Alias

Sydney Bristow is trying to maintain an ordinary life while working in an organisation where almost nothing can be taken at face value. Alias makes that divided existence the centre of a spy adventure full of disguises, dangerous assignments and people with excellent reasons to withhold the truth.

Jennifer Garner gives Sydney the physical confidence the action needs, but the family relationships do much of the heavier work. Victor Garber's reserve is particularly effective opposite her: a short conversation can leave more doubt than an elaborate mission. Sydney's need to trust somebody is what makes the constant deception matter.

The early run is the strongest attraction. Its undercover tension is immediate, while the larger mythology gradually asks for more patience and a greater willingness to accept the improbable. This is glossy escapism, not restrained espionage.

If you enjoy a serial thriller that ends an episode by overturning what you thought you knew, there is plenty here. 24 supplies a more relentless action alternative; The Americans treats the collision between home life and espionage with much greater realism.