'Roswell' Star Will Direct On-Screen Love Interest in Reboot's Season 2

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"Roswell, New Mexico" returns with some special guest appearances.

Actor Jason Behr (far left) will appear in at least four episodes of the second season of "Roswell, New Mexico." He played alien Max Evans in the original 1999 television series based on the 1998 "Roswell High" books by Melinda Metz.
Actor Jason Behr (far left) will appear in at least four episodes of the second season of "Roswell, New Mexico." He played alien Max Evans in the original 1999 television series based on the 1998 "Roswell High" books by Melinda Metz. (Image credit: Alamy; Marc Hom/The CW)

NEW YORK — Actor Jason Behr returns to the world of extraterrestrial drama as a recurring character in "Roswell, New Mexico," show creators announced on Oct. 6 at a New York Comic-Con (NYCC) panel at the Hulu Theater, Madison Square Garden. 

Behr played interstellar visitor Max Evans in the original "Roswell" television series from 1999 to 2002 on the WB Network and UPN. He will appear in at least four episodes of the reboot's second season, which will air on The CW Network. Shiri Appleby, who played human hero Liz Parker opposite Behr's vulnerable alien character, is on board to direct some episodes in the second season of this new installment. 

"Roswell, New Mexico" is based on the infamous conspiracy theory that an alien spacecraft crash-landed in New Mexico in 1947. Viewers interested in the modern reboot can now stream the entire first season on The CW app. New episodes will air sometime mid-season in early 2020.

Related: New York Comic-Con 2019: Amazing Space Cosplay Photos!

"We’re very excited that Jason will be joining us for a multi-episode arc," Carina Adly MacKenzie, creator and showrunner of the reboot, said in a recent statement from Warner Bros. (which helped to develop The CW Network back in 2006).   

"It’s only fitting that he’s playing a (currently top secret) character with deep ties to Roswell, New Mexico’s history. Working with him has already been such a special experience for all of us — particularly when [Roswell co-star] Shiri Appleby was on set to direct him. I was such a huge fan of Roswell as a kid, so having their stamp of approval — not to mention their expertise and advice —  has really meant the world to me, the cast and the crew," she added. 

Another big announcement from the panel is that actor Gaius Charles ("Friday Night Lights," "Grey's Anatomy") will play a recurring character with a possible plotline related to the 1947 conspiracy, executive producer Chris Hollier hinted at during the NYCC panel. 

Just like the original television series, this new adaptation of the 1998 "Roswell High" books follows three alien protagonists — Max, Isabel, and Michael — who are actively hiding their real identities from those who wish them harm. To update the conversation and relate it to modern, real-life xenophobia, "Roswell, New Mexico" revisits the lead character's Mexican roots to explore the lives of undocumented people and racial tensions in a border state.

"Roswell, New Mexico" is produced by My So-Called Company, Amblin Television and Bender Brown Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios.

Follow Doris Elin Urrutia on Twitter @salazar_elin. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. 

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Doris Elin Urrutia
Doris Elin Urrutia
Contributing Writer

Doris is a science journalist and Space.com contributor. She received a B.A. in Sociology and Communications at Fordham University in New York City. Her first work was published in collaboration with London Mining Network, where her love of science writing was born. Her passion for astronomy started as a kid when she helped her sister build a model solar system in the Bronx. She got her first shot at astronomy writing as a Space.com editorial intern and continues to write about all things cosmic for the website. Doris has also written about microscopic plant life for Scientific American’s website and about whale calls for their print magazine. She has also written about ancient humans for Inverse, with stories ranging from how to recreate Pompeii’s cuisine to how to map the Polynesian expansion through genomics. She currently shares her home with two rabbits. Follow her on twitter at @salazar_elin.