Pratik Handore
‘Roswell, New Mexico’ is a science fiction series that tells the story of Liz Ortecho, who returns to her hometown and learns that her childhood crush, Max Evans, is an alien from a distant planet. The lives of Max and Liz are turned upside down when a violent attack threatens to uncover a deeper alien conspiracy and expose Max. It is based on the ‘Roswell High’ book series penned by Melinda Metz and developed for television by Carina Adly MacKenzie.
The mystery drama series is a remake/reimagining of the teen drama ‘Roswell’ that ran from 1999-2002. The titular town filled with mysteries plays a huge part in the show’s plot, but is the series actually filmed in the city? If you are wondering about the same question, allow us to share everything we know about the filming locations of ‘Roswell, New Mexico.’
Roswell, New Mexico Filming Locations
Principal photography on the pilot episode of ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ commenced on March 14, 2018, and wrapped up on March 30, 2018. Filming of the rest of the first season episodes began on August 13, 2018.
The cameras began rolling on the show’s second season in August 2019, while the third season began filming on October 20, 2020. The series is primarily filmed across various cities in the state of New Mexico. Let’s take a closer look at the show’s filming sites.
Roswell, New Mexico
The town of Roswell in Chaves County, New Mexico, is the show’s primary setting. You’d be surprised to know that the series is partially filmed on location in the town. It is perhaps best known for the Roswell UFO incident, an alleged UFO crash landing incident that took place in 1947, some 75 miles outside the city. Roswell is also known for its contribution to aerospace engineering, and most of the town’s tourism industry is based on alien and spacecraft-themed museums and culture. Therefore, given the show’s premise, it is not surprising that the production team chose the town of Roswell as a filming destination.
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Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is a city located in the namesake county and the capital of New Mexico. It is one of the show’s most important filming locations, and a large portion of the series is shot in various parts of the city. The production of the show is primarily carried out in Santa Fe Studios, a studio facility located at 1 Santa Fe Studios Road. Most of the interior scenes are filmed on soundstages at the studio complex.
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Filming of ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ also takes place in Madrid, a census-designated place in the Santa Fe Metropolitan area. It is a former mining town that is now a well-known art destination.
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Some scenes for the series are also shot in Las Vegas, a town in New Mexico (not to be confused with Las Vegas, Nevada) that lies 65 miles from Santa Fe. Plaza Drugs, a drug store located at 178 Bridge Street, probably serves as the exterior location for the Crashdown Cafe in episodes excluding the pilot. A bank located opposite the drug store acts as the exterior for the Sherrif’s Station from episode 2 onwards.
Once again Las Vegas, NM, becomes Roswell for several days as Plaza Drugs is reimaged to become the Crashdown Cafe. Filming starts tomorrow for the new season of TV's Roswell, New Mexico. Space aliens are lurking about. pic.twitter.com/yUD1Ub1Dyc
— John Gegner (@Orange_Deuce) January 14, 2021
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is also one of the show’s shooting destinations, and the pilot episode was primarily filmed in the city. Lindy’s Diner, situated at 500 Central Avenue, acts as the stand-in for the Crashdown Cafe in the pilot episode, while the Sheriff’s Station seen in the episode is an empty storefront on 5th Street. The cast and crew occasionally visit The Duke City to film certain scenes.
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