Now I’ll have to TiVo Joey

Yes, I know this is only interesting to me, but Alias returns with its fifth season on September 29th. Do you have any idea how relieved I am? I may very well have fretted that Alias’ return would be delayed (I’ve since destroyed my Ben Affleck voodoo doll). But that’s ok, because Jennifer Garner’s pregnancy will be a plot point in the new season. Consider:

Jennifer Garner is expecting a baby, so her “Alias” character will be too, even though she’s a globe-trotting spy. “We are going to embrace the fact that she’s pregnant,” ABC programming chief Stephen McPherson said, referring to the character, Sydney Bristow.

…

Asked if he thought the show might lose male viewers who eagerly anticipate seeing Garner in action, McPherson replied that “she’ll be able to run a fair amount.”

I watch the show because it’s imaginative, well-written, and entertaining. I trust J.J. Abrams (I mean, Alias! Felicity! Need I say more?), so I’m not worried. I can accept that the show plays on its sex appeal, but give us a little more credit. If you doubt me, remember that I travelled to New York to see a play for the sole reason of meeting Arvin Sloane Ron Rifkin. I’m not brain dead; I can enjoy the show with parts of my body above my waist line, thank you.

But this is the key:

But he acknowledged her exploits would change when Garner is visibly pregnant. To protect the show’s sex appeal quotient, a younger agent who is being mentored by Sydney will be added, he said.

That role has yet to be cast.

I’d like to mention here that I’m free for “any” acting gigs that might be available, whether designed for a woman or a man. If it worked for Shakespeare, it can work for me.