'Roswell, New Mexico' Season 1: Show goes beyond entertainment, tackling issues that will make it a millennial favorite

'Roswell, New Mexico' Season 1: Show goes beyond entertainment, tackling issues that will make it a millennial favorite

The CW's reboot of the '90s cult classic, 'Roswell', is about to premiere on January 15, but this time it will be a lot more than just another science fiction repeating the same old tale of aliens. Coming from Julie Plec, 'Roswell: New Mexico' will star Nathan Parsons as Max Evans, Jeanine Mason as Liz Ortech, Jessica Treska as Isobel, Tyler Blackburn as Alex Manes, and Michael Vlamis as Michael.

The show's premise is quite similar to its predecessor as it is set to follow Liz who arrives in town to aid her father. When she arrives, she reconnects with her high school crush Max Evans, who is now a police officer. Their chemistry is electric, but Liz soon learns something shocking: Max and his siblings are aliens who have kept their abilities secret their entire lives.

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As they grow closer, Liz struggles to keep the truth from her best friend Maria, and her high school ex, Dr. Kyle Valenti, but concealing the siblings' true identities is more important than ever, as a long-standing government conspiracy and the politics of fear and hatred threaten to change their lives forever.


 
 
 
 
 
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Written in the stars. Roswell, New Mexico premieres Tuesday at 9/8c on The CW! Stream free next day only on The CW App. #RoswellNM

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While the premise might just seem to be an adult version of the '90s show, which starred Shiri Appleby, Jason Behr, Katherine Heigl, and Majandra Delfino, the reboot is taking a step forward by including everything millennial to the show. Here are the top three things which have managed to make the show worth trending:

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1. A story about immigrants

'Roswell: New Mexico' may chiefly revolve around the conspiracy surrounding the sleepy town and its status as the 'Alien Mecca' of the world, but the show is rooted in matters concerning millennials. Among them, the most prominent theme in the show is that of immigration. Liz Ortech, who is one of the protagonists of the show, is the daughter of an unregistered immigrant. While on one hand, she faces discrimination as an outsider, on the other, her sister's untimely death has made their family the epicenter of all hatred. We hear in certain scenes of the first episode when Liz first arrives in town, that she and her family are looked down upon — first for their origins and second, due to the mistakes committed by Liz' sister. 


 
 
 
 
 
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Sent from above. Roswell, New Mexico premieres Tuesday at 9/8c on The CW. #RoswellNM

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2. Forbidden love

Unrequited love always sells but The CW show does it a little differently. While the show's prime love angle focuses on the star-crossed romance between Liz and Max, the alien-human hybrid, it also offers a look into a gay relationship. Max's brother, Michael, who is also an alien and is known for womanizing, drug abuse and everything immoral, is revealed to be secretly in love with Alex. A man of the army, Alex does not tip-toe around his feelings for Michael but for the alien-hybrid who already has way too many secrets to conceal, being gay seems to be the least of his concerns in the small town.


 
 
 
 
 
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Everyone has their secrets. Roswell, New Mexico premieres Tuesday at 9/8c on The CW. #RoswellNM

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3. A classic tale of intolerance

Discrimination rides high in the existing mirthlessness of Roswell, and all our characters are in some way victims to it. Max and his siblings fear discrimination as aliens, although as humans they are pretty much well-regarded for — except maybe Michael. While Max and his sister, Isobel, were adopted as children, Michael was left alone to grow in foster homes due to his uncanny behavior. He faces further discrimination when he grows up to be gay and later begins to deal in drugs. On the other hand, Liz is not in a very different situation from Michael, as she too faces stark bigotry the moment she returns to Roswell. She is either asked by her classmates to leave the town or is looked down upon by neighbors.


 
 
 
 
 
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The past always catches up to you. Roswell, New Mexico premieres Tuesday, January 15 at 9/8c on The CW. #RoswellNM

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'Roswell: New Mexico' is a lot more than just an alien story. It is deeply rooted in earthly issues that our world faces right now, and we can only wait and see if it is able to do justice to these issues when the show premieres on January 15 on The CW.

Disclaimer : The views expressed in this article belong to the writer and are not necessarily shared by MEAWW.

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