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TV Guide Online
January 6, 2003
Roush Room: Ask Matt
Question: Who is the girl in the black leather skirt on the "50
Things to Love About TV" cover of TV Guide (Dec.14)? — Dean M.
Matt: Apologies from our editorial department to those who tried
looking up the credits for that photo. It was Jennifer Garner in one
of her outre Alias disguises. Speaking of which...
Question: Okay, we get it! You love Alias, you think it's great, you
think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. You heap praise on
the show in practically every column you write. But enough is enough!
You spend so much time trying to persuade people to watch Alias that
I feel compelled to offer a counter opinion: Alias is a lousy TV
show. I watched most of last season and the first few episodes this
season but quit watching when I realized the show was never going to
make any sense. Yes, it's flashy and fast moving but the plots are
completely ludicrous. The writers don't even try to make sense of
anything. They seem to feel that as long as they get Jennifer Garner
into tight outfits then the plot doesn't matter, and critics like you
only reinforce this thinking. And as for Garner's acting... well, not
everyone considers brow furrowing and lip quivering to be great
acting. So Matt, please try and realize that not all of your readers
are as enchanted by this show as you obviously are. — Tee
Matt: Thanks for the reality check. But I'd have to be nuts to be
under the delusion that everyone shares my fondness for this show.
Just look at the ratings (though it didn't help that it aired against
The Sopranos for the first half of the season). Clearly this isn't to
everyone's taste — and I'm very curious how it will be received when
an episode airs after the Super Bowl, delivering the largest lead-in
imaginable.
As for Alias's recurring presence in this column, it reflects the
number of inquiries I get each week. I have to believe some of that
has to do with the fact that, like 24, the show's a great deal of fun
to watch, think and argue about. Among those who like it, of course.
And, to show that there just isn't pleasing some people...
Question: You've snubbed Alias! In your recent list of the best TV
shows of 2002, you placed Alias in the No. 4 slot. I know that it's
an honor to be mentioned at all, but in my mind, Alias is simply as
good as it gets. J.J. Abrams has managed to create a fantastic and
complex yet believable world filled with characters that we can't
help but laugh and cry with. With that in mind, I'd just like to
hear, in your opinion, what makes the shows ranked Nos. 1, 2 and 3
(24, CSI and Curb Your Enthusiasm) better than my personal favorite. —
Meredith
Matt: You're asking the impossible. The hardest thing about compiling
any list is trying to come up with an order. I will stand by placing
24 at the top of my list, though. Much as I love Alias, I find 24's
dark ruthlessness even more fascinating, not to mention the
triumphant way it has fulfilled its ambition of sticking to the
stylized ticking-clock format. I didn't want to put two such similar
shows together as No. 1 and No. 2, so I ranked TV's (deservedly) most
popular show next. And I wanted to put a comedy high up, so that
explains the truly hilarious and original Curb at No. 3. Making
matters even trickier, I had to write this list before watching the
devastating season finale of The Sopranos. After I saw that, I wished
I could have put that show higher than No. 6. (I probably would have
flipped it with CSI.) It's all very arbitrary and imperfect. But I
honestly think all of my top-10 picks are a No. 1 choice in one way
or another.
Question: I saw that you were on the panel deciding on the American
Film Institute's top TV programs of the year. How did Alias not make
the cut? It is far better than The West Wing. I know you love Alias
and do not like Wing, so what happened? What was the voting process
like for the AFI list? — Larry A.
Matt: I can't really get into specifics, because each of the
panelists (a mix of industry professionals, critics and academics)
signs a confidentiality agreement — which would normally rankle me,
but after participating in this fascinating procedure for the last
two years, I see the point. The discussion is open and at times
brutally honest, and keeping the specifics private is a point of
professional courtesy. Regular readers know where I stand, so I think
it would be no surprise that I fought for Alias (and 24, another
disappointing no-show) at the expense of The West Wing. But it should
also come as no shock that the entertainment industry itself holds
Wing in very high regard, even during a less-than-satisfying year. I
think everyone on the panel won some and lost some that day.
Personally, I hope AFI's acknowledge of Gilmore Girls has some impact
upon other awards organizations.
© TV Guide Online 2003
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