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The Best Episodes of Roswell Season 1

Every episode of Roswell Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Roswell Season 1!

Binge this in 15h 11m•Peaking at 8.4/10

Bizarre things start happening in the little New Mexico town where UFOs were spotted in 1947. Cut to 1999, when a cute high-school student saves the life of a teenage waitress. Surrounded by cliques of

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Roswell Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    8.0/10(661 votes)

    #1 - Pilot

    S1:E1

    Liz Parker learns Max Evans' out-of-this-world secret when he saves her life and must rely on her to safeguard his secret as an orphaned extraterrestrial.

    Director:David Nutter
    Writer:Jason Katims

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  2. Roswell Season 1 Episode 2 - The Morning After
    7.4/10(447 votes)

    #2 - The Morning After

    S1:E2

    Liz tries to maintain her relationship with Kyle despite her deep bond with Max; Michael is obsessed with the idea that there was another alien in Roswell in 1959 and tries to decipher the meaning of the flashes only he sees. Meanwhile, Liz suspects the new guidance counselor Ms. Topolsky is hiding something, especially when she sees her with Michael's file.

    Director:David Nutter
    Writer:Jason Katims

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  3. Roswell Season 1 Episode 3 - Monsters
    7.5/10(395 votes)

    #3 - Monsters

    S1:E3

    Isabel is concerned about Maria's nervous reactions to Sheriff Valenti, so she invades one of Maria's dreams to determine whether she can keep the aliens' secret.

    Directors:David Semel, David Nutter
    Writer:Thania St. John

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  4. Roswell Season 1 Episode 4 - Leaving Normal
    7.5/10(388 votes)

    #4 - Leaving Normal

    S1:E4

    Liz's grandmother is rushed to the hospital after suffering a stroke prompting Liz to reach out to Max for comfort.

    Director:Chris Long
    Writer:Jason Katims

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  5. Roswell Season 1 Episode 5 - Missing
    7.5/10(367 votes)

    #5 - Missing

    S1:E5

    Liz discovers her personal journal, which contains all she knows about the aliens, is missing and she fears it has fallen into the hands of someone who could expose the aliens.

    Director:David Semel
    Writer:Jon Harmon Feldman

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  6. Roswell Season 1 Episode 6 - 285 South
    8.2/10(405 votes)

    #6 - 285 South

    S1:E6

    Michael's monomaniacal urge to find the geodesic dome that's been stalking his dreams leads him to hijack Maria's car to Texas.

    Director:Arvin Brown
    Writers:William Sind, Thania St. John

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  7. Roswell Season 1 Episode 7 - River Dog
    7.6/10(356 votes)

    #7 - River Dog

    S1:E7

    Liz and Max journey to an American Indian reservation where they glean information from an elderly tribesman about the alien who vanished in 1959.

    Director:Jonathan Frakes
    Writer:Cheryl Cain

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  8. Roswell Season 1 Episode 8 - Blood Brother
    7.7/10(354 votes)

    #8 - Blood Brother

    S1:E8

    Max is injured in a car accident and Liz pressures Alex to help protect him from medical procedures that could expose his identity by providing blood samples to replace Max's.

    Director:David Nutter
    Writers:Barry Pullman, Breen Frazier

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  9. Roswell Season 1 Episode 9 - Heat Wave
    7.9/10(382 votes)

    #9 - Heat Wave

    S1:E9

    A freak December heat wave hits the town and sparks romance as Michael's relationship with Maria heats up and Liz's infatuation with Max intensifies; meanwhile Isabel enters into one of Alex's dreams only to discover her likeness already there and dancing with Alex.

    Director:David Nutter
    Writer:Jason Katims

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  10. Roswell Season 1 Episode 10 - The Balance
    7.3/10(338 votes)

    #10 - The Balance

    S1:E10

    While at the reservation Michael ends up in an alarming hallucinatory state and the others must band together to save his life.

    Director:John Behring
    Writer:Thania St. John

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  11. Roswell Season 1 Episode 11 - The Toy House
    7.3/10(328 votes)

    #11 - The Toy House

    S1:E11

    When Max rescues his mother from a kitchen fire she faces her suspicions about his extraordinary abilities; Liz reaches out to Kyle in friendship.

    Director:Michael Fields
    Writer:Jon Harmon Feldman

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  12. Roswell Season 1 Episode 12 - Into the Woods
    7.5/10(343 votes)

    #12 - Into the Woods

    S1:E12

    A new UFO sighting sends suspicion and fear through the town and leads Max and Isabel to investigate the incident during a school camping trip.

