Parents' Guide to

Roswell

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

All the drama of high school, plus space aliens!

TV Syfy , Syndicated Science Fiction 1999
Roswell Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

See all
age 14+

Based on 12 parent reviews

Zerd65
Zerd65 Parent of 10 and 14-year-old
October 14, 2010
age 15+

ok for older kids, not for the younger crowd or tweens

Love Roswell but there is more than a small amount of making out and while it isn't that big a deal, I don't want my 10 or 14 year old to begin having feelings they are not ready to handle.

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
H N.
H N. Parent of 9, 14 and 17-year-old
August 5, 2023
age 18+

All about sex and sexual relationships

Full of sexual references, talk of having sex with random people, woman on top of man in bra and underwear, talk of masturbating, two men making out, two naked men in bed together, and more.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Navigating the social minefield of high school is hard enough for regular people, so imagine the challenges faced by a quartet of extraterrestrials trying to pass as ordinary students in a small New Mexico town. Of course, these four are anything but average -- not only do they possess superhuman abilities, but they're considered royalty on their home planet and are expected to save their people from a terrible calamity. That's the basic premise of ROSWELL, an intriguing teen sci-fi drama that sometimes feels like a cross between The X-Files and Beverly Hills, 90210.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12 ):
Kids say (7 ):

Max Evans (Jason Behr), his sister Isabel (Katherine Heigl), and their friends Michael Guerin (Brendan Fehr) and Tess Harding (Emilie de Ravin) could probably have stayed comfortably under the radar if not for a freak accident that left fellow student Liz Parker (Shiri Appleby) mortally wounded, prompting Max to reveal his powers and save her life. The incident proves a powerful bonding experience between Max and Liz, who -- along with a few close friends -- promises to keep the foursome's secret. But as Max and Liz are falling in love, he learns that he's destined to be with Tess, and much of the show centers on the conflict between Max's desire to be with his human girlfriend and his sense of duty, which requires him to give her up.

The four aliens are being hunted by another group of extraterrestrials living incognito on Earth, the Skins, and many of the episodes center on this conflict. With its battling aliens and superpowers, Roswell is clearly sci-fi, but below the surface lies a more fundamental issue -- who will end up together in the end? -- that makes the show similar to any other teen drama.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about fate and free will. One of the main characters is an alien prince who has fallen in love with a human, but he's repeatedly told that it's his destiny to marry one of the other extraterrestrials. Should he follow his heart? Should he sacrifice what may be the great love of his life to save his people? And how can he even be certain that the future of his planet will be affected by his choice? How do the issues the alien characters deal with reflect real-life teen concerns? Are the characters' lives at all realistic?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate