Alias (2001-2006): What Happened to this Series?

📺 Welcome to our channel! 🎥 In this week's Gone But Not Forgotten, we revisit the trailblazing TV series that forever changed the game - Alias, the TV series starring Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow! Join us as we explore how this mid-2000s action-packed show launched the careers of its star and creator J.J. Abrams.
🕵️‍♀️ Alias follows the thrilling journey of Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner), a black ops agent who believes she's working for the CIA's SD-6 unit. However, a shocking revelation in the influential pilot episode exposes a much deadlier truth. With its gripping plot and Garner's exceptional performance, the show became an instant hit.
💥 Jennifer Garner's portrayal of Sydney Bristow catapulted her to the ranks of top female action stars, rivaling Angelina Jolie. The series even opened doors for her iconic role as Elektra in the early Marvel movie "Daredevil" (a role she reprised in Deadpool 3). Additionally, Alias provided a platform for a young Bradley Cooper, who played Sydney's friend Will Tippin. The stellar cast also included Victor Garber as Sydney Bristow's father, Jack, and Michael Vartan as her love interest, Michael Vaughn.
📺 Running for five mostly acclaimed seasons, the tv series Alias wowed audiences with its intense storytelling. However, as the show progressed, some felt it faced challenges. Yet, it remains a hip show, with appearances by guest stars like Quentin Tarantino, Christian Slater, David Cronenberg, and even Roger Moore, setting it apart.
🕵️‍♂️ Almost two decades after its last episode aired, does Alias still hold up as a tv series? Join us as we delve into the series' enduring legacy and impact on television. Written, edited, and produced by David Arroyo and narrated by Jesse Shade, this episode promises to be a nostalgic journey for fans and newcomers alike.
🗣️ Share your thoughts in the comments - Do you think Alias stands the test of time?
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#Alias #JenniferGarner #GoneButNotForgotten
Regenerate response
00:00 Introduction
00:54 Alias: J.J. Abrams
01:35 Who is Sydney Bristow?
02:48 Jennifer Garner: Not Hot Enought???
03:45 The Supporting Cast: Victor Garber
05:00 Michael Vartan
05:44 Bradley Cooper: Why Did He Leave?
06:30 The Rest of the Cast
11:20 Season 2
12:47 Time Jump
16:21 Jennifer Garner's pregnancy
17:30 The final episode
18:02 Alias: Could It Come Back?

[@JoBloOriginals]

Hey guys! This episode of GBNF was made from suggestions from fans who emailed us demanding this show be covered in this series. If you want to make suggestions for future episodes of GBNF then e-mail [e-mail] and maybe we’ll cover your show!

[@mychunkyjordi7585]

I can watch this anytime I want as I have collection on dvd. Great video 😊 🐾 💜

[@satisfied656]

I watched this back then and think it was an "OK show", not bad, nothing special #BUT i will put #ALIAS over many shows from today....turds and stinkers like shehulk💩, willow💩, bobafett💩, etc...are unwatchable🤮

[@johnhenry524]

I'd like to see Babylon 5. This series was and is to me, the best SF series ever.

[@sydneybristow5588]

Xena Warrior Princess would be an awesome series to see you talk about.

[@TreeRockCreations]

In my opinion, LOST, ALIAS, Dollhouse, and Chuck were all garbage shows. I haven't seen Dark Angel. By the way J. J. Abrams is a hack.

[@jdhowell916]

Sadly, watching this show on streaming means you'll miss out on TONS of the original music used in the series, as they couldn't securing rights to use those songs in streaming. This is incredibly notable in the pilot.

[@dannybonett8349]

Thank you for clearing that up. I thought a bunch of the music had changed, and not for the better. Now it makes sense why. Too bad

[@ItsMeRhaine]

oh wow really? I'm currently watching on Disney+ and had no idea. Some episodes have awesome songs others are like ehh...

[@micahescobedo5459]

OMG yes. It’s a crime how they changed some of the original artist tracks from broadcast/DVD

[@angelavanderlip2638]

So glad I have the series on DVD.

[@willcookmakeup]

So glad I have all of them on DVD.

