I've heard a lot of things about Alias but I wanted to know from you guys if the show is any good or not. I've been thinking about watching it but I don't want to start watching a show that turns out to be crap.
Oh, yeah. Absolutely it's worth watching. Though it does eventually decline. First two seasons were great. Third season...eh, not so much, but I still found it fairly entertaining. Fourth season wasn't as good as that, but still watchable. I didn't even feel like I was watching the same show by season five though. I have the s1-4 DVDs, but not s5. If you make it that far, watch it. It just wasn't as good as I'd hoped.
Very good. I agree, 1&2 are terrific. The next couple, not as good because the on screen chemistry that moved off (during 3), move out and there was some lack of the old spark. Some of teh story lines got looped around a bunch as well and no real direction apparent to the fans. 5 works okay but the last couple of episodes, especially the middle part of teh last show, redeemed much. Definitely worth watching.
The first season is very good, the second still good for the most part. But starting in S3 it quickly goes downhill. I'd still advise people to watch the first season and a half, those are very good and worth it despite the drop in quality later on.
Season 2 (up until you-know-what) was seriously some of the best television I've seen in my life. Seriously, it was goddamned phenomenal. After that it became increasingly silly, and then sometime around season 4 I just stopped caring. Still worthwhile - every season had some pretty strong moments. They were just fewer and further between later on.
The first season is absolutely wonderful and introduced a fascinating mythology. The second season was almost as good. The third season immediately went to crap. The fourth season's back half managed to save the show a great deal. The fifth season was horrible and Alias: The Next Generation. So basically just get the first two years and you'll get the good stuff.
Absolutely agree. I watched S5 mainly just to "complete" the series, but if it had ended at season four I would have been satisfied.
I have to agree with the majority on this one. Alias is freaking fantastic. (For about 2 OR 3 seasons.) Those seasons are NOT to be missed. After that, it's a pale shadow of it's former glory, yet I'd wager we just remember it being not as good as the earlier seasons in direct comparison. It's more of an internal criticism really. Put those last 2 seasons up against another show... who knows?
Yeah, I thought it was a great show. It is much easier to watch it on DVD than trying to watch it one episode a week, though. Everything is much clearer and makes a lot more sense when it's all fresh in your mind.
I've never watched Alias, but everyone raves about it, so it's definately on my to-watch list at some point. My husband has all the dvds (courtesy of his wife who brought them for Christmas and birthdays over the years), so it's just a case of making time.
I blind bought the first two seasons but then just rented the last three and after I finished, ended up donating the first two to my library. Don't really have a desire to ever revisit the show.
Alias is quite possibly the best example of a series that suffered due to network interference. Alias was a show ahead of its time. It was smart, complex, heavily-serialized... but when it aired, networks hadn't embraced these qualities yet. ABC wanted a ratings hit, so they kept asking the producers to make it "more accessible" to viewers (aka "dumb it down"). There were creative decisions that were made because the network demanded it, and it had a negative impact on the series. A lot of story threads do not get the attention they should. The first two seasons are absolutely amazing. Things definitely change in season 3, though I still found it entertaining and good enough. Season 4 gets off on the wrong foot, and spends a good chunk of time going nowhere, before finally coming together in to a sloppy and rushed climax. Season 5 was more consistent storywise, IMO, and has some great moments, but there are just too many cast changes for my liking. If you're interested in Alias, I highly recommend checking it out. Even with the decline in quality, I always found the show to be entertaining.
I have to chip in and add my yes, yes, and thrice yes! It's a bit tongue in cheek, don't watch it if you want plausible storylines! It's a FUN show. Seasons one and two are of course the best. Season three isn't bad. Season four is horrible, I hate it... eugh. Season five I loved again, it brought back the absurd fun of Alias. Watch Alias! I also found it has a really high rewatch value, having seen most of it about four times. And strangely I feel I could watch it again now. Not sure what it is about that show... Oh, and just shout at the dump-as-a-brick Vaughn when you watch it. God I hate him.
Count me in as a big fan of Alias. Season 1 = fantastic Season 2 = really good Season 3 = pretty good Season 4 = okay Season 5 = much better, but ain't the Alias I loved I will say, however, that Alias in widescreen on DVD is very cinematic, and the show had a great look. I bought seasons 1-4 on DVD, but didn't have any interest in doing so for Season 5, which I was happy to re-watch once on TV. I've been thinking about pulling out the ol' DVDs again as well...
I'll echo what everybody said before me, Season 1 and Season 2 are landmarks in recent televisual history. Even though quality declined (and what the fuck did they do with Alvin Sloane of its five year run? ) Alias still gave us Julian Sark (portrayed by David Anders).
Mutenroshi daughter and I heartily agree with you last sentence! edited to add, we had a chance to meet David and he is charming.