From a purely selfish point of view, I'm happy about this move. I've watched the first two seasons on DVD, then I'll watch S3 in September. Sorry for those of you who are already caught up, though.

TK

True, ABC and strategies that work aren't exactly things that seem to go together.

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-h...06/21/11.00.tv

ABC's Alias will get back to basics when it returns for its fourth season in January, TV Guide Online reported. "We got so deep in the Rambaldi and Covenant [mysteries] that we lost sight of some of the stuff we fell in love with [in the beginning]," ABC entertainment president Stephen McPherson told the site. Series creator J.J. Abrams "is talking about getting back to some of the joy that [Sydney Bristow, played by Jennifer Garner,] used to have in her personal life early on ... while still living in this crazy world." The show will reportedly have Sydney balancing her spy work with her personal life, as in the first season.

For his part, Abrams told the site that he had an epiphany about Alias' disappointing third season while he was working on the pilot for his upcoming ABC thriller, Lost. "Going away to do Lost allowed me to look at Alias in a way that I could not have done otherwise: from the outside," he said. "And it was like an incredibly enlightening thing. I suddenly knew in my heart what I wanted and what I didn't want, and I saw what was happening. Not that I wasn't proud of what was there, but I saw some mistakes that I made and I thought, 'Oh, my God.'"

McPherson insisted that there's "not a chance" season four could be Alias' last. "It will be an asset for years," he said. How many, exactly? Cracks Abrams: "Exactly 100."

You notice this almost always happens when a creator of a TV show gets bored and moves on to something else? Abrams did it with Felicty and the show went down in Quality. It happened when Joss went off to do other stuff and left Buffy and countless others I cant remember at the moment.

Chris Carter

Good, the wife and I have been watching the first season on dvd the last couple of weeks and we forgot how good it was then. Syd's home life was just another part of the show that made it great as a whole and the conclusion to season two put an end to that.

I read on one of those TV News sites(either Aintitcool or Kristen On eonline) that part of this epiphany came after Abrams Saw 13 Going on 30 and remembered just how likable Garner can be. I also read on eonline that the decision to wait until January came from the new President of ABC who specifically wanted to let Alias build momentum and a show like Alias needs it.

It's going to suck having to wait, but i'm glad this decision came now and not after three or four sub-par seasons.

Please, please, please let them bring back Will. He was a great anchor for Sydney's personal life that was sorely missing from season 3.

Hey I thought I was the only person who liked Will as a character? It would be nice to see Cooper return though I've gotten used to his character on Touching Evil now.

I'm no genuis, but why'd it take JJ Abrahams so long to see what I saw all season long?

Its great that we'll focus on Sydney's personal life....but the characters in Sydney's personal life that we all loved are gone/dead.

In the begining, I didn't care too much for Will. He was rather blandly written as just the "friend." However, once he learned the truth about Sydney's job, he has been a favorite character of mine. He was the only character that saw Sydney's world for what it was, insane. All the other characters were deeply involved in her world. You can't count Francie since she was a double.

One of my favorite episodes from Season 3 was the one with Will in it. Felt like the previous seasons.

True. And the moment that he found out is one of my favorite TV moments ever. Jaw, meet floor.

I know exactly what you mean. As soon as I saw someone mention Philly I became depressed again. For me, canceling Philly and Andre Braugher leaving Homicide: Life on the Street annihilated two-thirds of what I watch on TV. All I've got left is NYPD Blue, and once that goes it's all over; they'll be nothing left to watch.