[@007Julie]

Alias is one of my favorite shows ever, I watch it quite often and it still hold up pretty well. The last season was not the best because Jennifer got pregnant and couldn’t do the stunts but all is forgiven because they gave us an overall epic show that fans will forever love.

[@henriktveit3069]

Yeah i agree

[@satisfied656]

I watched this back then and think it was an "OK show", not bad, nothing special #BUT i will put #ALIAS over many shows from today....turds and stinkers like shehulk💩, willow💩, bobafett💩, etc...are unwatchable🤮

[@brion0220]

Love this series. Seasons 1 - 3 are the best. I particularly love the family dynamic of S2 with both Jack & Irina. Then in S3 Sark & Lauren steal the show.

[@269productions]

All JJ Abrams shows are only good the first couple seasons

[@elhadjhabbouche663]

@@269productions Because Abrams always leaves a show to work on some other project without giving any clues about what ideas could be developped. He did the same thing when he left "Lost" after season 2 to work on "Fringe". And then he left "Fringe" to work on movie projects. lol When the creator of a show just leaves, what follows is never as good, just like you said.

[@helendoyle7143]

Recently rewatched the whole series. Love it still to this day.

[@ItsMeRhaine]

I'm currently watching Alias now on Disney+ and I freaking love it. I'm nearly finished with the 3rd season. And for a show from the early 2000s it surprisingly holds up incredibly well.

[@stingrey1571]

whoever said jennifer garner wasnt hot enough, hopefully was fired.

[@JoBloOriginals]

For real

[@reddragon8]

My fave show of all time! Has not been dethroned to this day. Have watched it countless times and will continue to do so. Everything was phenomenal .... cast, music, plot, directing, editing, action,weapons, costumes, wigs!, ....everything!!

[@denisematthews6215]

You sold me! I never watched this show when it was originally on. It looks like something worthwhile and fresh. Thank you!

[@Bret121]

It's absolutely amazing show ❤

[@ItsMeRhaine]

currently watching on Disney+ and I can't stop watching and often find myself saying just one more episode 😅

[@Bogna1]

watched it many years ago. Highly recommended.

[@jengorman2246]

Dude the actor who played Sark was great. 100% agree - so when he ended up one of the 'villians' on iZombie I knew it was a show I had to check out. He did NOT DISAPPOINT. One of those guys you want to follow to projects cause you know even if they're not good he'll be good.

[@Atom.Storm.]

Alias would do amazing now. People wanted episode of the week back then so a serial was way ahead of its time. As for the Rambaldi thing, back in the day I thought it was building to something but by the time I got to the end of season 3 I couldn't even remember some of the thing I was supposed to remember from season 1. It was to convoluted. And then when I realised that JJ Abrams mystery box nonsense and Lost most likely meant that he was making it up as he went along.

[@dariamorgendorffer7813]

I loved that show! Alias has some of the best fights ever! Not perfect, but always fun to watch. I watched it 'til the end, but thought they went overboard with some plot points (vampires, Rambaldi, etc.). Sloan relationship with his daughter was so sad! Damn, he was a great villain, though.

[@bensneb360]

This show was an ahead of its time, in “binging shows”, with all the cliffhanger ends, before that was ever really a thing… I wish the show got more love and appreciation, it’s really underrated.

[@SquabbleBoxHQ]

The early seasons are really, really good. In some respects, Abrams has never bettered it.

[@Troy-McClure81]

My Third oldest is named Sydney after this character,she is almost 21 now..time fly's for sure.

[@JoBloOriginals]

Does it ever!

[@sydneybristow5588]

Same, but it was my name change and I'll always be her. Kick ass name for sure.

[@marysemalka425]

This is one of my favorite shows of all times I have the entire show on DVD and watch it at least once a year I never get tired of it. Hope that one day they will reunite

[@ghaithmemo8760]

It was my favorite show 😍

[@ShootingStar1313]

Right at the start of the series, when Vaughn showed Sidney the map of how big SD-6 really was... I thought to myself "This show is gonna last forever and it'll be AWESOME!" 🥳 Sadly, that feeling only lasted for 2 and a half seasons. 😮‍💨 Still, during that time it was great, as was Sydney's mom. ❤‍🔥

[@1987Liono]

I'm glad SD-6 ended so quickly. It was getting convoluted.

