It's official: UPN has announced that it will cancel its teen-alien series Roswell. The network will air the series finale at 9 p.m. ET/PT on May 14. "I would like to thank 20th Century Fox Television, UPN and especially our fans, whose combined efforts helped get us a third season for Roswell," series co-creator Jason Katims said in a statement. "[Executive producer] Ronald D. Moore and I had the fans very much on our minds when we were writing this final episode. We felt they deserved a great ending."

Roswell's fate has been in doubt all season as the series' ratings have dropped against stiff competition from The WB's Superman series, Smallville. The show wrapped production on the current third season in March. UPN took over Roswell this year, after The WB dropped it after two seasons. Roswell has never been a strong ratings contender, but The WB renewed it after its first year as the result of a vigorous campaign by fans that included the mailing of thousands of tiny bottles of Tabasco, the teen aliens' condiment of choice.

The SCI FI Channel will begin airing reruns of all three seasons of Roswell starting this fall.

R O S W E L L
MEMORANDUM

To: Producers, Cast and Crew of Roswell

From: Jason Katims

Date: April 9, 2002

Dear Friends,

I have been informed that tomorrow morning UPN will be putting out a press release announcing that our final episode of the season will be the UPN Series Finale. Obviously, this means that barring the unlikely event of another network change, Roswell will not be returning for a fourth season.

I am writing to let you know that this is about to happen and to once again thank you all for your invaluable contributions to the show. I am very proud of the work we have done on Roswell and am honored to have had the opportunity to work with, and get to know, all of you.

I wish you all the best of luck in the future and sincerely hope we get the chance to work together again soon.

Warmest Regards,

Jason