'Alias' Over in May

When listing the things they're thankful for on Thanksgiving, the cast and crew of "Alias" will probably skip "steady employment."
While it has been widely assumed that this season, the show's fifth, would be the ABC spy drama's last, the network made the official announcement on Wednesday that this May's finale will conclude the adventures of Sydney Bristow and friends.

"This news, and its timing, is a mixed-blessing," says Executive Producer Jeff Pinkner in a statement. "Though we're obviously very saddened to face the reality that 'Alias' is coming to an end, the lasting quality of every good story is determined by its conclusion -- this news gives us the freedom to end the series in the climactic way it deserves."

The original concept for "Alias" came to creator J.J. Abrams back when he was working on his college drama, "Felicity," for The WB. One year he brainstormed that wouldn't it "just rock" if the main character, a university student, was recruited by the CIA and then had to go off and save the world while keeping her college friends in the dark.
Even though he continued to call the premise "ludicrous," Abrams did think it had the potential to be a comic book or cartoon come to life on its own.

ABC agreed and the story of grad student/international Sydney Bristow -- whose life became even more complicated when the agency she worked for killed her fiance and she learned her father was also a secret agent -- was born.

Abrams and his team managed to rest the clock on the show a number of times, fearlessly scrapping storylines and setting the charcters' world on ear at the drop of a dime ... or for a coveted post-Super Bowl spot.

This season, with star Jennifer Garner slightly restrained from many physical stunts due to her real-life pregnancy, the show attempted to reinvent itself once again with the addition of Rachel Nichols and Balthazar Getty to the cast. And the network promises that the announcement of its demise is really more of an effort to give "Alias" the send-off it has earned.

"Right out of the box, 'Alias' attracted a cult following of fans that were completely invested in the show," says ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson. "'Alias' is not going to wind down as it comes to an end, it's going to rev up, and we're going to make it the event it deserves to be."

From: Zap2It

Sad thing is...I'm right there with ya.

Sweet Jesus.

From: E! Online

Of course, the only cancellation confirmed thus far by its network is ABC's Alias, the show that I've drooled over, obsessed about and planned many a Cooper-Veitch (or Vartan-Veitch, depending on the mood) wedding in this very column since before the show's debut back in 2001.That said, my reaction to the news may surprise you, not to mention the goodness in store for the finale. Hope you're sitting down.

I Spied Alias Without Jennifer Garner: It happened during an interview with Rachel Nichols a couple of weeks ago, before the cancellation was announced. I saw the future of Alias. And it worried me.

When asked what's ahead for the show, considering Jennifer Garner's impending motherhood, Rachel replied: "She's going to do every episode this season. And contrary to popular belief, she'll even probably be back for some episodes next season...And if [the show] goes on for another couple of seasons, I'd like to think that I will be here and doing my part as, you know, Jennifer moves off. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years I may be the pregnant one that's like, 'All right, time for someone new to come in! I'm leaving!' "

Sure sounds like producers may have been considering continuing the show with less Jen and more Rachel, no? A source on set confirmed it was so--that although Jen had already signed for season six, clearly, she'd need a bit more time for her new Garfleck bundle of joy. (Those 18-hour days aren't so conducive to motherhood.)

A week later, precisely two days before Alias was canceled, I ran into ABC President Steve McPherson at an event and, of course, pounced at the chance to ask, "Is this Alias' last season? Is it going to continue without Jennifer Garner?" He responded that he didn't "see it continuing without Jennifer Garner...Alias is Jennifer Garner."

I found myself surprisingly, strangely relieved. (God, I feel blasphemous for saying that--stay with me.) Not because I don't adore Alias and Rachel Nichols (she's one of the best young talents anywhere today), but because I'd rather see her in a spinoff than carrying the torch of a show that's already morphed into something else so many times.

Don't get me wrong, Alias is still one of the best shows ever to air on television. Even at its worst, it's still better than 99 percent of the crap on the air. But for some of we die-hard Aliasaholics who've loved the show since its inception, the farther it gets from the original concept in the pilot, the more we can't help but ache a little for the Alias of yesterseason. Will, Francie, Sark, Vaughn, "the Man" turned Spy Mommy, "Joey's Pizza." (Sigh.) Anyone else feel the same? If so, therein lies the glittering silver lining.

Alias Reunion! That's what it's certainly sounding like the big series finale in May could be. Sources tell me producers are hoping for a full two-hour blowout, in which they would bring back many of the former goodies and baddies we've loved and lost: Irina (Lena Olin), Will (Bradley Cooper), Francie (Merrin Dungey), Anna Espinosa (Gina Torres), Katya (Isabella Rossellini), etc. The list goes on and on and might even include a certain someone who may or may not have been shot repeatedly in the chest.
Do you hear that? It's the sound of my mind exploding. (As our beloved Marshal would say.)