    Director:Nick Marck
    Writer:Thania St. John

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  13. Roswell Season 1 Episode 13 - The Convention
    7.7/10(330 votes)

    #13 - The Convention

    S1:E13

    Max plays host to actor Jonathan Frakes at the annual UFO Convention while trying to avoid the meddlesome couple who witnessed Max's life-saving abilities on Liz at the Crashdown Cafe.

    Director:Tucker Gates
    Writer:Emily Whitesell

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  14. Roswell Season 1 Episode 14 - Blind Date
    7.9/10(370 votes)

    #14 - Blind Date

    S1:E14

    Maria enters Liz in a blind date contest; Max and Kyle commiserate about their shared feelings for Liz; Michael and Isabel send a signal to the fourth alien.

    Director:Keith Samples
    Writer:Thania St. John

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  15. Roswell Season 1 Episode 15 - Independence Day
    7.8/10(338 votes)

    #15 - Independence Day

    S1:E15

    After Michael has a violent showdown with his father, Max and Isabel's father helps Michael set up his emancipation; the fourth alien emerges as a shapeshifter who watches over Max, Michael and Isabel.

    Director:Paul Shapiro
    Writer:Toni Graphia

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  16. Roswell Season 1 Episode 16 - Sexual Healing
    7.7/10(360 votes)

    #16 - Sexual Healing

    S1:E16

    Liz is unnerved by her strong desire for Max and the visions that come when they kiss - visions that lead to a glowing orb in the desert.

    Director:David Semel
    Writer:Jan Oxenberg

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  17. Roswell Season 1 Episode 17 - Crazy
    7.8/10(317 votes)

    #17 - Crazy

    S1:E17

    FBI agent Topolsky returns to warn Liz that a covert alien hunter inside the Bureau is pursuing Max and his friends -- and that he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Meanwhile, Isabel befriends Tess, a new female student who immediately arouses Max and Michael's suspicions.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.
    Writer:Thania St. John

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  18. Roswell Season 1 Episode 18 - Tess, Lies and Videotape
    7.9/10(318 votes)

    #18 - Tess, Lies and Videotape

    S1:E18

    Max develops an uncontrollable attraction to Tess that includes intense sexual daydreams, and Sheriff Valenti learns that Topolsky was killed in a suspicious fire. Meanwhile, someone has secretly placed a video camera inside Michael's apartment.

    Director:Paul Shapiro
    Writers:Toni Graphia, Richard Whitley

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  19. Roswell Season 1 Episode 19 - Four Square
    7.5/10(311 votes)

    #19 - Four Square

    S1:E19

    Harding finds the video camera hidden in his house and gives it to Valenti. The lawman then tells Max that his safety depends upon his willingness to share information. Meanwhile, Tess reveals a personal secret to Isabel.

    Director:Jonathan Frakes
    Writer:Thania St. John

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  20. Roswell Season 1 Episode 20 - Max to the Max
    8.1/10(322 votes)

    #20 - Max to the Max

    S1:E20

    Tess's book suggests that she and Max are predetermined mates, as are Michael and Isabel, who thinks she might be pregnant -- with Michael's baby. Meanwhile, Nasedo disguises himself as Max and kidnaps Liz as part of a plan to trap FBI agent Pierce.

    Director:Patrick R. Norris
    Writer:Toni Graphia

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  21. Roswell Season 1 Episode 21 - The White Room
    8.3/10(346 votes)

    #21 - The White Room

    S1:E21

    Max finds himself in a white room with no windows or doors, facing questions by Agent Pierce. Isabel telepathically contacts Max, who leaves her clues to his location. Michael, Isabel and Tess then set out on a rescue mission.

    Director:Jonathan Frakes
    Writer:Thania St. John

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  22. Roswell Season 1 Episode 22 - Destiny
    8.4/10(367 votes)

    #22 - Destiny

    S1:E22

    After escaping from Pierce, the aliens save Nasedo. Michael accidentally kills Pierce. Nasedo, as the aliens' guardian takes Pierce's place to help the aliens. The aliens figure out how to use the devices and release a message from Max and Isabel's real mother. She says Max is their leader and Tess, his fiance and that Michael is Second in command and he is Isabel's fiance. After hearing all this Liz runs out.

    Director:Patrick R. Norris
    Writers:Toni Graphia, Thania St. John

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Pilot" is the best rated episode of "Roswell" season 1. It scored 8/10 based on 661 votes. Directed by David Nutter and written by Jason Katims, it aired on 10/6/1999. This episode is rated 0.6 points higher than the second-best, "The Morning After".