Matt: No insult taken. Nothing has caused me greater pause in the last year than struggling with my dissatisfaction with The West Wing. I've always been a champion of the show, but in the last year, I felt it got too cluttered and clever for its own good, and wasn't telling stories with the sharpness and clarity (political or emotional) of past and better seasons. The election episodes were the worst: smug, unbeliveable, unsuspenseful. The fact that the Hollywood establishment still does cartwheels over it is out of my control, but doesn't budge my opinion that the show isn't at its best these days. But I still prefer it to HBO's wildly overrated and self-impressed Six Feet Under. (And please, even on these shows' worst weeks, either is superior to dreck like According to Jim.)

As for Alias at the Globes: I love Garner's work, but think Edie Falco's final episode of The Sopranos is going to make her impossible to beat throughout the awards season. I wish Lena Olin had made the cut in supporting actress, but that's a bizarre category lumping series and TV-movie actors. For more on her, read on.

Question: I know you are a fan of Alias, and I was just wondering what you thought about the addition of Lena Olin to the cast this year. I know I speak for myself and many other hardcore "Freelancers" when I say that she was a brilliant addition, and it is so much fun debating whether her character is good or continues to harbor evil motives. Lots of message-board time is devoted to this very subject! She's such an amazing actress to be able to pull off a character who is so complex and so confusing at the same time. What are your thoughts on this? And please tell me you think she will be back for another season! — Erin W.

Matt: I second your opinion, and have written on several occasions she's my favorite new character of the season (her only current competition in terms of intriguing femme fatales are Nina and Sherry Palmer on 24). I also like the way the producers don't overuse her. She remains a figure of consummate mystery, and as she manipulates Sydney into a tearful catharsis or her husband Jack into a maelstrom of conflicted emotions, the faintest hint of a cruel (or is it bittersweet) smile on her exquisite face sends the mind reeling.

Question: I'm a viewer who likes to check out critically praised shows; that's why I took a gamble with 24 (and I'm glad I did!). I'd like to check out Alias, but I'm a little put off by its fast-paced plots. If I were to start watching Alias mid-season, would I be lost in its complicated plotlines? — Anne

Matt: Trust me. Even those of us who've been watching from the beginning are often confused by this one. Don't sweat the details. Just go along for the ride. I'm often asked why this show didn't issue a first-season DVD, and I have no answer. Even just releasing the fabulous pilot episode would be a help. But as long as you're aware that Sydney, her father and mother are all double-agent spies — working for the CIA and trying to take down the rogue agency SD-6 — and that no one can yet trust the mother's motives, that should give you a good start. Part of Alias's troubles in the ratings is no doubt due to its convoluted set-up. But it's worth being a little lost for a while to experience the fun. If you like 24, you're bound to get a charge out of this.

Question: Is there a timeline on when I only need my TV to watch the DVDs of the "Ghosts of TV Past" and not worry about what is under the cloak of the "Ghost of TV Future"? With the premature cancellation of Farscape and the other questionable cancellations of Once and Again and Firefly (plus others too numerous to mention), how soon will TV have lost all intelligent, witty and thought-provoking programs and strictly become a vapid wasteland of people eating bugs and competing for the "affection" of another person? — Melissa

Matt: I'm making this the last question I address in the year 2002 so I can end on a note of hope. Watching (and reviewing) TV can be awfully frustrating, especially when shows you love get unfair treatment. But I'm not about to give up on a medium that even now offers such un-guilty pleasures as (to name just a few keepers) Boomtown, Gilmore Girls, 24, Alias, The Sopranos, Everybody Loves Raymond, Smallville, Friends, Scrubs, CSI, Buffy, Angel, The Shield, Monk, The Daily Show and — to end this column where it began — The Sopranos. (And while I've been very critical of some veteran shows lately, every so often you still get a great episode of ER, Frasier, The West Wing, The Practice, Saturday Night Live, NYPD Blue and Law & Order).

TV is not a wasteland — yet. And even though January is going to bring an avalanche of disposable reality nonsense occupying some valuable prime-time real estate, most of it will be infinitely forgettable. Even if the options seem limited, there really is something for just about everyone most nights of the week. And on those off nights, aren't we glad for those DVDs?

© TV Guide Online 2002

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