'Roswell, New Mexico' Showrunner Shares How He Changed Season 4 Finale to Series Ending After Cancellation (2024)

SPOILER ALERT:Don't read if you haven't seen "How's It Going to Be?", the series finale on September 5“Roswell, New Mexico.”

In May,CW pulled out the plugon seven shows, including "Roswell, New Mexico", the fourth season of which aired. On Monday night, the drama's final episode aired — an episode that showrunner Chris Hollier and the writers intended to be the season 4 finale, and not the last episode ever.

During the last episode, Max (Nathan Parsons) set out to save the world through a portal - a portal that would allow him to return and live happily ever after with Liz (Jeanine Mason), whom he still loves. planned to get married.

"There was one change after that where the console melted and Liz was like, 'Oh no, I just got engaged and he might be stuck there forever.' That was the only thing we removed,” he sayswide selection,notes that the finale was built differently "just in case" the network chose to pull the plug.

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Still, Hollier was willing to do another season.

"I had to loosely pitch [the network] and get them to sign off on me letting [Max] go. And they said, 'Well, when is he coming back?'" was the next question. our first audience. So yeah, there was actually a plan to wrap it up, since the fifth season was going to be our last," he says. "We had built in some time jumps to actually tell stories that we coincided with weeks. We actually wanted to stretch out over the next few years and jump to three different times for all of our characters.

He adds, "I'm very lucky with the time we had, but you always feel like we still had a bullet in the chamber."

Luckily, the finale featured major moments for some of the main characters, including Liz and Max's engagement. Throughout the episode, Max struggled with whether to return to Oasis without her. Ultimately, he had to go - and there was never a plan for him to stay. It's just a TV show and there's no drama in it.

“We left it open with a feeling of hope and letting people fill in their imaginations about what happened next when he returned,” Hollier says.

Hollier also shed light on Michael (Michael Vlamis) and Alex's (Tyler Blackburn) wedding, which fans have been waiting for for a long time. After they tied the knot, Michael sang Edwin McCain's "I'll Be," which was the perfect match for several reasons.

"Look, we have all the '90s to choose from! We were trying to figure out which song, we were trying to figure out if there was a perfect Counting Crows song," Hollier recalls. "It was also kind of born from a joke when [original showrunner] Carina [Adly MacKenzie] was on the show. We kept joking when we couldn't get a song, like, 'I wonder what Edwin McCain is doing now do?' It kind of stuck in my head. I also thought it was a nice way to honor it."

Shiri Appleby, who played Liz in the original "Roswell" and made a cameo earlier in the series, returned for the episode to help Liz Ortecho.

'This was always a plan. She's such a big part of the original 'Roswell.' We wanted to try to tell a story with her and we wanted to honor our own 'Roswell' and who our Liz is. In the mentorship theme, we thought she would be the ultimate mentor because she was a mentor to us,” says Hollier. 'It was a powerful moment to be in the dining room with both Lizes. When she turned on the antennas, it was a special moment on set.”

'Roswell, New Mexico' Showrunner Shares How He Changed Season 4 Finale to Series Ending After Cancellation (2024)

FAQs

What happened at the end of Roswell, New Mexico? ›

Max, realizing his son can have a normal life, gives him up for adoption; showing the Evans' parents driving the child away to New York. The series closes with Liz getting a premonition of her, Max, Michael, and Isabel dying in an FBI setup, so they decide to leave Roswell after their high school graduation.

Does Roswell, New Mexico have a good ending? ›

Warning: This post contains spoilers from the series finale of Roswell, New Mexico. For the most part, everyone on Roswell, New Mexico got a happy ending. (Sure, a couple key players ended up on another planet, but hopefully not forever.)

When did Roswell end? ›

Why was Roswell, New Mexico canceled? ›

Back when the cancellations were first announced, no official reason was given, but industry experts assumed that talks of a sale with Nexstar played a big role in all this. Executive shifts at Warner Bros. following its acquisition by Discovery probably didn't help either.

Do Liz and Max get married? ›

Max and Liz were married in Las Vegas when they were 19 and were together until the end of the world came because when Max's enemies came to earth, Max, Michael, and Isabel were not strong enough in their powers without Tess.

Do Isobel and Kyle end up together? ›

But, they never allow that to bring negative feelings toward their friendship. Instead, while things may be slightly awkward, they power through, even after Isobel realizes she does reciprocate Kyle's feelings. In the end, Kyle and Isobel are granted their happy ending, getting together right before the series finale.

Who does Michael end up with Roswell? ›

For the most part, Roswell, New Mexico leaves its aliens and humans in a good place. The series finale saw the defeat of Clyde (Andrew Lees), Michael (Michael Vlamis) and Alex (Tyler Blackburn) getting married, and Liz (Jeanine Mason) and Max (Nathan Dean) finally get engaged.

Who does Maria end up with in Roswell, New Mexico? ›

When Michael comes back to save Max, Maria announces that she is coming with them and tells Michael that this is her choice and that whatever happens, the two of them are in it together. She finally realizes that she would rather have a chaotic life with her love Michael, than a normal life without him.

Do Maria and Michael end up together? ›

At the end of the season, when Michael and Maria seem to be finally happy together, Michael breaks up with her saying, "I love you too much". He feels that he is too dangerous for her, having just killed Agent Pierce, and walks away, leaving Maria in order to learn about his destiny.

Why did Colin Hanks leave Roswell? ›

Hanks was cast as Alex Whitman in 1999, which was his first major role. Hanks left the show, and his character Alex was killed off, so that Hanks could star in the film Orange County (2002).

What happens to Tess in Roswell? ›

Tess returns in Season 3, after Kivar reject Zan (her and Max's son) because he's completely human. Due to their landing and killing FBI agents, she sets out for help from the gang in order to protect Zan. She uses herself as bait for the FBI and sacrifices herself and killing everyone in the process.

Who ends up together on Roswell, New Mexico? ›

For the most part, Roswell, New Mexico leaves its aliens and humans in a good place. The series finale saw the defeat of Clyde (Andrew Lees), Michael (Michael Vlamis) and Alex (Tyler Blackburn) getting married, and Liz (Jeanine Mason) and Max (Nathan Dean) finally get engaged.

Who does Michael end up with on Roswell? ›

In season 3 episode 10 Michael and Alex sleep together. Season 4 Michael moves in with Alex in the first episode. Episode 11 Alex proposes and Michael says yes, he's so in love with him it's embarrassing. Episode 13 they get married.

Do Michael and Maria end up together? ›

At the end of the season, when Michael and Maria seem to be finally happy together, Michael breaks up with her saying, "I love you too much". He feels that he is too dangerous for her, having just killed Agent Pierce, and walks away, leaving Maria in order to learn about his destiny.

Who does Maria end up with on Roswell? ›

Maria is known as being wacky, yet very realistic and jaded about life. She enters into a passionate relationship with Hybrid Michael Guerin throughout the span of the show which is often the counterpoint to the tender relationship found between Liz and Max.

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