Jennifer Garner Keeping 'Alias' Until '08

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Actress Jennifer Garner (news) is preparing to stay on the spy-fi TV beat for a long time to come. Sources said the actress is finalizing a new deal that will keep her on the ABC drama "Alias" through the 2007-08 season.

Garner, fresh from her second straight Emmy nomination for her role as undercover agent Sydney Bristow, is expected to receive a substantial salary bump under the new deal, which extends her commitment to the Touchstone Television show by an additional year, through its seventh season.

Representatives for Touchstone and Garner declined comment.

Under the new pact, Garner -- who is said to have started on the show in 2001 with about $40,000 an episode -- will be paid about $150,000 an episode, sources said.

"Alias," which is returning for a third season in the fall, has enjoyed strong critical buzz and a rabid cult following but has yet to blossom into a broad-based hit for ABC.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
[yahoo news]

2008??

Has ANY show ever been renewed for FOUR seasons before?

Especially a show that hasn't done spectacular ratings...

It's showing good faith from ABC... yeah the ratings haven't been through the ROOF, but the show is real good and it has alot of promise...as long as ABC promotes it better and with a bit of luck, I'll do better... alot of GOOD shows lately get cancelled to quick, even if they get 10million viewers. I know that it is not alot but is alright [but they expect more, like 15mil+ to make alot more $$$$$]...

I think it's also about locking down Jennifer in case her movie career really takes off...

considering what others make, how big of a star she is becoming, and the lack of quality shows of any kind on abc, I think, if the numbers reported are correct, that she's underpaid.

2008?

Wow, that's a lot of reboots!

Wow, ABC seems really confident. Is this guaranteed money like baseball, or is it like the NFL?

That does seem like a long time to sign up a star on a TV show, especially given the average ratings it does get. But I do hope the ratings pick up (after some people get to catch up with the upcoming DVD season sets).

Wow, I love the show but I never expected ABC to keep it until 2008! I was guessing five years total. Good news but somehow I'm guessing there's an out clause for ABC if the ratings start to dip.

Aren't most of these contracts separate from the actual show contracts? Meaning they have her for a few years if the show should get renewed for those years. If the show should not get renewed for season 4 then that would be a legal end to her contract from the producer's point of view. This way they have her if the show does well, but if the show is cancelled then there's no problem.

ABC just killed Jennifer Garner's movie career just as it was about to take off.

Alias is good(albiet a watered down LaFemme Nikita), but she was -this- close to making the leap from TV to film. It's the holy grail of TV actors. The only ones who dont jump at films are those getting paid mega bucks(Friends, Fraiser, Ramond, etc).

Jennifer could have stayed another season on Alias while getting ready for another round of film projects. Now that just aint gonna happen.

D

She didn't seem to have any problem starring in Daredevil while filming Alias.

I don't think this is the end of her film career at all.

I agree - this isn't like the 1980s and before when TV stars were really controlled by their contracts and prevented from doing a lot of film work (ala Pierce Brosnan being prevented from doing 007 because of his Remington Steele contract). Don't they film less shows per season now than they used to as well (around 22 eps)?

$150,000 per episode? That's it? Isn't she the whole show?

I wonder if that Elektra spinoff is still gonna happen?

She hasn't even really carried her own movie yet. Her biggest role was in Daredevil and it was still a supporting role.

Is it just me but she always looks like she is about to cry.

It could still happen. If she managed to star in "Daredevil" and "Catch Me If You Can" (ok, that probably took a day or something), I think she can manage to film that during her off-time. IMDB lists 3 other films that she is set to star in.

2008 is a lot of time. I had to pause to recall what year it is now (I just woke up, okay?), and I don't even think "Friends" was renewed for that long of a time.

Still, 5 years later, we could be having discussions on who is the father to Syd's child.

That seems like a really good deal IMO for ABC. Especially since he's locked in for 4 years. Usually, by the 4th or 5th season, a lot of the actors seem like they start asking for upwards of $500K an episode so the fact that she can't ask for a raise until 2008 is great for them.

150,000 x 24 = $3,600,000 x 4 = $14,400,000

Not bad, I would take it.

And I am sure that she made the deal so she could take time off to make a movie or two.

They didn't force her at gunpoint to sign. Obviously, both sides thought this was fair and appropriate...

And, as others have said, she can very easily fit in a film or two per year while making the show. This shouldn't have any effect on her blossoming stardom (besides the positive one of putting her face in front of millions of TV viewers every week).


Plus, does anyone out there honestly think that Alias will last until 2008? Frankly, if the ratings don't pick up, next season will probably be the last. A rabid fan base won't be enough to save a show if it consistently places 3rd or 4th in its timeslot.

Will ABC honor the contract if the show is canned before that time period and let her collect checks regardless? If so, she could have a sweet deal if it got cancelled.

This isn't professional baseball!

ABC is obviously hoping that her big screen success/celebrity will translate to some TV ratings help (which the show could use). If that does happen, this is an awesome move on ABC's part.

If not, its not a terrible amount of money to pay the star of one of the higher rated shows on your network (Granted, Alias doesn't get high ratings, but amongst the ABC dramas its running near the head of the pack)

If the show does really take off then they have her till 2008, if not, well not like they lose money,

I'd watch an Alias movie, but never managed to sit through an episode on tv.

Good for Garner; though I'd really like to see her branch out and do some more TV roles. I'm actually kind of sick of this whole premise; especially since they took away SD-6 which was one of my favorite reasons to watch the show.

I like the show, but this seems kind of risky for a show that has not had great ratings success.