Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow in Alias is appointment television for me. The spy thriller format with the SD-6 double agent angle is genuinely compelling. The cliffhangers are devastating.

J.J. Abrams has created something special but the ratings are middling. Everyone needs to watch this show before ABC cancels it.

Garner is a star. The physicality she brings to the action scenes is incredible. And the emotional scenes with her father are genuinely moving.

The mythology is getting deep already. The Rambaldi stuff is fascinating. This show rewards paying attention.