[@Notturnoir]

Alias is my favorite show! I watched it in real time and had the dvds! Season 1&2 are perfection! Season 3 was torture waiting for the premiere and week to week! S4 & 5 are muddled but Lost also took many writers/production resources and Jennifer Garner was tired, but i still love everything Alias!

[@phoennix47]

Thank you so much for this video! ALIAS is my favourite TV show since forever LoL But nobody talks about it anymore... Jen and the cast are SO GOOD!

[@TheTriumfAnt]

Alias is my most re-watched show. Initially I hated S5 due to all the cast changes, but over the years I've come to accept it. The new characters were good, just too many changes at once.

[@foreverowlcity22]

Such a cool show 🎶 X..

[@Sharbyxo]

ALIAS is MY LIFE THIS has been everything to me since 2005 I rewatch the show every year They just don’t make them like this anymore

[@sydneybristow5588]

Totally agree..100%.

[@KlaraL-_-]

I used to be obsessed with this show so much, especially season 3!! I used to record it on VHS when I was in school and then one time I pirated some low-definition version off of the internet 😆. Was it worth it? Yes, every second!

[@goodfellabadguy257]

This is still one of my favorite series of all-time. I watch it at least twice a year. Season 4 is the season I hate. The suits decided the show was too smart, and no one could follow, and the changes they made were off-putting. I liked season 5, with them going back to the core of what made it work. However, they did rush it.

[@AB-qe8cs]

I fell in love with the show after starting to watch in Season 4, but when I rented the previous seasons on DVD I saw just HOW different (and imo, better) the earlier seasons were, and suddenly no longer liked Season 4, lol.

[@bakesaletv2676]

Maaan I remember being 10 or something and my mom loud watch this religiously.... She never missed it I wasn't allowed to talk during the show, everything I had to say was saved for the commercials

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

How about 'Continuum' now? i'd completely forgotten until you mentioned it! =)

[@mcflyguy8873]

I knew Cooper was a star the moment I saw him

[@a.e.jabbour5003]

I have no idea how it took me this long to finally see this, but what a great episode! I LOVED "Alias" so much! So this really sends me back. I still remember, 20+ years later, sitting in my family room and watching that opening sequence. I was like, "This might be the greatest thing ever!" :) Thanks so much!

[@Arroyo2099]

You’re welcome

[@stephenmitchell9520]

*Spoiler alert* I loved that the last thing we saw on this show was Sydney offspring building "the object" from Led Zeppelins' "Presence" L.P.! 😲

[@TonySalazar933]

I loved Alias! I didn’t catch it until later. I was a fan of Lost and checked out more of JJ Abraham’s work. I actually saw these on DVD through Netflix one disc at a time. 😂

[@scottyrl6314]

Finished a rewatch last night, it's still a fantastic show! Season 5 wasnt my favourite but i was also satisfied with the ending

[@xgray2012]

@6:54-7:08 Not only did Carl Lumby voiced the Martian Manhunter in different DC animated projects, but he also played J'onn J'onzz's father in the CW Supergirl TV series.

[@christopherulichney]

When are you going to cover DOLLHOUSE? Every time I see it's logo in he opening of a gone but not forgotten I wish the new video was on DOLLHOUSE.

[@Bret121]

Best TV show ever I was hooked from the first episode so many cliff hangers and all the cast are just superb 🎥⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@BozPictures]

Seasons 3 and 4 were my favorites.

[@AB-qe8cs]

Francie storyline season 2 was so epic it was hard to do anything better from there.

[@melissacarmona1358]

I didn’t know that about Victor Garber not believing he fit the role. I can’t image in anyone else being Jack Bristow.

[@Markimark151]

I wasn’t really a big fan of Alias, even though I was a fan of femme fatale trend in the early 2000s, I thought the show was kind of confusing because of the pacing. But I liked the action sequences and it gave ABC high ratings that lead to JJ Abrams to develop Lost their hit show!

[@wstine79]

The birth of the Lens Flare.

