Seven actors carried a CW alien drama through four seasons, and people are still searching to match names to faces long after the show left the air. Here is the full cast of Roswell, New Mexico, who each actor played, who joined later, and what several of them have gone on to do since.
The Seven Actors Who Led The Show
This is the core group that anchored the series from its 2019 premiere through its final season.
- Jeanine Mason played Liz Ortecho, a biomedical researcher who moves back to her hometown
- Nathan Parsons (credited as Nathan Dean from season two onward) played Max Evans, a local deputy hiding what he really is
- Michael Vlamis played Michael Guerin, an alien with a rough upbringing and a constant urge to leave Earth behind
- Lily Cowles played Isobel Evans, Max’s sister, who keeps her own secret while appearing to have it all together
- Tyler Blackburn played Alex Manes, an Air Force veteran dealing with real trauma at home and overseas
- Heather Hemmens played Maria DeLuca, a bartender and close friend of Liz who spends much of the first season in the dark
- Michael Trevino played Kyle Valenti, a doctor whose family history turns out to be far more complicated than he expected
These casting choices, along with the show’s other pilot regulars, were confirmed by Deadline at the time the show was first ordered to series.
The Story That Brought Them Together
The series was developed by Carina Adly MacKenzie for The CW and adapted from the Roswell High book series by Melinda Metz. Liz Ortecho returns home after losing her research grant, reconnects with her old crush Max Evans, and discovers he is an alien who has hidden his identity his entire life.
What kept people watching past the pilot was the mix of genres. The alien mystery ran alongside storylines about immigration, small town policing, and family secrets, which gave this cast plenty of grounded material outside the usual science fiction beats.
New Actors Who Joined As The Story Grew
The show brought in fresh characters tied to its 1947 backstory and its present day mystery as the seasons went on.
- Amber Midthunder joined in a recurring part as Rosa Ortecho and was promoted to the main cast for season two
- Trevor St. John played Jesse Manes, the show’s central antagonist for its first two seasons
- Karan Oberoi played Noah Bracken, Isobel’s husband, who turns out to be hiding something of his own
- Jason Behr, who starred in the original 1999 Roswell series, joined season two as Tripp Manes, connecting both versions of the franchise
- Cassandra Jean Amell, Gaius Charles, and Kayla Ewell joined for the flashback storylines set in 1947, the year of the real Roswell UFO incident
- Later seasons introduced Tanner Novlan, Sibongile Mlambo, Michael Grant Terry, Quentin Plair, and Rekha Sharma, rounding out the show’s final chapters
Before Roswell: What These Actors Were Already Known For
Most of the lead cast had recognizable credits before joining the show. Nathan Parsons had appeared on True Blood, Michael Vlamis on New Girl, Lily Cowles on BrainDead, Tyler Blackburn on Pretty Little Liars, and Heather Hemmens on If Loving You Is Wrong. Jeanine Mason had already built a following as the first Cuban American winner of So You Think You Can Dance before moving into acting.
Where The Cast Has Gone Since
A few members of the cast have kept busy in the years since the show ended. Jeanine Mason has taken on roles in Amazon’s Upload and Netflix’s The Perfect Couple, and she currently stars in Amazon’s crime drama Cross. Michael Vlamis wrote, directed, and starred in the 2024 thriller Crossword, and joined the ensemble of Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey, according to Deadline. Nathan Parsons has kept a lower public profile since the finale, with a short film currently in post production listed as his most recent project.
The Real Filming Locations
Despite the title, very little of the show was actually filmed in Roswell itself. Production took place mostly around Santa Fe and Las Vegas, New Mexico, with the pilot shot in and around Albuquerque. It is a detail that regularly comes up whenever fans compare the show to the real town it is named after.
What Critics And Audiences Made Of It
The series landed a mixed but respectable response from critics. It holds a 55 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ season one page, based on 20 reviews, with Metacritic scoring the first season 58 out of 100. Reviewers generally credited the reboot for adding modern political context to the original premise, while noting it stayed close in structure to the 1999 version.
How And Why The Show Ended
The CW confirmed the show would not continue for a fifth season, with the announcement coming in May 2022, shortly before the fourth and final season premiered that June. Deadline’s report on the cancellation covered the news at the time, and the fourth season went on to air as the show’s closing chapter.
Where To Watch It Now
All four seasons are available to stream on Netflix, which is how most newer viewers have found the show since it left its original network home.
Final Word
Seven leads carried the story, a rotating group of new arrivals kept the mythology growing, and a handful of that cast are already turning up in new projects years later. Whether someone is catching up for the first time or settling an argument about who played who, this rundown covers the full picture of the actors who made the show what it was.