Of course, all this depends on the actors' availability. Some are doing plays, like Bradley, with Julia Roberts on Broadway, and others, movies, but I can't imagine they wouldn't drop everything to take part. Oh, and by the way, a certain baddie already has vowed to do so...

Sark Is Back This Wednesday! Don't forget, Alias is moving to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. this week. You do not want to miss this episode, for it's the triumphant return of Alias' best baddie, Sark, aka David Anders.

"He's American for most of the episode," David says of his British biscuit of a character. "The episode's called 'Bob,' and it refers to Sark's alias on a mission to Brazil. He meets Ms. Nichols-Ms. Gibson, and she was doing an English alias, so it's a whole flip-flop thing we're doin'. It's very fun."

Speaking of flip-flopping, he'll be doing precisely that between the sheets with at least one female on the show this season. As I mentioned before, he'll be scantily clad, but (brace yourself for the bad news) apparently he won't be sporting that flesh-colored c--k sock. "That ended up not goin' down," David says. "I mean, I was willing to see how it worked and to see how comfortable I was, but I'm just gonna be in my undies. I don't know, maybe you'll see my backside, in my Calvin Kleins. [Laughs.]"

Meanwhile, David has been keeping busy in the movie world, having just wrapped a film called Circadian Rhythm, another with Monica Keenan called Left of Darkness and a short treatment of a film that's headed for Sundance, in which he plays a schizophrenic whose alter ego is a woman.

And good news. He's expected to stay on Alias for a handful of episodes this season and says he hopes to be asked back for the big finale. "I have no idea, but I would think they'd bring back all the old familiar faces, everyone just crawlin' out of the grave. Rambaldi elixir for all. Just a big Rambaldi party, with the baby!"

He's also pitching a spinoff for Sark. "I've got three executives already on board and three writers. Sark buys a bar, and the show changes to a half-hour format, sitcom-style. The old gang shows up every so often. You know, Sloane, Will, Diane, Norm. We'll turn the whole genre on its head."

Clearly, he's kidding. And regardless, David will have his own fantastic legacy. "I just found out 'Sark' is now the word for, um, sex or hookin' up in the writers' room," he says with a laugh. "As in, 'Dude, did you Sark her?' 'Cause Sark's carnal relations are not gonna end with Rachel. I'll tell you that."

Sark, yeah, mother-Sarker!

Question: With Michael Vartan filming his movie in Australia for a few months, do you think there is any chance we will see him on Alias when it comes back from hiatus? I'm hoping for a Syd-Vaughn reunion in the finale. — Joan

Ausiello: Let's do the math: Rogue is slated to stop filming in early spring. The Alias finale is slated to start filming in early spring. The flight time from northern Australia to Los Angeles is roughly 16 hours. Add it all up and what do you get? Michael Vartan in the Alias finale. Just a hunch.

From: Ask Ausiello

How to cope when former favorites start to flail, fail

If words were weapons, J.J. Abrams would be one eviscerated Emmy winner right now.

In most circles, the fact that Abrams co-created the massively successful "Lost" makes him a hero. But for devotees of "Alias," which Abrams created before launching "Lost," he is less a TV visionary than an absentee landlord who has let their paradise go to pot.

ABC recently confirmed the "Alias" fans' worst fears by announcing that the show will not be coming back for a sixth season. So while J.J. Abrams is off fiddling on the "Lost" island, the stranded "Alias" tribe is at home doing the slow burn.

"I blame the writing and J.J. Abrams who abandoned this show for 'Lost.'"

"The producers are beyond contempt and beyond incompetent."

"This is the first cancellation of a show I still watch that actually made me happy."

So go the postings on the "Alias" forum on the Television Without Pity Web site, where betrayed viewers gather to poke e-mail pins in their J.J. voodoo doll. Because they are in the midst of a Bad TV Breakup, and somebody has to pay.

Whether you were sucker-punched by the post-Larry-David years of "Seinfeld," abandoned by "Friends" in the wasteland of Season 3, or still reeling from the last traumatic seasons of "The X-Files," you know how the "Alias" faithful feel. Sexy star Jennifer Garner got pregnant, hottie hero Michael Vartan appears to have gotten the ax, and the new co-stars didn't begin to fill the charisma gap. The show has been in a funk for months, and now it won't be getting a second chance to get it right.

