She began in 2001 as the ass-kicking college girl who took on America’s foes to a backdrop of love, intrigue and espionage but it’s time to wave goodbye to Sydney Bristow. JJ Abrams created Alias five years ago and it catapulted him and his star, Jennifer Garner, into the frontlines of Tinseltown, netting the leggy special agent a Golden Globe win in 2002. ABC, who air the show in the US, has announced that the current season, slated to run until in May 2006, will be the last.
“This news, and its timing, is a mixed-blessing,” said Alias executive producer Jeff Pinkner, “though we're obviously very saddened to face the reality that Alias is coming to an end.”
Pinkner did drop hints that the show will not be going out with a whimper - fans can expect the finale to spill over with explosive action. “The lasting quality of every good story is determined by its conclusion - this news gives us the freedom to end the series in the climactic way it deserves. The arc we have planned for the remainder of the season will honour all of these disparate elements, as we wrap up the story of Sydney Bristow in a surprising and, we think, thrilling way.”
Abrams is also the braintrust behind Lost and is currently directing Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 3, while Jennifer Garner, who earlier this year married her Daredevil co-star Ben Affleck, is expecting the couple’s first child.
