Zap2It: Save Our Roswell (Mandy’s Article)
Hi Everyone :) First off, I want to thank EVERYONE who sent in quotes about the show to me. I had over 75 responses and when I wrote the article, included as many as I could-But once I turned the article in, I didn’t have say in what quotes stayed and which didn’t so I apologize if your quote did not make the final edit. I will post the rough copy I sent in after the Easter holidays so you can see just what I mean by using all the quotes in the article. Please go visit and read the article and let me know what you think of it–good and bad :) I only posted the first few paragraphs on here so you can read the whole article on Zap2it who picked the article up.
Save Our Roswell
by Mandy McCarthy
Zap2it.comThe rallying cry for “Roswell” went out over the Internet like this:
“April 10. I’m Liz Parker and it’s been almost a year since our fans rallied together and helped bring “Roswell” back to The WB Network for our sophomore season. Now the time has come again where the executives of the Frog Net have to make a decision about next year and even though the show has had its ups and downs and even after being pulled from our Monday 9 p.m. timeslot for a six week hiatus and replaced with “Gilmore Girls,” the fans have never relented from trying to get the show back for a third season. I can only hope that their efforts won’t go unnoticed by the powers that be and that they are successful in keeping us a part of The WB family.”
Last year it was a group known as Alien Blast that spearheaded a series of campaigns that included mailing letters and Tabasco Sauce to The WB Network. They held “Roswell” gatherings, and took out an ad in Daily Variety to try and get the show renewed for a second season. They succeeded….
This year, with the assistance of Alien Blast and the website Crashdown, a new group of fans calling themselves The Campaign Crew have taken up the cause. They continue to promote and support the show from a variety of angles.
They’re writing letters to the WB, the show’s sponsors, WB affiliate stations and media organizations around the country. They’re signing petitions and initiating a postcard campaign directed at the Frog network.
Kristi Bergman, one of the founders of Alien Blast and a moderator of one of the “Roswell” message boards on Fanforum, where Crashdown is hosted, says, Being involved in the campaigns was truly an amazing experience. It was so touching and overwhelming to see the way so many fans came together and worked toward a common goal. Having headed up one of the campaigns, I received so many touching and heartfelt e-mails and letters from people about just what the show meant to them. I couldn’t believe how one show could reach so many varied people and have such a tremendous impact on their lives. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I will never forget it.”
The fans, like Mary Argus, one of the founding members of the Campaign Crew, were relentless. She says, “There is a unique mutual exchange of support, admiration and respect between the show’s producers/writers/cast and its fans that I’ve never seen before. I’m continually amazed by it. I don’t want to see the show or that mutual exchange go away!
Bergman adds, Oftentimes, internet communities revolving around a television show are considered “cultish” or overzealous in their devotion. I often viewed fandom in this matter before I became involved in the Roswell fan community. Now, I see that these communities are based on the common ground that people find within the show and the emotions elicited from the show itself. These things are what bond people together from all over the world in their fandom.
So what does Roswell, have that’s worth saving that other shows that are facing cancellation don’t have? For every fan of the show that is asked why they feel the show is worth rescuing, every reason they give is never the same as anybody else’s and none of the answers are ever as cut and dry as they may seem and can’t be summed up in a sentence or two.
# Stephanie Duhaime tunes into the show because “Max and Liz are magical to me. As a little girl I dreamt of far off places, true love, and princes . . . Roswell just made me realize I never left those dreams behind.”
# For college freshman Amanda Brock, Roswell is a show that has the romance and adventure that most shows are lacking. The writers give Max the most romantic lines, and the characters have such great personalities! This may be hard to believe but it has brought the girls on my hall new friendships and it gives us another conversation topic.
# New York librarian Daniela Pulice says, “I must say at my library Roswell is the show all the teenagers in the library talk about. They read the Roswell High books and they make sure they’re home by 9 to catch Roswell on TV. On Tuesdays the library is filled with the buzz of people talking about what happened on Roswell the night before. The show is poignant and portrays characters in extraordinary situations in a realistic way.”
