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TV Guide Online
April 7, 2003
Roush Room: Ask Matt
by Matt Roush
Question: I totally agree with you that Gilmore Girls and Alias are
two of the best shows on TV. I was wondering if you agree that Rory
and Jess's relationship has really kind of messed up Gilmore Girls,
while Sydney and Vaughn's on Alias has really added to the show.
Maybe it's just me, but since Rory and Jess got together, Rory has
turned almost as unlikable and annoying as her boyfriend at times,
and the writing of her character has really slipped. Thank goodness
Jess is going to be gone next year! On a positive note, it seems that
on Alias, Vaughn brings out a new good side of Sydney. Just wondering
what you think about it. — Kate
Matt: .... As for Sydney and Vaughn: I'm surprised how accustomed I
have become to watching these two snuggle and canoodle between (and
sometimes during) missions. We've often speculated here about how
long TV characters should sustain sexual tension, and how once they
cross the line, they risk becoming less interesting. But when you're
dealing with actors as hot as Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan,
maybe keeping them apart was just too frustrating for everyone —
namely us. I think this relationship has made the often dour
character of Syd a bit more playful, and certainly Vaughn has been
less mopey. Basically, I'm still amazed at how well Alias has
sustained its appeal after such an incredible midterm reinvention.
Question: I am very grateful to know that Alias has been renewed for
next year. I really hope it can be a long-lasting series, but my main
worry is its time slot opposite The Sopranos. Do you think a
different time slot for Alias would make the difference? Or does ABC
want to leave it there to be competitive at that time? I would just
hate to see a such high-quality show ultimately be given up on
because of what I consider "unfair" (as in no limits) competition on
HBO. And while I'm on the subject, I don't have HBO, and none of my
friends do either, because the sky-high prices are just not worth it!
I think the networks provide at least one good show every night of
the week, with the exception of Friday and Saturday, which is
understandable. So who needs HBO? I wish the pay-channel TV shows
could be kept completely separate from the rest: separate ratings,
separate awards, etc. It isn't a level playing field, so why treat it
like it is? HBO has more money and no censors and an entirely
different programming format. It really bugs me that HBO shows hurt
and sometimes kill good network shows. — A.J.
Matt: If ABC has Alias stay put for a third consecutive season, I
think we all have to just accept that the network likes it where it
is, that the show's ability to attract (with no help from its lead-
in) a small but loyal and economically desirable audience of young
and discriminating viewers on a competitive Sunday night will keep it
solvent for the foreseeable future. That said, I'd love for Alias to
move out of harm's way, which is to say, away from HBO's smash hit of
the week. But I'm not sure that a better time period would boost its
ratings fortunes that much. This is not the easiest show to entice
converts to watch. As for your resentments toward HBO, I guess I
understand, but I also feel that HBO has given so many talented
producers, writers and actors the freedom to make the sort of TV that
the networks are either unable or unwilling to try. I wouldn't want
to imagine TV without it. But I also have little patience for those
who say they only watch HBO. As you said, there's lots of good stuff
on the networks, even with commercials. The patronizing attitude of
the I-only-watch-HBO crowd is both ungenerous and underinformed.
© TV Guide 2003
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