing a Latina lead and several other characters who represent the di- verse population of the United States. "I don't believe in color-blind casting," show creator Carina Adly Mackenzie explained in a February ew.com article. "'Roswell, New Mexico' doesn't attempt to portray a world in which racism and xeno- phobia do not exist, so we can't ar- bitrarily fill roles." The show boasts a complicated web of alien and human charac- ters, led by Mason as Liz, the daughter of undocumented immi- grant Arturo Ortecho (Carlos Com- pean, "Contraband," 2012), who runs a local UFO-themed diner, the Crashdown Cafe. He and his daughter are often the subject of suspicion, especially since Liz's be- loved sister, Rosa (Amber Midthun- der, "Legion"), died in a car acci- dent that also took the lives of two white girls. The official report claimed Rosa was high at the time, but a skeptical Liz is determined to find out what really happened. Max's fellow aliens include his sister Isobel (Lily Cowles, "True Sto- ry," 2015), a lawyer who is intense- ly secretive, even with her husband, Noah (Karan Oberoi, "Counter- part"). Their friend Michael (Mi- chael Vlamis, "Spiral," 2018) hides his alien identity under his tough, bad-boy image. In addition to Liz and her father, the town's human population in- cludes her best friend, Maria (Heather Hemmens, "Hellcats"), a local bartender completely oblivi- ous to the existence of aliens. Liz's former beau, Dr. Kyle Valenti (Mi- chael Trevino, "The Vampire Dia- ries"), is the son of Sheriff Valenti (Rosa Arredondo, "Quantico"). Master Sgt. Jesse Manes (Trevor St. John, "One Life to Live") sits at the head of a far-reaching government conspiracy. His son, Alex (Tyler Blackburn, "Pretty Little Liars"), has recently returned to Roswell af- ter service overseas, but he's un- aware of his father's true mission. All the while, Alex strives to meet his father's expectations. In Roswell, many of these char- acters face hatred and fear that threatens to tear their families apart. Unlike other sci-fi pro- grams, "Roswell, New Mexico" doesn't focus on the dangers aliens pose to humans. In this case, they're the minority trying to avoid persecution like many of their friends and neighbors. Max and the other aliens may possess supernatural powers, including healing abilities and psychic links to those around them, but, for the most part, they try to lay low for fear of being outed, choosing in- stead to try to lead quiet, helpful lives. "Roswell, New Mexico" has promising qualities, but it's been slow to pick up in the ratings de- partment. The first couple of epi- sodes averaged 1.3 million viewers — a respectable showing but not stellar. In contrast, the first seasons of CW's hits "Supernatural" and "The Vampire Diaries" each aver- aged more than 3.5 million. Pitted against ABC's sitcoms "Black-ish" and "Splitting Up Together," as well as the CBS drama "FBI," Fox's game show "Mental Samurai" and NBC's critical darling "This Is Us," "Roswell, New Mexico" will have its work cut out for it on Tuesday evenings. Luckily for the cast and crew, some of the industry's biggest powerhouses are associated with the project. Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, along with Amblin Television and Bender Brown Productions, all have a hand in the show. Aliens hide in plain sight in 'Roswell, New Mexico' Cover Story Nathan Parsons as seen in "Roswell, New Mexico" AFGHANISTAN BEIJING BHUTAN CHINA CIVET COBRA DELHI GIBBON GOBI GREAT WALL INDIA IRAN IRAQ JAPAN JORDAN KUWAIT KYOTO KYRGYZSTAN LAOS LEBANON MACAU MALAYSIA MALDIVES MUMBAI NEPAL NORTH KOREA OMAN PANDA QATAR RUSSIA SOUTH KOREA SRI LANKA SYRIA THAILAND TOKYO VIETNAM YAK YEMEN All Around Asia For advertising in this publication call Suzy Noble 530-737-5056 or Gayla Eckles 530-737-5044 www.redbluffdailynews.com 1160 Main Street Red Bluff, CA 530-527-1034 Family Owned & Operated www.growneymotors.com Para mas informacion en Español, Llame Alex RED BLUFF 530.528.2721 15 ANTELOPE BLVD., RED BLUFF KNOW FOR BEST PRICES IN TOWN LIQUOR • GAS • SNACKS

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