Critical Condition: Roswell, New Mexico

Roswell, New Mexico | TVNZ OnDemand, from Wednesday

☆☆☆☆ “Roswell, New Mexico, the CW network’s second adaptation of Melinda Metz’s acclaimed Roswell High novel (the first being 1999’s Roswell, which aired on the WB and UPN), isn’t so much a reboot as it is a reimagining of a familiar story updated for today’s volatile political climate … The show has a long way to go if it hopes to stand alongside the likes of The Flash and Jane the Virgin as a truly worthwhile watch. Roswell, New Mexico is like settling for brown sugar oatmeal when you’re craving a full-on breakfast spread. It’s not terrible nor does it hit the spot, but I suppose it will do for now.” — TV Guide.

☆☆☆☆ “Roswell, New Mexico is a canny blend of the two ways that its story — of aliens living on Earth and the humans who may or may not love them — has already been told … If its many mysteries come together as well as they are set up, Roswell, New Mexico could end up one of the CW’s more satisfying debuts.” — Variety.

☆☆☆☆ “To update the series, its characters have been pushed from their teens to their late 20s and a few 21st-century gender-hipness elements have been inserted. But the main change is that some of the characters are now Hispanics bitterly persecuted by ICE and that president who shan’t be named. Get it? Aliens from another galaxy and aliens from another country, all being pushed around by The Man! The ham-handedness of Roswell, New Mexico, cannot be overstated.” — Reason.com.

☆☆☆☆ “Overall, Roswell, New Mexico is a solid enough take on what was nothing more than another one of the ’90s obscure soaps with a soon to be proclaimed monster cast. It’s certainly played soapier than the ’90s series ever was, but yet the show has a decent enough start in its first three episodes to be worth a ‘try if you like’ recommendation.” — Forbes.

☆☆☆☆ “If this is supposed to be a hip and with-it transmogrification of Millennial life for the CW, I’ll pass. For a great show that gleans young life (romance, hookups, anxieties), watch Sex Education on Netflix. For something about aliens that speaks to the current political tire fire, re-watch Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers (1997).” — San Francisco Chronicle.