Roswell, New Mexico season 3 boss explains the finale's surprise 90s cameo

Photo credit: The CW
Photo credit: The CW

Roswell, New Mexico spoilers follow.

Roswell, New Mexico surprised fans of the original show in its season three finale, as the sci-fi spin-off welcomed back former Liz Parker actor Shiri Appleby.

Towards the end of the double-bill, a naked woman – believed to be "one of the sky people" – was seen confusedly wandering the streets of Careyes, Mexico, and was taken in by a mysterious woman named Allie.

When the dazed stranger started talking about Liz Ortecho, Allie seemed to perk up, informing her that Liz was once a student of hers as she stepped out of the shadows, and viewers saw that the character of Allie was being played by original Roswell star Appleby.

Photo credit: Paul Morigi/Getty Images The Creative Coalition
Photo credit: Paul Morigi/Getty Images The Creative Coalition

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"We've been having discussions about this since episode 10 last year," executive producer Chris Hollier told TVLine after the reveal aired in the US. "We reached out to her, we started talking about how to fold her into the show, and pitched her a mini arc.

"She said, 'I love it! I'll come out and do it.' We know the fans are going to love that moment."

While Appleby has directed a couple of episodes across Roswell, New Mexico's run ('Songs About Texas' from season one, and 'What If God Was One of Us?' in season two), she hasn't appeared on camera until now.

Photo credit: 20th Century Fox Television
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox Television

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Her extended cameo is certainly a long time coming, too, given that Jason Behr, who starred alongside her in the '90s show, returned to the universe briefly in mid-2020 – swapping his former character Max Evans for newbie Tripp Manes.

As for Allie's agenda, Hollier remained tight-lipped but he did urge viewers to look beyond what's right in front of them, as things on this show are rarely as they seem.

"You can never trust what your first image is," he said. "But I look forward to people speculating for a couple of months."

Roswell, New Mexico airs on The CW in the US and on ITV2 in the UK.

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