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TV WATCHERS RETURN TO THE ARMS
OF AN OLD FRIEND -- STORY
Jan. 7, 2005
So, after a brief fling with reality TV, you've decided that you want good ol' scripted television back in your life. You've forgotten entirely about "The Bachelor" and now schedule your TV week around new episodes of "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost"--the two freshman shows that convinced you to give hour-long dramas a second chance.
Now, you're a happy TV viewer again, relieved that you've rediscovered the unalloyed joys that a great hour of honest-to-god storytelling can provide. There's just one problem. Though it was "Housewives" and "Lost" that brought you back into the comfortable arms of scripted television, those shows only account for two hours a week. That's not nearly enough to keep this rediscovered love affair aflame!
Thankfully, two shows are back that should keep that fire stoked for months to come. The first is "Alias," the cultish Jennifer Garner spy drama from J.J. Abrams, who's now much better known for co-creating "Lost." ABC execs are hoping to stop writers like me from using words like "cultish" to describe "Alias" by moving the show to Wednesdays at 9 p.m., directly following "Lost." The theory is, if you like Abrams' brand of anything-goes storytelling on "Lost" (and who doesn't?), you'll stick around to see the same type of thrilling plot twists on "Alias."
You know what? That's not a bad theory. I've never been an "Alias" devotee and have only caught the odd episode here and there. However, the show's dense spy vs. spy mythology always made that kind of sporadic viewing almost impossible. In an attempt to hold on to those "Lost" viewers, Abrams has pledged to wrap up many of the series' older, complex plot threads while also shooting more "stand-alone" episodes that any newbie can come in, watch and enjoy without having to read an "Alias" source book.
If he can pull it off without sacrificing the show's spy-game appeal, you now have an ABC double date booked for every Wednesday that's going to be hard to turn down. Just make sure to remember that your heart belongs to Fox and its renegade government agent Jack Bauer on Mondays.
Yes, "24" is back. The fourth really bad day of Jack's life kicks off with a two-hour premiere this Sunday, followed by another 120 minutes on Monday, before settling into its normal one-hour-per-week schedule the next Monday. Four hours of a single TV show in two days is a lot to ask, but when the show in question is as good as "24," you don't even consider the old "I've-got-a-headache" excuse. You make some popcorn, sit on your butt and watch.
This year, you'll be seeing a new, slimmed-down "24," since the producers have dropped most of the supporting cast from the earlier seasons. Gone are Tony Almeida, his wife Michelle, President Palmer and Jack's daughter Kim (although some of these old favorites may return in a recurring capacity later in the year). Instead, Bauer--played always to perfection by Kiefer Sutherland, the coolest cat on TV--will be pretty much a lone wolf this year, again pitted against foreign terrorists committed to wreaking havoc in the U.S. of A.
For me, "24" was love at first sight when I started watching a few seasons back. If you haven't started your own affair with the show yet, now is a great time to start. It's got everything you could want from a TV series--action, intrigue, Kiefer shooting at the bad guys (and occasionally the good guys) and just enough implausibility to keep your jaw dropped. What more could you ask when a TV show comes courting?
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