Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 - What We Know So Far

The CW's alien-themed sci-fi drama "Roswell, New Mexico" has its differences with the original "Roswell," but the newer show is every bit as exciting and the original — if not more so. Fans have already witnessed three seasons' worth of extraterrestrial excitement, and it's probably fair to say that Season 3 of the show left things in a place that has viewers wanting for more, preferably as soon as possible.

With certain old threats vanquished and plenty of new mysteries teased, "Roswell, New Mexico" has plenty of things set up for its fourth season. So, when can you expect to see what happens next? Who will return in the show, and where are the new plot threads going to take them? Some of these things remain unknown — but fortunately, there's already quite a bit of information about the show's future available. Here's a handy guide of what we currently know of the release date, cast, and plot of "Roswell, New Mexico" Season 4. 

Updated November 23, 2021: This article has been updated to reflect new information about the return of "Roswell" veteran Shiri Appleby for Season 4 and the premiere episode title.

"Roswell, New Mexico" Season 1 premiered on January 15, 2019, and since then, the show has followed a more or less predictable release schedule. Season 2 started airing on March 16, 2020.  Executive producer Julie Plec confirmed on Twitter that the shooting of Season 3 started in October 2020, and the season premiered on July 26, 2021, which gives you a fair idea of the length of the show's production cycle. 

It's been known for a while that a fourth season of the show is arriving, seeing as the news was announced as part of The CW's mass renewal news in February 2021 (per Deadline). The new season started shooting in August 2021, and is set to wrap up in January 2022, according to KRWG. Knowing this, you can probably expect "Roswell, New Mexico" Season 4 to premiere sometime around late spring or summer of 2022. 

Right now, it looks like the premiere of Season 4 will be sooner, rather than later, as the "Roswell, New Mexico" writers posted a picture on their Twitter account of the premiere episode script, revealing the title as "Steal My Sunshine." They also noted to a fan in another tweet that new episodes are coming soon, but they do not know the release date. 

Barring any changes that haven't been announced yet, it's highly likely that everyone who made it through "Roswell, New Mexico" Season 3 will also be present and accounted for in Season 4 — even though Nathan Dean Parsons may actually have slightly less work this season, seeing as the defeat of the villainous Mr. Jones in the Season 3 finale likely leaves the actor with just Max Evans to play.  

Of course, there will be new characters, as well. Jones leaving the equation means the show will need new antagonists, though it remains to be seen who will fill that role ... and how. We do know, however, that after her shocking cameo in the end of "Roswell" Season 3, Shiri Appleby's character will officially be returning for at least a two-episode arc (via Digital Spy).

Per Deadline, Zoe Cipres ("Grown-ish," "The Pretenders") and Andrew Lees ("The Originals," "Mortal Engines") will also join "Roswell, New Mexico" Season 4 as two bank robbers called Bonnie and Clyde, an allusion to the famous real-life robbers of the same name. The characters are confirmed to feature in a plotline with Michael Vlamis' alien character, Michael Guerin. 

One of the biggest gut punches the ending of "Roswell, New Mexico" Season 3 has in store is quite easily the arrival of a mysterious new lady looking for Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason) in Mexico. However, the very biggest one is when said lady is put in contact with Allie, who claims to be Liz's former teacher ... and just so happens to be played by Shiri Appleby, the star of the original "Roswell."

Appleby's Liz Parker in "Roswell" is a different character from Liz Ortecho, but they fill a similar central role in their respective shows, so the fact that Appleby turns up in the reboot and proclaims that Mason's character "used to be a student" of hers is a delicious setting for Season 4. As the show's executive producer Chris Hollier has told TV Line, this is no stunt casting, either. "We've been having discussions about this since Episode 10 of last year," Hollier said. "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."

So, it appears that there's a very specific purpose for bringing Appleby in, though it might not be one that you'd assume. "You can never trust what your first image is, but I look forward to people speculating for a couple of months," Hollier teased. "I can say that she will be back in Season 4."

With the arrival of the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde, and the mysterious plotline involving Appleby's "Allie" and the unknown woman searching Liz, "Roswell, New Mexico" Season 4 is certainly heading in an interesting direction.