Question: In light of the recent news of Alias' impending cancellation, I was wondering how you feel the show will be written about in future television-history books. For me, Alias was love at first sight and I have been a loyal follower since the days of double agency and SD-6. While the show has had a glitch creatively in recent years (and I think you would agree), it is still safe to say that Alias is one of my all-time great TV love affairs, if for nothing else than the first two seasons alone. I will be a devoted viewer until the very end.
Answer: I'm with it from start to finish as well, out of loyalty if nothing else, but here's an idea: Let's start referring to Alias' departure as a "retirement," not a "cancellation," OK? Five years is more than most cult shows get, especially on a major network. The fact that the producers are getting the opportunity to plot out an actual series finale is something to celebrate, not mourn. But to address the larger issue: When we look back on Alias, it will be with fondness and admiration for its creativity, its style (the wigs and creative cinematography convinced us that these characters were literally all over the place), and most especially for the way it threaded emotional subtext about family and loyalty into a rip-roaring spy thriller. J.J. Abrams is one of the top TV auteurs of our time, and Alias (along with Felicity and Lost) is a vivid example of his inexhaustibly passionate love for the medium.