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All Your TV: The Reinvention Of Roswell
November 30, 2000Posted by your_name  
Thanks to Sheila and Jill for sending this in :) I appreciate it :)Follow the link to read the entire article

from: AllYourTV.com

AllYourTV.com

The Reinvention Of Roswell

Written By Rick Ellis, November 15th, 2000

While I appreciate the intensity of a fan's devotion to their favorite TV show, I have to admit that most of the time, I think the various fan-based "Save Our Show" campaigns are a waste of time.

Did anyone REALLY want another episode of The Sentinel or Jack And Jill? And even when a show does get a second lease on life, more often than not the result is a weak and frightened version of an already weak offering.

But there are exceptions to that rule. All In The Family and Cheers were essentially canceled after their first season, before being brought back from the dead for a long run. And on the drama side, CBS resurrected JAG after NBC dropped it, and it's turned into a linchpin of that network's lineup.

Based on what we've seen so far this season, you can add The WB's Roswell to the success column. After a meandering first season, the show was unexpectedly brought back for a second season, and the show has never been more compelling.

The premise of the show is straightforward science fiction. A beautiful young waitress (Liz) is accidentally shot and is brought back to a life by a teenage boy (Max) who's been secretly in love with her for years. As it turns out, he is one of three aliens who awoke ten years in incubation pods outside Roswell, New Mexico.

As the season progressed, the story unfolded in greater detail. The trio aren't alone. In fact, they begin meeting other aliens, some friends and some dangerous. All the while attempting to hide their identity from outsiders, including a curious local sheriff and an ambitious FBI agent.

And then there's the romance.

What would a teenage WB show be without the romance? And during last season, the trio began romancing humans, bringing along the inevitable teenage angst and sexual tension. But that's where Roswell began to lose itself.

By mid-season, the focus on dating and romance had threatened to overwhelm the sci-fi aspects of the story. And already anemic ratings suffered. So it was clear to everyone involved that if the show did return, there had to be changes.

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