Anyone who loves TV has been hurt by TV, and if we have learned anything from "Alias," it is this: When a show is going down the tubes, you have to cut it loose before it drags you down with it.

There is still a lot of good TV out there, but with "The Apprentice" failing, "Desperate Housewives" flailing a bit and even the delightful "My Name Is Earl" looking intermittently iffy, tube fiends need to have an evacuation plan in the works. Here is a guide to getting out if (or when) your favorite show goes bad. Free yourself while you still can.

READ THE SIGNS

A solid show doesn't fall to pieces overnight. And while you can't stop the slide once it starts, you can avoid viewer heartbreak by keeping an eye out for the telltale signs of the decline to come.

Is the leading lady pregnant? Did the leading man record an album during summer hiatus? Has the star left the show to pursue a film career? Have the polar-opposite hero and heroine hooked up? Are the cast members appearing on way too many magazine covers? Did the entire last season turn out to be a flashback? Or worse, a dream?

You say your show hasn't jumped the shark. We say it hasn't jumped the shark yet. These signs are a warning that another "Jaws" sequel could be in the works. Consider bailing out soon, before the blood in the water is yours.

FACE THE FACTS

Have you been making excuses for your misbehaving characters? ("Bree was only tolerating George because she's still in mourning!")

Are you putting a positive spin on misguided plot developments? ("I'm glad they put families on 'Amazing Race'! It's so ... family friendly!")

Are you pretending to like new cast members more than you actually do? ("Does that new 'Alias' chick have great hair or what?")

Are you trying to convince yourself that the special live episode will be a total blast?

Well, stop it. You know your show has lost its mojo, and no wishful thinking or frantic rationalizing is going to bring it back.

When characters start behaving uncharacteristically, it's because the writers have forgotten what makes them tick. Or the stars are getting too big for their characters' britches. When shows tweak previously successful formulas, it's because the suits are getting nervous. When the scripts start slipping, either the inspiration well is running dry, or the show was never as inspired as we thought it was.

Character mood swings. Plot disasters. Cast shake-ups and very-special guest stars. These are symptoms of an ailing show, and nothing you can do will make it better. Get out of the ICU now, or else that sucker on the slab will be you.

NO SECOND THOUGHTS

Diehard fans insist that "The West Wing" is getting good again, but for all the viewers who defected during the dark Kumar Years, it's too little fun too late in the game. They are bitter and jaded, and they intend to stay that way.

You can learn a lot from them.

"Friends" and "Survivor" weathered their slumps, and "Seinfeld" wisely saved its worst seasons for last. But "Northern Exposure" and "Twin Peaks" went south and stayed there. So did "The X-Files." And "Frasier." And "Will & Grace." And the whole "Bachelor"/"Bachelorette" franchise.

So if your heart was aflutter over the news that the deliciously evil Julian Sark would help "Alias" flame out in style, take a chill pill right now. When a show starts to go, it almost never comes back. Not when a favorite villain returns to the fold. Not when a dead character turns out to be alive. Not even when the writers get their act together for two or three whole episodes in a row.

Don't be fooled by these fleeting signs of life. They are just the last gasp of your fallen TV angel. Once you have decided that your show is a goner, you need to get gone, too. Grab your remote and don't look back.

LET THE HEALING BEGIN

You feel abandoned. Betrayed. Dissed. You are a viewer scorned, and the best thing you can do with your fury is spread it around.

Invite disgruntled friends over for a slagging session. (It's OK to watch your bad show in order to mock it. It's cathartic!) Find your online comrades and gripe until your griping fingers grow numb. Run the show's Entertainment Weekly cover through the shredder and send the pieces to the network.

Once you've cleared all the bile out of your system, it's time to fill the void with positivity. Think of all the things you could do with the time you used to devote to that ridiculous TV show! You could learn Italian! Crochet a poncho! Bake a low-carb cherry pie!

But whatever you do, make it fast. Because "Lost" is on in 48 hours, and there is no way you're missing that.

From: Alias Media

I totally agree. MV HAS to be back for more then a couple episodes, especially if Sark is back for so many. Love Sark and all, but it's exactly like you said...Vaughn is a MUCH more important character as far as the show goes! I'm interested to see now how they do play out tomorrow's episode knowing MV will be back later.

Doesn't say it surprises me that Irinia would be the one to kidnap Sydney. Kind of surprised that she'd torture her...but then again...it is Irina.

Hell...she probably started Prophet Five!

And I probably will enjoy tonight's episode more knowing I'll see more Vaughn before it ends instead of this being it.

I hear ya!