Alias - should I buy complete set blindly? (1 Viewer)

[Scott_F_S]

Right on the money here.


In direct answer to a previous post, a couple of seasons are "Buffy 6&7 bad." Which means that they are far from Alias at its best but still highly watchable.

 

[Jonny P]

Yes, I know that the changes were made to "attract more viewers."

I wasn't denying that.

What I was saying is this...

When "Alias" first debuted, there were people who thought that everything on the show (including the opening credits) had symbolic meaning -- much the same way that they "nitpick" the show "Lost."

Personally, I don't think "Alias" (or even "Lost") had/have the "master plans" that some of you think. I think the writers might have a vague idea, but they'll make changes if need be (for example, if a cast member decides to leave the show.)

Word is that "Lost" is going to focus less on the "mythology" this season and focus more on the character's relationships.

ABC wanted the Alias "re-tooled" because people who watched got confused and ratings were low. To be honest, as a loyal viewer I didn't know what was going on some of the time.

There is a HUGE difference between "Alias" and "24."

"24" has its main storyline concluded at the end of each season.

"Alias" (and, by default, "Lost") don't. Their storylines continue from season to season.

The reason many "Alias" fans tell you not to bother with seasons 3-5 is because the writers were "forced" to pander to execs who were concerned about middling ratings.

I can understand viewers getting frustrated.

The "simplified" Alias of seasons 3-5 was still better than most shows on television (largely due to its excellent cast). There are very entertaining episodes during those seasons.

I enjoyed seasons 4 and 5. I might be in the minority, but I don't hold a grudge against network execs like many of you.

It is amazing the show lasted that long. Some of these "serialized" shows look to me like they'll have a very short shelf life.

 

[David Allen]

Oh yeah, I'd definitely watch the first 10 minutes of the superbowl episode (black lingerie, red lingerie) multiple times- set to AC/DC, that was the funniest, sexiest scene in the whole series. Was that season 2 or 3?

The thing that hurt Alias for me was the way it took a back seat while Lost exploded on the schedule. Waiting until January, I pretty much forgot about Alias because Lost was so much newer and cooler. The re-runs, the late start, the pregnancy hiatus and JJ's absence to do MI:3 were all nails in the coffin as far as I was concerned. Let's hope that Lost doesn't do the same thing in the next year or two.

 

[Greg_S_H]

One other thing, Jay: a lot of the people who didn't like what the show became were watching it week-by-week as the episodes first aired. I watched it straight through, season 1 through season 5, over a period of three months of watching one or two episodes a night. At the end, I was prepared to call it the best television watching experience I've ever had. I don't know if the absence of any kind of wait between episodes would have improved things for those who didn't like it as well, but it probably does change the perception of things.

 

[Kevin Grey]

I dont' think that was the reason that the series' viewerships diverged- I think it was the fact that Fox believed in their show so they stuck to their guns on format and depended on a very shrewd DVD strategy and word of mouth to gradually bring in the audience, which is exactly what happened. Meanwhile, ABC was forever tinkering with the format on Alias from Season 2 on which only served to start jettison series fans while almost none of the changes served to bring in new ones.

As to my opinion on the series- Season 1 was by far the best. I actually liked S3 quite a bit and would actually put it in a tie with S2. S4 was pretty poor by Alias standards but still enjoyable.

 

[Scott_F_S]

It's the nature of the beast. Network execs aren't artists -- they're not paid to be. They're paid to juice the profits of their network. They are the customers -- they're paying the production company to deliver a show to them that will help the network make money. And a lot of the times, they're smarter about some things than the show runners are.

Listen to Shawn Ryan talk about the genesis of The Shield. He sold the show to FX based on a plot outline. Then he delivered a pilot script to the network that admittedly was a mess. The suits rejected it, told Ryan what they hated about it and told him to overhaul it. Ryan now says that he did initially have anger and resentment, but he now credits the network guys with saving his show by pointing him in the right direction.

Look at Angel S5. That season was completely a product of network mandates, and it turned out to be almost universally regarded as brilliant.

There are other examples. A network exec or two is always going to be a de facto part of the creative team. By nature, some will throw more weight around than others. But the bottom line is that it's the producers' and writers' jobs to adapt and create the best work they can with the specifications they're given. The more talented among them will find a way to rise to the occasion.

ABC stuck with Alias and its low ratings for a lot longer than can be expected in today's environment, and we fans can only be grateful for that. But to be able to stick with it as long as they did, they were compelled to do some tinkering to try to find a way to juice viewership. It does without question show in the final product. But I think overall, the creative team did a pretty damn good job of delivering a great product under the circumstances.

 

[Jonny P]

Nice post, Scott.

Sometimes network execs screw things up.

If you look at "Alias," it really started to change about the time J.J. Abrams (and many of his cohorts from "Alias") started work on "Lost" and "Mission: Impossible III."

Over the years, we've seen shows "change" in unfavorable ways when the creative forces behind them move on to other projects.

I still think it is amazing "Alias" lasted more than three seasons. And yes, it wasn't nearly as "sharp" as it had been early on.

However, if you like the genre, I think the entire run is worthy of a purchase on DVD.

Many shows have "weak" seasons. Some are early in the run, some are later on.

I just think portraying the show as "horrible" in its final seasons is unjust.

There are a lot of people who didn't even tune in during those final seasons because they heard on the internet that it wasn't up to snuff.

 

[Lucia Duran]

I own 1-3, would not purchase 4 and 5. First two seasons were the best. We gave up on the show after the first two episodes of Season 5.....God awful!

 

[ElijahS]

You're really missing out, then. Your loss.

 

[Amit Ashar]

...

 

[Aryn Leroux]

Amazon has this complete set available for pre-order again @ $139.99 So if you were waiting order it before they run out again. I just placed my order

 

[Greg_S_H]

Thanks. I canceled my CDUniverse order and went with them. Slower shipping, but a nearly $10 savings.

 

[Chad E]

Amazon.ca has this listed for C$202.99... 30% off a "list price" of $289.99. Didn't TVShowsOnDVD.com say the Canadian SRP was supposed to be $264.99?

Looks like it would be cheaper just to order from Amazon.com. Dilemmas, dilemmas...