I read recently that J.J. and ...
Alias
Question: I read recently that
J.J. and Co. have decided to incorporate
Jennifer Garner's pregnancy into the story line of the upcoming season of
Alias. Do you think this will be
Alias' "shark jump"? It seems to me that a show about a covert ops branch of the CIA would not be quite the same with a baby cooing in the corner. What do you think of the
chances are of
Alias continuing past Season 5?
Answer: Pretty slim, I'm afraid. But I've learned with shows like this not to jump to critical conclusions. Jennifer's and Syd's pregnancies certainly will put a crimp in the show's style, but this, after all, is a show about a spy
family, and who knows how this baby will affect the show's many complicated emotional dynamics. (Grandpa Jack, for starters.) In talking briefly with J.J. Abrams while in Los Angeles, I got the impression that there is an endgame in sight for this show, and if we're lucky, the show's creative team will be able to end its on their own terms and not because of sharks in the water. The writing has been on the wall since ABC decided to move the show to Thursdays this fall (which still prompts many "What was ABC thinking?" e-mails). If
Alias's most loyal audience follows the show to Thursday and brings the network to life on that night, it will have done its job. But unless it miraculously explodes into a Thursday-night hit, I think we should all be prepared to bid the Bristows a fond adieu when this season comes to what I hope will be a satisfactory close.