[@Rezzed33]

One of THE BEST SERIES EVER MADE! Acting, Actors, Writing, Soundtrack, Direction, Production, Larger Arc, Etc. It ended a little too soon and in ways that were somewhat audience emotionally discordant due to lack of explanations. Irina's end wasn't totally implausible due to PTSD Etc. from Yelena but it needed to be engineered in a way that didn't damage her family relationships and reparative gains made. Best Home Video Releases are -- and please get a Region-Free + Zone Adjustable BD player -- the Region 2 UK Deluxe Limited Edition BIG Box Set with box-size matched Full-Size Solo Season Sets (not the Disc Killing crappy one nor early Region 1 Big Solo Season Boxes that sometimes have disc issues) and the PHAT Region 2 German Bookshelf Box Set. The Disney Stream 4K and Hong Kong Blu Ray, are visually stunning and HK was ripped from it, but due to the lack of streaming in original contracts, a lot of the pop music background gets changed and though the swapped in music is OK it's just not as good.

[@jonThe1975]

It really was a great time for tv especially with Chuck on the air

[@nadi.42]

I'm glad i watched first three seasons of this show back in the days ❤

[@user-sq4jz9up6g]

Like Heroes it was great in it's 1st seasonn Jennifer was fantastic

[@MorderElg]

Arvin Sloane's fate must be one of the most gruesome and horrific ever.

[@JoBloOriginals]

Bone chilling - the downside of immortality

[@johnhenry524]

Jennifer Gardner is perhaps, one of the cutest actors. She is such a sweet, pure soul.

[@brandonhoffman3321]

Victor Garber as Jack Bristow was the pinnacle of the show. Without him….im not sure how it works. He’s so damn good. Makes 24(and I’m a big fan) Jack Bauer look a Girl Scout.

[@s1x6x1s]

i love this series even though the last couple seasons went super weird with the mystical Rambaldi artifact. i even started collecting the mini novels that provided supplementary story to the series. sadly i had to go back to my home country in 2004 and found out the novels weren't internationally distributed. luckily i was still able to continue watching the series to the end. (i also downloaded them all a few years back.) and yes, the ending was great. despite the weird direction the show went toward the end, it tied up all the arcs nicely, closed the circle. i don't know if i want the show to come back, but i would love to see a movie though as a sequel to the series with the remaining original characters.

[@DavidGreen_au]

… a big box of DVDs is waiting for the next time I want to watch this show! 'twas really good!

[@onetwo1013]

Alias, 24, breaking bad, dexter, lost... I'm yet to watch any of these... And so many more

[@tmoore4075]

Great show. Seasons 1-3 were very, very good. 4 was...ok and 5 was just not good sadly.

[@geon565]

love it!

[@markabele8794]

I never watched the show beyond the pilot. I think I will check it out since it's on streaming.

[@sydneybristow5588]

Best series ever.

[@lds_drive]

Used to watch this show religiously. The one season I didn't really enjoy was the one where Sydney is pregnant. The action was significantly toned down.

[@marpsr]

“Jennifer’s not hot enough” 🤡🤪

[@samanthab1923]

I didn’t get into until it was in reruns in TNT. They used to run 3 eps. late at night, so I taped them.

[@ethandnormandy]

I was obsessed with it during its original run. I was 10 years old. Had been bit by the espionage genre bug with Mission Impossible and Spy Kids, so this hit the sweet spot and also was mature enough to make me feel like a grown-up. My biggest problem though, in retrospect, was the retconning they would do, most notably between seasons 3 and 4. "Simplifying" the show with the removal of SD-6 didn't actually bother me, I thought it was a bold move especially considering Sloane was behind it and allowed for a huge narrative expansion. But the story of the Season 3 finale and how they completely ignored it in Season 4? Unforgiveable, honestly. All because the original finale script (one in which Sydney had to choose whether to save Jack or Vaughn's life) leaked. In today's binge-worthy show era where serialized stories shine, Alias would have performed a lot better, I feel.

