I have a question regarding ...
Question: I have a question regarding
Alias. Whatever happened to viewer goodwill? It seems that more and more these days, people are looking for reasons to say a show "jumped the shark." I don't know how many times shows like
Alias and
24 got off to a slow start but then really got rolling later. After the Oct. 13 episode, I think
Alias is getting back on track. I thought it was great. I also think killing Vaughn (if he really is dead) was a good step for the show. Sydney's revenge was what fueled the first two seasons, and giving her a personal mission makes it more exciting. I know the ratings are down, but I'd be curious to know how the
Alias Thursday-at-8pm/ET ratings compare to what ABC had in that slot last year. So, unlike some viewers, I'm not ready to drop it yet; I still have faith in it. I'd just like to know your thoughts.
Answer: I am a charter member of the ban-the-"jump-the-shark" crusade, so I'm with you on that. I also thought the episode in which the writers positioned young Rachel as the new Syd (basically a replay of early
Alias, with Syd in SD-6) was the best so far this season, and I loved seeing
Amy Acker as a bad guy (as have many others who've written in). I have gone
on record saying I'll stay loyal to
Alias this season no matter what, and I'll be thrilled if eventually the show rewards my loyalty. The mail I'm getting lately is more pro-
Alias than against, which is refreshing. But still, watching the show reinvent itself with all of these new characters, including a new "Sloane" in Gordon Dean, still seems like a last gasp for a series that might have been better off going out gracefully at least a year earlier. As for the Thursday ratings: They suck, but at least ABC is doing a little business on this night, and that's what counts. Nobody expected
Alias to soar this season.
