Roswell, New Mexico Season 3 Release Date, Cast, And Plot - What We Know So Far

The CW's latest rendition of "Roswell, New Mexico" is gearing up for Season 3. Based on the book series "Roswell High" by Melinda Metz, the first TV adaptation was simply entitled "Roswell," and featured stars like Katherine Heigl and Colin Hanks. "Roswell" ended after receiving poor ratings throughout its three seasons, but thankfully, the new adaptation is faring much better. While "Roswell, New Mexico" has a lot in common with its predecessor, it features a much more diverse cast and discusses serious topics like immigration issues, which adds a level of depth to the show.

In January 2020, TVLine reported that following its first two successful seasons, The CW renewed "Roswell, New Mexico" for Season 3. Early in 2021, after considering the effects that COVID-19 has had on production schedules, The CW's CEO Mark Pedowitz greenlit the show for its fourth season as well (via Deadline). While it will be a while until we hear more about Season 4, here's everything we know so far about the release date, cast, and plot of "Roswell, New Mexico" Season 3.

Updated July 1: This list has been updated to reflect the information presented in the first official trailer for Season 3, which was released by The CW on June 29.

The CW recently announced their summer lineup, giving premiere dates for popular shows like "Riverdale," "DC's Stargirl," and "Masters of Illusion." Included in the good news is the premiere date for Season 3 of "Roswell, New Mexico." According to Deadline, the newest season is set to release on Monday, July 26, followed by a new episode of "The Republic of Sarah." Additionally, IMDb lists the first episode of the popular paranormal drama's third season as "Hands," which leaves much to the imagination regarding its plot.

Filming for Season 3 started in October 2020, but production was a bit slow to start due to COVID-19 as well as the departure of the show's creator and co-showrunner, Carina Adly MacKenzie (via The Hollywood Reporter). According to The Cinemaholic, Season 3 is expected to have 13 episodes that will each last for 40 to 43 minutes — the same as the first two seasons of "Roswell, New Mexico."

The majority of the main cast is expected to return for "Roswell, New Mexico" Season 3. Jeanine Mason will reprise her role as the lead character, Liz Ortecho; Nathan Parsons will play Max Evans as well as the newly introduced Mr. Jones, and Amber Midthunder will continue to play Liz's sister, Rosa. Other returning stars include Michael Vlamis (Michael Guerin), Lily Cowles (Isobel Evans), Tyler Blackburn (Alex Manes), Heather Hemmens (Maria DeLuca), and Michael Trevino (Kyle Valenti). Christian Antidormi may return to play Forrest as his relationship with Alex is likely to continue in the third season.

We're expecting to see more of several recurring characters in Season 3, as their roles in "Roswell, New Mexico" become more central to the plot. These include GiGi Erneta (Dr. Margot Meyerson), Justina Adorno (Steph), and Christian Antidormi (Forrest Long), among others. The Cinemaholic reports that there are also several new cast members joining the show: Steven Krueger (Heath), David DeSantos (Edgar), Michael Grant Terry (Jordan Bernhardt), Gillian Vigman (Brooke Taylor), and Quentin Plair (Dallas). We're excited to learn more about the new characters, and how they fit into the mysterious town of Roswell.

We still don't know the plot for Season 3 of "Roswell, New Mexico," but plenty happened at the end of Season 2 that has fans pumped for what's to come. The second season ended with Alex kissing Forrest, Michael and Alex finding out that Mr. Jones had a hand in a massacre that was led by Alex's great-uncle, and the crew finding the mysterious Mr. Jones — who looks a lot like Max. Based on the events of the previous season, it seems like the citizens of Roswell and their alien comrades will have to learn to get along so they can defeat their true enemy. We'll also learn more about Mr. Jones, and hopefully find out the origin of the aliens and their home planet.

Before MacKenzie left the show, she spoke to Digital Spy about choosing to make Isobel's next love interest a woman. "These three aliens were raised here, so they have very human perspectives on gender and sexuality," she said. "But Isobel's entire arc this season was about exploring who she is at the base of herself, outside of any influence. So I think we've been building to this idea for a while that maybe the aliens aren't necessarily bound by the same rules and ideas about gender that the rest of us have. But yeah, Isobel's next love interest is going to be a woman, and I'm really excited about it."

On June 29, The CW released the first official trailer for Season 3, and it looks to be as action-packed as fans are hoping. The trailer also confirms that July 26 is the date that fans can look forward to continuing their "Roswell, New Mexico" journey.