‘Roswell, New Mexico’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries’: Here’s How They Are Connected
The CW’s sophomore drama, Roswell, New Mexico, revolves around aliens living alongside oblivious citizens in a small town. Similarly, The Vampire Diaries, which aired on the network from 2009 to 2017, centered around vampires, werewolves, and witches and their unsuspecting human counterparts.
Fans of both shows may enjoy the juxtaposition between supernatural beings and mortals, but a more in-depth look will reveal that there are other commonalities between the shows. Here is a breakdown of how they are linked.
‘Roswell, New Mexico’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries’ origin stories
Roswell, New Mexico and The Vampire Diaries have similar origin stories. Both shows are based on different young adult novel series.
Author Melinda Metz introduced the “Roswell High Series” in 1998, and by 1999 the literature had been adapted into a television show called Roswell. The teen drama ran on The WB for two seasons before shifting to UPN for the third and final season. Twenty years later, The CW revived the story with Roswell, New Mexico, this time with more mature leads. Likewise, The Vampire Diaries was inspired by “The Vampire Diaries” book series, which L.J. Smith launched in 1991. The CW brought the narrative to life on screen from 2009 to 2017.
‘Roswell, New Mexico’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries’ cast connections
Some of the actors from The Vampire Diaries universe, which includes its spinoffs, The Originals, and Legacies, have popped up on Roswell, New Mexico.
Before Nathan Dean Parsons landed the lead role of the extraterrestrial town deputy Max Evans on Roswell, New Mexico, he had a stint on The Originals as the chivalrous werewolf, Jackson Kenner. Riley Voelkel plays the recurring role of Jenna Cameron, Max’s ex-partner and former fling. But first, the actress portrayed the powerful witch, Freya Mikaelson alongside Parsons on The Originals, and again in a guest role on Legacies.
Another star who was previously spotted on The Originals is Amber Midthunder, who appeared as a werewolf named Kayla in one episode. She now plays the resurrected teen, Rosa Ortecho, on Roswell, New Mexico.
Michael Trevino brought the town of Roswell’s sympathetic doctor, Kyle Valenti, to life, but fans may remember him as the vampire-werewolf hybrid, Tyler Lockwood, from The Vampire Diaries. The actor was a principal star on the series and also brought his character to The Originals twice.
Roswell’s resident fortune-teller, Maria DeLuca, is portrayed by Heather Hemmens, who once nabbed a guest-starring role on The Vampire Diaries. Things did not end well for her character, Maggie. Viewers may also recognize the tragic character of Nora, one of the aliens who crash-landed in Roswell in 1947. Kayla Ewell is the actress who plays her, but years earlier, she became a vampire, then a ghost named Vicki Donovan on The Vampire Diaries.
Behind-the-scenes links
Some of the creative minds behind development and production are linked to both shows. The Vampire Diaries series creator, Julie Plec, and star, Paul Wesley, have both scored directing credits, and Plec also landed a producing gig for episodes of Roswell, New Mexico.
The alien-themed series was developed by Carina Adly MacKenzie, who was a writer on The Originals. Plus, Eva McKenna was a crew member on both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals before joining Roswell, New Mexico as a writer. With all of the cross-pollination of talent, no wonder the shows have a similar fan base.
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