She adds, “My library patrons aren’t the only ones addicted, I personally can’t get enough “Roswell.” Not only are the plots well developed and interesting, the character interaction is evocative of many old-time Hollywood classics. Is Liz’s sacrificial love for Max any less poignant than Rick’s classic farewell to Ilsa in Casablanca? The depth of emotion while surrounded by suspenseful intrigue is what keeps us all coming back for more.”
Even fans from countries other than the United States, are staking a claim in trying to get the show back for another season. Even though most countries haven’t even received the second season yet or are in the midst of just seeing the show for the first time, there are currently campaigns started in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and The United Kingdom for the show’s renewal on top of fighting for the show to remain airing the second season.
It crosses international boundaries, too. Sue Townsend who is from the United Kingdom, says, “The story of Roswell is epic and unfolds week by week, revealing the past and developing the future. It deals with ultimate questions such as “why are we here”: “what is our personal response”; friendship; love; trust; identity. The acting and characterization is superb – I wonder if the show will be able to hang on to its talented cast. A show such as Roswell is a pearl of great price and this emerges rarely on TV. All I can think is the WB does not know what it has.”
John Simpson, a fan of the show from Ontario, Canada and a moderator on Fanforum, feels that the show has taught me a lot and opened me up to new things, like the book series “Roswell High”, which the show was based off of, and Tabasco Sauce, a favorite condiment of the aliens. Also, no other show has ever had an effect like this on me. It’s sort of an unexplainable feeling of excitement, joy and suspense. How can you explain the things you love? You can’t, you just do.”
Simpson continues. “The show has only been on for two seasons, and there is just so much more of this story to tell and it would be a shame to miss out on any of it. I also really believe that Roswell has come into it’s own creatively and it has finally found it’s place with the right amount of sci-fi and teen romance!”
Mariana Carrilho, 21, from Brazil may have said it best when she explains why she fights for the show’s renewal. There are many reason why Roswell needs to be saved. But, personally, I’d like to have Roswell renewed first because it made me see and believe that love can win any barrier, of time, genre, species and any obstacle. But, the most important reason, is that it made me have hope that, someday, we will find people that can heal wounds.”
She continues, “Maybe not the way Max Evans does, but maybe with the words he uses, with the way he treats the ones he loves, and even with the kindness we can feel from him. If the world had a little bit of this alien temper, we wouldn’t have so much sadness.”
Even the stars of the show are starting to get involved in fan campaigns to save the show or are at least noticing the effort being made. William Sadler, who plays Sheriff Valenti on the sci-fi program, is urging fans to send in letters to Jamie Kellner in the hopes of flooding his office with heartfelt letters to save the show. In a post by Carolyn Fulton, the webmistress of his official site, she says, Network executives are far more impressed by one paper letter then they are by a dozen or even a hundred e-mails they went over this with me e-mail doesn’t count diddly. If Roswell has to depend on e-mail to get renewed, then Roswell will be over in six more episodes.
Roswell touches the heart of its fans and although every fan has their own reasons for tuning in, the show has no doubt united millions of fans worldwide that otherwise might not have very much in common. From the United States to Europe, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand and every country and continent in between, the show has attracted fans of all ages, including babies, school children teenagers and adults.
“I think that Roswell is on the verge of finding its balance, and will therefore be able to reach the enormous potential the rich characters and deeply dramatic storyline promises,” says devoted fan Sue Lange. “I think we forget that it was the third season of Star Trek The Next Generation that hit solid gold on television! While the first and second season showed half the potential of the success it eventually had. I think the third season of Roswell will turn it into a classic show! The potential is still there, it just needs the chance!”
Here’s to hoping that the executives at The WB Network are listening to their fans and will make the right decision (at least to their alien-loving fans) in regards to the show’s ultimate fate in May.
Now go read the rest of the article!