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We can just picture ''Roswell'''s initial pitch meeting: ''Think 'Dawson's Creek' meets 'The X-Files''' Or perhaps: ''Imagine 'Dawson's Creek' crossed with 'E.T.' -- but with no ugly creatures!'' Either way, WB execs bought it, and the rest is Wednesday-night history (kinda). Even so, the similarities between the ratings-grabbing ''Creek'' and its freshman follow-up ''Roswell'' are so blatantly spooky that we HAD to tell someone.

Dawson's CreekRoswell
•Stars six gorgeous teens living in small-town Capeside, Mass.•Stars six gorgeous teens living in small-town Roswell, N.M.
•Follows three locals (Dawson, Pacey, Joey) and three outsiders (Andie, Jack, Jen)•Follows three locals (Liz, Maria, Alex) and three aliens (Michael, Max, and Isabel)
•Features a vampy blond (Michelle Williams) and a doe-eyed brunet (Katie Holmes)•Features a vampy blond (Katherine Heigl) and a doe-eyed brunet (Shiri Appleby)
•Joey visits Dawson by climbing into his window•Max visits Liz by climbing onto her balcony
•Joey and Jack used to work at the Ice House, the local watering hole•Liz and Maria work at the Crashdown Cafe, the local diner
•Brooding heartthrob Dawson rejects Joey's sexual advances, claiming she's not ready•Introspective heartthrob Max rejects Liz's advances, claiming he's an alien and she's not
•Pacey is estranged from his blue-uniformed policeman father•Michael is estranged from his blue-collar-worker foster father
•Jason Behr played Chris, who bedded rebellious Jen•Jason Behr plays Max, who's trying not to bed rebellious Liz

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Posted Dec 08, 1999 | Order Article Reprints