“Alex is alive!” Tyler Blackburn announced in a tweet, explaining his absence from many episodes of Roswell, New Mexico’s fourth season. He wrote that he’d taken much time away from the show to address both general and mental health issues in a Twitter thread on Monday, August 22. He offered many thanks to a number of different collaborators on the show, while shedding light on why he wasn’t seen in the most recent season. He closed his thread with a major show of gratitude. “I am forever grateful to the human beings that made up this show,” he tweeted.
Alex is alive! Thank you to my knight in shining armor @MichaelVlamis and the incomparable @heatherhemmens for her insane creativity, professionalism and patience. Also, thank you to the @RoswellNMRoom and the entire crew of @CWRoswellNM for helping me this season…
— Tyler Blackburn (@tylerjblackburn) August 23, 2022
…I was dealing with intense health issues that lead to, at times, intense mental health issues during seasons 3 & 4. I had to step down from filming season 4 and every single person in the cast and crew, as well as everyone at @warnerbros and @TheCW showed so much compassion.
— Tyler Blackburn (@tylerjblackburn) August 23, 2022
Besides his thanks to the writers, cast, and crew, as well as The CW and Warner Bros, Alex shouted out two of his co-stars in particular. “Thank you to my knight in shining armor Michael Vlamis and the incomparable Heather Hemmens for her insane creativity, professionalism, and patience. Also thank you to the [Roswell writer’s room] and the entire crew of [Roswell] for helping me this season,” he wrote.
After thanking his colleagues, Tyler explained why he bowed out of the show’s fourth season. “I was dealing with intense health issues that lead to, at times, intense mental health issues during seasons 3 & 4,” he tweeted. “I had to step down from filming season 4 and every single person in the cast and crew, as well as everyone at Warner Bros and The CW showed so much compassion.”
Long before addressing why Alex Manes was missing, Tyler reflected on filming the most recent season in a May Instagram post. “Stepping into the shoes of Alex Manes was transformative for me in many ways. It helped me open my mind and soul to what love can be. I know that Alex’s story helped many people out there as well, and for that I am honored,” he wrote. “This chapter is closing but I know the impact Roswell made on the world will live on.”
The Pretty Little Liars star appeared in very few episodes of the sci-fi drama’s latest season. He missed out on a number of episodes. He is listed as having a “credit only” for eight of the show’s most recent episodes, after having started the season in the first two episodes. Tyler’s tweets came after his character made his return in the latest episode of the show, which premiered on Monday night.