So I was all set to write a cutesy (and hopefully at least slightly insightful) post about how Alias and 24 both close out their fifth seasons tonight, and the differences and similarities the two shows have had over their runs. But then I saw this Canadian website has already done a pretty good job of exactly that.
The relevant points I wanted to make are that both shows were introduced to audiences shortly after 9/11 (24's pilot, which featured an airplane explosion, was even re-edited in the aftermath of that tragedy), both were warmly received by critics and Emmy voters (although neither was an instant ratings smash), both have helped prove the value of TV-on-DVD releases and both have had their share of creative highs and lows.
But the important differences are underlined by the fact that Alias is ending its series run with cellar-dwelling ratings and the general sense that its best days are long gone, while 24 is ending its season with enviable viewership and possibly its most buzzed-about season yet.
If anyone ever considered these two shows to be at odds then it's fair to say Alias won an important battle (it's doubtful that 24 will ever have a season with the depth and complexity of human behavior present in Alias' second season, which incorporated near HBO-level character drama into its spy game storylines) but 24 has long since won the war. Firmly establishing itself in season one as a show where no character is safe (or trustworthy), 24 is genuinely thrilling in a way that series TV almost never is. It's been frequently remarked, and impossible to deny, that a season of 24 is better than most action movies.
While each season of 24 pressed the reset button and set up new challenges, fresh characters and legitimate mortal peril for any series regular not named Kiefer, Alias struggled and floundered as the years wore on, unable to build satisfying arcs and at a loss for what to do with much of its ensemble (including Emmy-worthy talents like Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan, Victor Garber and Ron Rifkin).
And so I'm anxious—and only a bit apprehensive—to see how Jack Bauer's most brilliant/insane (brilliantly insane? insanely brilliant?) day yet will come to a close.
But I'll have to wait a bit longer to see how Sydney Bristow says goodbye to audiences for good (I'm still a few episodes behind on the current season), hoping that things will be wrapped up in a way that this once-great series deserves, but secure in the belief that a bit more risk-taking would've done the show a world of good.
1 comment:
I can't really agree with that article's conclusions. I think the main reason Alias dropped off was because of Lena Olin's departure.
The article is wrong about Alias's cast staying the same. Theyve let go of a few people. If anything, that's what has hurt the show. Losing Will especially took away much of the human element that the first two seasons were grounded in. It's ironic that they say 24 is better because it's "cold", but that's exactly what Alias has been since season 2, and why it's never been as good.
Then again, I haven't been as enamored with 24 this season as most other people. In fact, the Logan twist itself is very characteristic of the bad writing that has victimized Alias for the last 3 years.
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