After five seasons, ABC finally gave up on the little spy show that could. Last Friday, the network announced that J.J. Abrams's "Alias" will end its run this May. It's a move that can't be considered too surprising given the network's recent treatment of the series.

While the show garnered its highest ratings last year when it was packaged with Abrams's mega-hit "Lost," the series was moved to Thursdays in a timeslot that has never been successful for ABC. Sure enough, ratings plummeted. With the aforementioned "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" debuting last season, the network no longer needed "Alias" for water-cooler buzz and awards-season nominations. Throw in a creative meltdown in seasons three and four, stars Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan's off-screen break-up and Garner's pregnancy with the demonspawn (yes, it's Ben Affleck's baby) and the writing was on the wall for the once-proud series. At least Sydney Bristow's (Garner) adventures continue on DVD.

Following the much-beguiled third season, Abrams and company promised sweeping changes. And to their credit, they followed through. Unfortunately, those changes found incredibly mixed results. Viewers clamored for the death of Vaughn's (Michael Vartan) wife Lauren Reed (Melissa George, "The Amityville Horror") and for his reunion with Sydney. But it wasn't enough to solve everything. The show became more streamlined, losing its cliff-hanging episodic nature in favor of a more procedural method of storytelling. Sydney joined a new secret organization, the lamely titled APO (Authorized Personnel Only), which found her working with the exact same people she worked with at the CIA. Even more absurdly, the creators decided that it would be a good idea to once again place her under the employ of her arch-nemesis Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin). This retread is completely unbelievable within the context of the "Alias" universe, especially after Sloane seemingly went rogue at the end of season three.

The show also retooled by adding a new cast member, Mia Maestro, as Sydney's half-sister Nadia Santos. Nadia seems like the perfect foil for Sydney as the two are both secret agents - and they even become roommates. Nadia is supposed to be Syd's shoulder to cry on, helping to domesticate the character. But she isn't nearly as effective as the characters Francie or Will in earlier years at helping to show Syd's softer side - and Maestro isn't much of an actress.

The special features largely explore how the series aimed to fix the problems from season three. The episode commentaries (the few that are there) and production interviews respond more to the fan backlash and the need for Maestro's addition to the cast than the reduction of the overarching Rimbaldi mystery storyline. While somewhat informative, these features aren't nearly as enjoyable as the behind-the-scenes pieces on the action sequences. "Alias" is one of the most exciting series on TV and these featurettes illustrate just how exhaustive some of the stunts are.

"Alias" was one of the most innovative shows on television when it debuted in 2001. It became ABC's critical darling and made star Jennifer Garner a household name. It even got the coveted air-slot after the 2003 Super Bowl. It may have veered off track in recent years, but it's still better than a lot of the crap that ABC is peddling ("George Lopez," anybody?). Season four shows a series that's at a crossroads. Too bad ABC didn't want to stick with the show long enough to find out if it could right itself.

Ratings:

Series: 3 out of 5 stars

Picture/Sound: 4 out of 5 stars

Features: 3 out of 5 stars