ROSWELL: Producer Jason Katims
Exploring the science fiction mythology of alienated teens.
Author: Edward Gross
Date: 4/24/00

Jason Katims, executive producer of ROSWELL and the show`s primary creative guiding force, admits that by the time he was able to deal with news that the series was in trouble, the movement from fans to save it was well underway. "I think when you’re working on a show like this, you tend to work seven days a week, very long hours, and you’re living in a bubble," he says. "You don’t have any idea of what it’s like ‘out there,’ what people are thinking about, or whether they’re responding to it. But to see what’s happening in terms of this support is very surprising and encouraging. And it comes to us as we’re in the darkness of trying to finish the season up, and we’re all exhausted. But it gives us the energy to move forward and do it."
In their efforts to keep ROSWELL on the air, the fans bombarded the WB Network with thousands of bottles of Tabasco sauce—the drink of choice for extraterrestrials—and let the network know in no uncertain terms that they wanted the show to continue. "It’s interesting when you have this kind of loyal fan base," notes Katims. "Even if it’s a relatively small fan base, their passion says something not only to us as producers, but it speaks to the network a well."