[@randallrecord6296]

Do The Shield! A criminally forgotten show

[@JoBloOriginals]

Yes! Good idea

[@odiedodieuk]

I really don’t recall it ending that good

[@mikesilva3868]

Great tv series 😊

[@kennethmccrindle8886]

Fun Fact: After Tom Cruise binge watched the first two seasons of Alias, he offered JJ the role of directing Mission Impossible III, and the rest they say is history.

[@cartoonfan959]

how about with Le Femme Nikita ?? with Peta Wilson a real secret agent TV show lasted 5 seasons and is very cynical

[@neonicon8500]

Bradley Cooper looks like he belongs in Chuck. Everyone really did have the same style back then.

[@samanthab1923]

He was so unlikeable & unattractive back then.

[@ogjk]

I was a JJ fan of Alias and early Lost untill around 2008ish when Lost was Lost and Star Trek came out when he started to apply the same formula to everything. No he just goes around 💩on everything he touches.

[@marvelboi3416]

The funny thing was that Katherine Heigl and beautiful Melissa George work together on the hit popular medical drama Gray's Anatomy and Rachel Nichols join the cast of Criminal Minds right after Alias.

[@naujuj]

To this day I STILL cant ever see Bradley cooper as a leading man, just some nosey side character that Sidney never even looked at twice.

[@katarinakrnjevic8183]

Together with la femme Nikita alias is the best spy tv show . The cast was so good especially David Andres who played Julian Sark , he is American but he did a very good British accent when he was just 20 years old.

[@TheArtmann]

I don't even remember Bradley Cooper in this TV show:))

[@johnhenry524]

It angers me that the network suits have destroyed so many good series through their ham-handed interference. It makes you wonder how this series would have been if they had not interfered.

[@Glitteringmoonstone2022]

I found this show one day when i was 11. I loved this show soo much i was disappointed with the direction they took with the dark horse that was Sark . I love this show and i am soo happy I finally get a video about this show.

[@spaceodds1985]

No mention of Roger Moore as the leader of the splinter group.

[@Arroyo2099]

If I listed every single cameo in the series it would be 2 hours long. He was awesome though

[@legion162]

Loved this show, if I remember correctly it started not long after Le femme Nikita tv series. Really felt like Jennifer Garner would make it big, loved her in Elektra and The Kingdom, but can't actually think of anything else that she's been in, or at least anything that was memorable

[@andrewcutler1380]

13 going on 30, maybe. I guess she’s most well known for being married to Ben Affleck..

[@AICW]

@@andrewcutler1380 I think her last big movie (if not big movie, then her last big action role) was Peppermint in 2018 where she plays a woman whose family is murdered by a Mexican cartel and she goes on a revenge quest against them. But nobody really cared about that film.

[@timchorle]

A good show that suffers some major problems, notably trying to plant seeds and subplots that go nowhere. Even the Rambaldi stuff is poorly explained by the end, showing a true lack of planning from the conception to completion

[@TheBenjil]

A few comments: 1. How did you forget to speak about the Tarrentino and David Cronenberg cameos ??? 2. Season 3 was still good, I agree it started to go down there but it was much better than 4 and 5. 3. Abrams just wrote and directed the pilot of Lost, nothing more (he also directed the premiere of season 3).

[@Arroyo2099]

He did developed the show with David Lindeloft. The episode was already running too long. If I mentioned every cameo it would have been I’ve 40 minutes.

[@TheBenjil]

@@Arroyo2099 These are not any cameos. Regarding Lost, JJ Abrams left after the pilote (episodes 1x01-02) and then Lindelof was alone until 1x07 when they added Carlton Cuse to help him with the management of the operation.

[@Arroyo2099]

@@TheBenjil I know but those two cameos have massive amounts of information. JJ helped developed the series plus he was also working on the failed Superman script at the time. So it’s like he just directed. He was more involved in that. Don’t worry we have a lost episode planned with an expert helping

[@jdfromda80s]

This is so weird, the Mrs and I are rewatching this now, this is my 3rd time, her 1st. We up to S2 E12. I can't wait to get to the last ep of the season. I loved this show when I was younger, but after years of watching stuff like Everything Wrong With, Sydney was the worst spy ever 😂. Everybody on this show is terrible at they job except Marshall. I still love it though and so far it still holds up for the most part to me except most of the music

[@abbynormal5849]

I love how struggling, unknown actors get their big break on some show then end up whining about how much work it is, as the later, over-rated Cooper did here.

