Edgler Vess

Hi

I have the chance of acquiring (exchange), one of these series (of which I never saw an episode), for that I ask:

Are they exclusively for a teen audience?

Being of identical themes, which are the main differences, if they exist, among them?

If you had to choose one of them , which would you choose and why ?

Rate each one, please (up to 10)

Thanks in advance

LivingINClip

Never cared for Roswell, so I say Smallville...Then again, I'm a complete comic nerd and even if Smallville isn't faithful to the source material, it still features a version of one of my all time favorite characters.

chrisih8u

I love Smallville. I bought Roswell season 1, but gave up after 3 episodes. I just didnt like it.

Smallville: 8
Roswell: 2

Ayre

I like Roswell a lot but ....

Take Smallville and If you get a chance pick up the 4400 instead of Roswell.

The pacing in Roswell can be brutally slow and the slow spots aren't exactly filled with anything important. I would not compare the two though, Smallville is much more of an action based series and Roswell is less action and more drama. There is an overlap between the two that could be considered similar. From a theme/atmosphere stand point I would place Roswell closer to the 4400. The 4400 being far superior and more adult.

hardcore

In my opinion, Smallville has strong characters, but bad writing. I've watched it from the beginning, but I feel guilty about it a lot of the time. Even though I watch it all the time, I would never recommend it to a friend.

Roswell had a great first season, then went downhill with the decision to put more emphasis on the sci-fi elements. I eventually stopped watching it, but I think that was more out of sadness that something that started so good went to hell. I've never had high expectations from Smallville.

For Smallville I'd give the writing a 5, and the characters an 8. Roswell started at about an 8.5, and slid to a 5.5 by second season.

riley_dude

Roswell started out as a sorta Buffy with Aliens but never really make up it's mind what way it wanted to go. I like the sci fi angle more, I think it was in season 2 but it was all over the map.
I vote Smallville.
Regarding 4400 it was good the first season and horrible the second.

HE Pennypacker

I'd say after the first season both shows were tied in the quality department. I have yet to see any of the further seasons of Roswell, but I intend to soon. I gave up on Smallville after the third season. I tried watching the fourth season, but one of the main plot lines with a main character was just too stupid for me to handle. I still catch an episode of Smallville every now and then, but it is no longer something I look forward to. As far as I noticed, the show is only GREAT during the first couple and last couple episodes of each season.

However, the episode I viewed last night was pretty decent I must say. Depending on where the rest of this season goes, I might give this show another chance on disc.

adamblast

Roswell had a terrific premise, and an engaging and likeable cast, but it struggled in the ratings, and as riley_dude says, it never really decided what it wanted to be: it kept changing its focus/tone and doing these near-reboots, usually ending up with something no better. There is some really excellent stuff mixed in its three years, but it gets worse as it goes along, and all-in-all not an easy show to recommend.

Of course, that almost sounds like Smallville, too, which even most of its fans admit is depressingly mediocre half the time, with lots of people saying "maybe this year will be better" each season...

riley_dude

If you liked last night which was one of the sub par ones you will like the rest of the show.

HE Pennypacker

Perhaps, but if there is anything similar to I won't be interested.

Iron_Giant

Smallville, though I like Roswell alot.

You just can't tug on Superman's cape!

Terrell

Or spit into the wind.

reds1

Smallville rocks! Go with Smallville

gatoinfeliz

Roswell all the way. I agree that the first season was the best. The reason it failed was probably because of interference from the network. It was basically mandatory changes that they wanted which led to the added sci-fi stuff the original audience didn't really care for. I think the creator had a seven season storyline already outlined but had to change everything when the WB wanted more sci-fi and less drama. I think it would have fared better if it would have premiered some two or three years later than it did (was it 1999?). It never had decent numbers but UPN wanted to keep it but the president left and the new one hated it so he canned it. If they made a better written fourth season and it was still on by last season, I think it would have done better in the ratings if hooked up with Veronica Mars. That would have been a solid two-hour block on Tuesdays.

nny

I'm in the minority that loved the first season of Smallville, but feel the show has been fairly mediocre since. The writers are just totally incapable of handling the characters or any long running storylines. I still watch the show because there's still certain elements I enjoy, but overall it's tied with Alias for the worst show that I continue to watch.

I loved Roswell. Both of the first 2 seasons are excellent. The third season was disappointing, but it wasn't the steep drop in quality that most shows usually suffer at some point. I feel Roswell was the first show to regularly use a large amount of songs for it's episodes and it used the music really well. The show introduced me to new songs and bands and even changed my mind on how I felt about a song or 2. I didn't like Walk On by U2 until I heard it used so effectively on Roswell. Later, Alias used the same song in one of the worst uses of a song I've ever seen and made me start disliking the song again.

To me, Roswell was so good that it would have worked as just a teen drama or as just a show about aliens. I was really surprised how well they handled both elements. It's definitely one of the most underrated dramas of all time.

maingon

Roswell all the way too

marty888

Everyone is skirting the central issue, and the most important question of all: do you get a better cup of coffee at the Talon or the Crashdown?

madara

Roswell unless your abigtime comic nerd

Rocketdog2000

I am a big time comics nerd, too - and I still say ROSWELL!

Odd, as we were just having these disscussions, that I brought up, in another thread.

Don't get me wrong, I like, and enjoy Smallville, but it's nowhere near as good as Roswell was. It's far more cheesy, overall, and doesn't have nearly enough humor and heart that Roswell was capable of. Smallville also pretty much duplicated a lot of it's stylistic sense from Roswell (as well as a bit of Buffy, but both did) - but I don't want to go too into detail, to avoid spoiling things for those who haven't seen either.

Even at it's worst, Roswell was still better than Smallville has been for most of it's run so far. Yes, there have been some truly exceptional Smallville episodes, but when you average those from the rest, you're left with too much filler, and some outright crap storytelling - which is even more the pity considering the wealth of source material they have to pull from in DC comics history.

Anyway, had I never seen Roswell first, maybe I'd have a different opinion. But expeirencing it the way I did, and knowing what I know about both - everytime I watch Smallville, I'm left with the feeling of watching a paler imitation, and pining for the better days of Roswell.

Lastly, I've turned far more people, who have never seen Roswell before, into fans of the show after veiwing it. I can't say as I've been able to do the same for Smallville.

PHMustang2000

Roswell has always been my favorite show, but I like Smallville too

runner001

I was excited when I first heard that there would be a new series about Superman. I caught the entire first season but towards the end, it lost my interest. For the next three seasons, i caught episodes here or there.

I didn't watch Roswell when it was originally on, but when I bought the DVD of the first season, I knew I had to get the rest of the seasons. I'm up to season three and now I find myself rationing it since I know there won't be more. Roswell before Smallville.

Easy. It has to be the Talon. Talon is a coffee shop and coffee is their main draw whereas the Crashdown was more a diner.