The following was transcribed from http://www.thewb.com/news/sessions/katims/index.shtml on March 11, 2001 for archival purposes. Only the format has been edited.

The WB Sessions With Jason Katims

The following is the session transcript from Monday, December 18. It has been edited for spelling and grammar.

TheWBAndrew: Our special guest today is Roswell Executive Producer Jason Katims. He's here to answer your questions about the show, and give a hint as to what to expect in Roswell universe.
We received over 600 questions in advance of today's chat, so let's get started.
Perhaps the most popular question asked is about Max & Liz and Michael & Maria
Let's take care of those right away...
The only thing on my mind is the situation between Max and Liz. I just want to know if they are getting together. Or is their relationship totally over?

Jason:It's hard for me to say if and when they get back together because I honestly don't know yet.
What I can say is I consider the Liz and Max relationship the central love story in the series.
Even the deepest of relationships has its ups and downs, so what I find interesting is to track their relationship even when they're not technically together.
For example, the moment between Max and Liz at the end of the Christmas episode seems more poignant with them being apart than it would have been if they were together.

TheWBAndrew: Will Max ever find out that Liz and Kyle didn't really sleep together and about Future Max?

Jason: That is something I think will happen before the season is over...

TheWBAndrew: Are there any special Michael and Maria moments coming up that you can tell us about?

Jason:Always. There are 2 episodes in particular coming up (airing 2/5 and 2/12) which throw Michael and Maria together - first on a road trip of sorts and then living out the fantasy of being rich and famous.

TheWBAndrew: How did you feel when you realize that Roswell was getting more popular?

Jason:I would say that I think that when I first realized that the show had this passionate fan base was when we were in danger of not getting picked up. It gave me this great feeling through all the campaigns.

TheWBAndrew: Typically, how long does the cast have from the time they first get a script until the final shoot of an episode?

Jason: We shoot every episode in eight days...they'll get the script between a day or two or a week before we start shooting.

TheWBAndrew: Do you consider the Roswell High novels as canonical in regards to the television show?

Jason: I read the first book and I used that as the model for the show and that after that we kind of took into our direction and I haven't read any after that unfortunately. The show has taken a life of its own so the book and the show are two separate living things.

TheWBAndrew: Michael and Maria are the main reason I keep watching the show. Without giving us any spoilers, do you think we're gonna like tonight's eppy?

Jason: Yes.

TheWBAndrew: What's it like having Commander Riker direct?

Jason: haha... I think that Jonathan, who hasn't directed yet this season...he's also an exec. producer so he knows the cast and crew very well...to have him is great and comforting for the crew...he came in with such a confidence and grace about how he approached things that it's great to have him.

TheWBAndrew: Will it be possible for our beloved pod squad to keep their true loves and fufill the destiny that was handed to them by their mother?

Jason: ...I don't know...=) That's a big question and the answer might go beyond this season. Where did you attend college? How did you get your start in writing?

Jason: I went to Queens College in NY and after that pursued playwriting...I got my start in TV writing on My So Called Life.

TheWBAndrew: How will the powers of the aliens continue to evolve?

Jason:As we have each one develop a different power, the power defines - in a way - who they are and vice versa...Isabel's power is more about intuitiveness and getting signals from people (dreamwalking). Michael is explosive and a little out of control so his powers have materialized...with Max it's his healing power and it's the thing that most defines the person he is.

TheWBAndrew: How will the powers of the aliens continue to evolve?

Jason: As we have each one develop a different power, the power defines-in a way-who they are and vice versa...

TheWBAndrew: Who picks the music for each episode? How much thought is put into it?

Jason: We have great music supervisors who continually feed choices to the editors.
The editors - who all have incredible instincts with music - then put songs into the early cuts of the episodes. Finally, I look at the cuts and make adjustments from there.

TheWBAndrew: Do you have any advice as to how a young writer can get noticed?

Jason: From my own experience it took a long time to get noticed so I may be giving bad advice...but what advice I have is to write what is personal to him/her and what you're passionate about...if you can find a reason to write that isn't just about being successful, your chances of being successful are greater...hope that helps.

TheWBAndrew: How did you select the different actors for their respective roles?

Jason: All the actors in the show auditioned and we saw dozens of actors for each role and the leads we saw over close to 100 for each role. You just try to find the people who you think you connect to the material and who have some special with good chemistry yet be different enough to make it interesting.

TheWBAndrew: Can we expect to see Isabel falling for anyone this season? She's so alone.

Jason: I think that we're definitely dealing with the fact that she's alone and that her own frustrations with being alone and what she does about it. It's something we thought about to give her a love interest...but there are some obstacles...we're addressing it by having Isabel ask the same thing you're asking.

TheWBAndrew: Jason, is the total order for season two 21 or 22 eps?

Jason: 21

TheWBAndrew: Do any of the writers read comments from the Crashdown site?

Jason: I can't speak with the other writers but the office staff definitely keeps up with it. I don't read them that often but I'm kept apprised of what you're saying and what you're responding to.

TheWBAndrew: Will Tess ever go away?

Jason: hmmm...Where do you want her to go? =)

TheWBAndrew: What can we do to help Roswell to a third season?

Jason: I think the best way is to keep watching the show. The support our core audience has shown has gotten us where we are so far. The network's awareness of this core audience is really helping us to continue.

TheWBAndrew: Will tonight's episode offer a storyline that is significant to the entire season, or is it just a holiday episode independent of the ongoing stories of the season?

