Roswell

Under the guise of fantasy, Roswell manages to be insightful, profound, romantic, eerie, mysterious and funny. It artfully uses the alien characters as engaging stand-ins for countless teenagers who, rebelling against pressures to conform, feel like beings from another planet. [6 Oct 1999, p.1E]

Sweet and intelligent...A genre-bender if ever there was one, Roswell takes the "Romeo and Juliet" love story, dresses it in "Rebel Without a Cause" Americana, and then gives the whole thing an "X-Files" twist. The show is a long, long way from "My Favorite Martian" and "Mork & Mindy." [6 Oct 1999, p.E1]

Involving, enjoyable TV. [5 Oct 1999, p.D6]

As science fiction, Roswell is passable entertainment, sort of a less-dark X-Files. It rises above that, however, through the relationship of Liz and Max. Appleby and Behr make their characters crackle with magnetic attraction. [6 Oct 1999, p.1E]

[Its] sharp writing elevates it above its strained concept.

Though it seems a product of calculation more than inspiration, Roswell has appeal.

In an ideal world, Katims and Nutter would have taken the best elements from their previous series: the keen insight into teen behavior of "My So-Called Life" and the inventive storytelling of "The X-Files." Unfortunately, Roswell gets it backwards, using both the self-importance of the former and the paper-thin characterization of the latter. [6 Oct 1999, p.73]