Alias: Ask Matt Questions for 10/11/04

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Question:
Is it time to panic about Alias yet? With Desperate Housewives having done as well as it did last week, do we start to worry that Alias will either not get its slot back and be banished to some ungodly night of television, or be made a lame duck moving slowly to a season finale that will in all respects already be shot and canned by the time the show is canceled? I only worry as much as I do because I was more intrigued and enamored with Housewives than I thought I would be. What are your thoughts? — Mike

Matt:
If Housewives holds up, both in quality and ratings, ABC would be insane to mess with success, especially on a critical night like Sunday. What this means for Alias is a possible transfer, and I like the idea put across in this e-mail from Jamie P. (among many others who had the same idea): "Wouldn't it be smart of ABC to capitalize on the success of Lost by turning Wednesday night into a J.J. Abrams block and schedule Alias in the 9 pm/ET slot behind it? It seems like The Bachelor's days are numbered and Alias has never gotten more than a cult following on Sunday nights, despite being a great show. I smell synergy!" Replacing The Bachelor — which really is just limping along this season and seeming more irrelevant and unnecessary than ever — with Alias would be a great option. Mondays are also wide open for ABC after the football season ends, but the worst thing that could happen to Alias would be to pit it against 24 on its new night. (Perish the thought; forget I ever mentioned it.) Right now, though, this is the kind of problem any network would be lucky to have.

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Question:
I was thrilled to read that from what you have read and seen of the new season of Alias, it has improved creatively. My question is, where have you read stuff? Is it available to us laypersons? I've been really worried since the show seemed to totally fall apart at the end of last season. On the DVD of Season 3, I was ecstatic to see the deleted scene in which Dixon tells Syd that the doctors found that Vaughn was indeed psychologically conditioned, presumably by Lauren. I was praying for this all season — but I couldn't believe they axed the scene!! What is their problem? That was pivotal, don't you think? The brief line from Vaughn that referred to it later in the actual show was just puzzling without that scene. And how could they not show Syd and Vaughn dealing with this news together — or do we get to see this next season? — Janet P.

Matt:
The nature of my job sometimes allows me to read, see and hear things ahead of the viewing public. But since I'm not in the spoiler business, the most I can do is tell you that if they pull off what they're planning for the season opener, it should be a blast, restoring many of the show's original dynamics while resolving some lingering issues that have helped fill this column for the last few years. As for the deleted scene: That's fascinating, once again making me wish I had more time to indulge in the world of DVDs. You make a good argument that this scene should have been included in the original cut, but honestly, the whole last season was so muddled to me that this omission doesn't really register with me.
 
You know I've got to say...I wouldn't mind Alias on Wednesdays at 9...

Sure it would quite feel like ALIAS on Wednesdays but the idea of a full JJ Night on ABC is pretty interesting if you ask me, If Alias were to feed off of the good raitings Lost gets I say if theres a chance take it...

I guess we'll have to see what ABC does with all of this...I honestly see a move for Alias because they won't mess with the surprised success of Housewives...they'd be stupid to even if it is Alias' time slot >_<

sean
 
I don't know, but I would want to keep "Alias" on Sunday nights ... and if they can work it and decide to move it ... I would move it to Sunday nights at 10pm and move "Boston Legal" to Wednesday night at 9pm ... we know that "Alias" had better ratings the night ABC moved it to 10pm, so why not keep it there ... and since "Boston Legal" is kinda of a new show, it could work fine after "Lost" ...
 
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