Jason: Tonight's a pretty stand alone episode and I think it's less interconnected than the other episodes that we've done that have contributed to the storyline. What I really like about it is that it does stand alone. You really never have had to seen an episode of Roswell to enjoy it and I'm really excited about that.

TheWBAndrew: Is Majandra going to sing on an episode again?

Jason: Yes, she does a little singing tonight...and we're planning an episode now where she sings.

TheWBAndrew: Will Max ever find out that Liz and Kyle didn't really sleep together and about Future Max? If so from who?

Jason: That is something I think will happen before this season is over. I don't know yet from who...=)

TheWBAndrew: Has Colin Hanks' role in Star Wars II affected his role on Roswell? He seems to have dropped into the background this season.

Jason: Well actually he was doing Band of Brothers with his dad. He's now back in the cast and starting with episode 12 - 1/29 - he returns.

TheWBAndrew: How do you feel about the cult-like status Roswell has received in such a short time period?

Jason:I'm really surprised and excited about it. What I found is that fans of Roswell defy the demographic of THe WB and the demo you would expect the show to appeal to - both the older viewers and the really young viewers - although there's a small cult appeal there seems to be a broad appeal to all sorts of people and that makes me happy.

TheWBAndrew: Do you feel confident about a third season?

Jason: I haven't really thought too much about it but I do think that we've been doing really well this year and as long as we continue to get the numbers we've been getting and we continue to build on those numbers, we're in good shape.

TheWBAndrew: You were talking about how each have unique powers, will they be developing any new ones in the coming episodes?

Jason: Right now there are no new powers. We're focusing on the powers that already have and how they develop. We don't want to have them have too many powers or else we run into the danger of having them be like superheroes.

TheWBAndrew: What do you currently like most about the show?

Jason: What I like most is when we do episodes that use the sci-fi aspect of the show to tell emotional stories...

TheWBAndrew: Do you have the next couple of season's arcs planned out or are you mainly focused on getting through this season?

Jason: haha...I'm just concentratin this g on season. What happens with a show like this that tends to be serialized...it's difficult to think that far ahead because you want to see how the arcs play out before you jump to the next thing. The more you can see what's working and be improvisational makes for more interesting storylines.

TheWBAndrew: What made you decide to do a Christmas episode for Roswell?

Jason: The idea of Max unleashing his powers to help these children was a story I've been wanting to tell from the inception of the series.
As we started to think about the episode more it just became clear it should be a Christmas episode.
The themes we were dealing with - those of wanting to use our gifts to help others, personal sacrifice and pondering what our roles are in the human family - are all ideas that fit well with a Christmas story.
And I have to thank the WB, by the way, for juggling their airdate schedule to allow us to do it.

TheWBAndrew: When are we going to see a Roswell soundtrack?

Jason: We are in the early stages of planning a soundtrack right now. We would love to get it out by late spring, but it might not happen that quickly.

TheWBAndrew: here's a good one... Why have Max and Michael been so hostile to each other?

Jason: Testosterone.

TheWBAndrew: What was your first job ever?

Jason: I worked with my brother running a snackbar in a hotel in the Catskills for the summer. We called it A Snackbar Named Desire.

TheWBAndrew: Is the information given on the website at www.silverhandprint.com considered to be part of the canon of Roswell, or should we just draw our conclusions from what we've seen on the show?

Jason: Good question.. All of the information on the website comes from the episodes themselves and information received from myself and the rest of the writing staff.
While I haven't been able to cull through every piece of information put out there, it should serve as an accurate appendix to the show.
For example, we'll be revealing the homeworld planet's name on silverhandprint.com probably next week.

TheWBAndrew: Do you find it difficult to maintain all of the characters on the show?

Jason: I can barely even remember all of their names.

TheWBAndrew: The Michael and Maria relationship seems to be a little confusing this season. One moment they're broken up, the next minute they're "together." Will there be an episode later down the road to clear up the confusion as to whether they are "together" or not?

Jason: Honestly, it's not all that confusing to me. Think about on-again, off-again relationships you know about. They're all illogical and torturous and wonderful and hard to define.

TheWBAndrew: Are there any plans to bring back some of the season 1 characters, i.e. Riverdog, Eddie, Larry and Jen, etc.?

Jason: Not at the moment, but it's hard to imagine they won't show up at some point. Larry and Jen are particular favorites of mine.

TheWBAndrew: Will we ever see any My So Called Life characters/actors appear on Roswell?

Jason: Actually, there's already been one. Winnie Holzman played the fortune teller in End of the World. Winnie is the creator of My So-Called Life and made several appearances on that show as the guidance counselor.
Also, Devon Gummersall (Brian Krakow) will be playing a recurring character on Roswell (as Sean). His first episode will be To Serve and Protect.
This episode airs on 1/22

TheWBAndrew: I love watching Roswell and I was wondering what you do if you have writer's block?

Jason: Weep uncontrollably....=)

TheWBAndrew: haha...ok one last question... What do you currently like most about the show?

Jason: What I like most is when we do episodes that use the sci-fi aspect of the show to tell emotional stories. I like episodes that capitalize on the potential of imaginative storylines that are about human relationships. I think that tonight's episode is like that...because of that, I think it's one of our strongest episodes.

TheWBAndrew: TheWBAndrew: ok...thanks everyone...

TheWBAndrew: TheWBAndrew: Thanks Jason

Jason: thank you