[@Teffers]

It’s Jennifer Garner - it sounds like the narrator keeps saying “Gardner” . Odd ….

[@taker68]

I feel that many JJ shows are great for the characters, their relationships, action, mystery, etc. but that the big picture often turns out to be nonsense. The Rimbaldi stuff was kind of silly and didn't really lead to anything (remember David Carradine in one episode and then dropped?). But Sydney and her farther, going on missions in which different parts of the LA area sub for the whole world, Marshall doing his tech thing, the techno score. Definitely seasons 1 & 2 were the best. he rest had their moments but they lost the plot. Not sure Syd losing 2 years made any sense at all. But it was fun. Must have been hard to do 22 hours a year of this stuff. So much easier now.

[@COOKMONST3R]

On Bradley Cooper’s episode of the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, I recall him at least mentioning that he was getting a lot of hate online. People saying he couldn’t act and was ugly. And that it was getting to him and he was drinking way too much. So he eventually pulled the plug and begged to be written out.

[@alteregobro4826]

can you do what happened to the mighty ducks animated series?

[@luisvaldes1568]

She was very good in peppermint!

[@HankHillspimphand]

I like shows like dollhouse, i like blacklist(mainly red) early stuff. What would your recommend because i need a good show to watch while im unwell. Oh i liked blindspot aswell. So what type of show is it. The campy 2000s chuck or the dollhouse type? Any comparison to other shows? Or recommendation based on my show i listed I want someone to tell why i must watch this show lol.

[@Arroyo2099]

Blacklisf would be the closest to it with the twist and turns think if Chuck and blacklist had a baby

[@walterbowman3883]

Alias was a great show with alias in 24 my spy needs was served

[@fredlandry6170]

I used to like this show I had the first and second seasons.

[@gazzaboy84]

I never knew Ricky Gervais was in the series 😮😊

[@CoreyRossArt]

I wish I knew the exact episode but there is a scene where she uses sais (weapons) . Was better than the entire Elektra movie.

[@Lance37a]

If it comes back they should drop the Rambaldi plot

[@xgray2012]

@17:00-17:02 Which one?! They are like three live-action G.I. Joe movies.

[@sweiland75]

I loved the show but it did "jump the shark" when they added the sci-fi element.

[@jdslater1]

Let’s not forget David Cronenberg and his "facon"

[@missladyanonymity]

Did they change the thumbnail?

[@JoBloOriginals]

Briefly! Back to the original by popular demand!

[@Twistedsage42]

This show died sometime around season 3. Right after abrams produced lost. Edit: I wrote the above before I watched the video.

[@ECKohns]

As entertaining as the show is. JJ Abrams has no idea how actual espionage works. Spies try to obtain political information, not Renaissance Artifacts that prophesizes “The Chosen One.”

[@christopherulichney]

I loved this series. But I have always felt that the finale episode had way too much in common with Indiana Jones and the last Crusade.

[@007Julie]

The last episode was perfect, Arvin Sloane’s sole obsession in life was Rambaldi and he became a prisoner of his own obsession, trapped for all eternity.

[@j.a.1785]

👍

[@jasonfitak9521]

I always loved this show but for me the most unbelievable thing was a CIA operative going on missions without any guns. The martial arts fights were fun but it's much easier to shoot your opponents.

[@Arroyo2099]

If you think that’s unbelievable the first season ABC told them to make sure they were shooting tranks you hear them say it in the episode snowman or the one before that

[@Mr-Sinister]

I have found a Rambaldi artifact.

[@Zinjadu100]

I'm curious, Anyone here suggest what I watch first? the WIRE or ALIAS ?

[@Arroyo2099]

If you want gritty then the wire if you want fun then alias

[@joekimani4387]

Alias..im only gettin started and I love it so much more than I did the wire

[@brahsumatra]

Thank you Jennifer Lawrence for leading the way for women action stars, oh wait never mind.

[@DiegoRamirezRedpill]

Do you want Jack Bauer VS John Wick same universe