Jennifer Garner's Kids Should Watch Alias

“They don’t mind watching their dad, but they kind of want me to be their mom," Garner told Allure of her kids' viewing preferences. They're missing out!

Start Slideshow
Start Slideshow
65154_279_56 - ALIAS -From J.J. Abrams, the creator of "Felicity," comes this thoroughly contemporary, high-octane series. Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) is a vivacious, athletic grad student, who has a not-so-typical after-school job: she's an agent for SD-6, a top-secret division of the CIA. Revealing her secret is verboten, and if there's one rule you don't break -- this is the one. But Sydney breaks it, and suddenly her world is spun terrifyingly sideways: Her boyfriend's life is now in grave danger, and Sydney's in a fight for her own life. She also discovers that her long-estranged father, Jack (Victor Garber), is also SD-6 and that the organization might be covering up a secretly nefarious plan. "Alias" will air Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Norman Jean Roy/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) JENNIFER GARNER
Photo: Norman Jean Roy/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Allure dropped a new profile of Jennifer Garner, the award-winning actress and baby food entrepreneur. The photos are great! But one section of the profile jumped out at me, a noted longtime Garner fan: Garner’s children don’t watch her work. They only like watching Ben Affleck.

Advertisement

“They don’t mind watching their dad, but they kind of want me to be their mom. They don’t want to see me upset and women cry more in what we do,” she told the magazine. “And they don’t really want to see me in a romantic thing.”

Well, have I got great news for the Garner-Affleck kids. Their mom’s best work, Alias, has everything they could want in a Garner-viewing experience: Minimal romance and enough wigs to make them forget that they’re watching their mom.

This spy thriller primetime television show was created by J.J. Abrams—who was fresh off his run as co-creator of Felicity—in September 2001. (To our younger readers, these words probably make sense in that it’s an English sentence with correct grammar, but to people of a certain age that set of facts will make your head spin.)

Yes, there is some romance because it couldn’t just be a show about a double agent for the CIA working to bring down SD-6, a worldwide criminal network. But it’s mostly about spying and friends.

And Garner committed to the bit as Sydney Bristow. There’s a reason this is an award-winning show (according to the Golden Globes) led by the multi-Emmy-nominated Garner. She knew what she was doing. And honestly, I think a lot of the reason is because Garner knows how to wear the hell out of a wig.

So here are my wig-based reasons for watching your mother’s seminal work. Happy Alias-bingeing!

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

2 / 15

The Alias Wig

The Alias Wig

65154_275_50 - ALIAS -From J.J. Abrams, the creator of "Felicity," comes this thoroughly contemporary, high-octane series. Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) is a vivacious, athletic grad student, who has a not-so-typical after-school job: she's an agent for SD-6, a top-secret division of the CIA. Revealing her secret is verboten, and if there's one rule you don't break -- this is the one. But Sydney breaks it, and suddenly her world is spun terrifyingly sideways: Her boyfriend's life is now in grave danger, and Sydney's in a fight for her own life. She also discovers that her long-estranged father, Jack (Victor Garber), is also SD-6 and that the organization might be covering up a secretly nefarious plan. "Alias" will air Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Norman Jean Roy/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) JENNIFER GARNER
Photo: Norman Jean Roy/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

This is the wig from the premiere. They couldn’t get the exact shade right and eventually ended up buying “a few hairs” from a girl off the street that had the perfect color. Producer Sarah Caplan told the story at ATX Festival in 2017:

I go to the girl, “Would you mind, can I take a little snippet of the bottom of your hair? We’re looking for this certain color. The director thinks yours is the perfect color.” She looks at me and she goes, “No.” I said, “Really? Why not?” “Well, I’ve grown this hair and that hair has been with me for 14 years.” “I only want a few hairs. Well, we’ll pay you for the little bit of hair.” By now she’s sitting down with her friends. She’s very smart. Finally, she agrees that we can buy a little bit of the hair. I don’t have any money on me, J.J. doesn’t have any money on me, so I wrestle $39 off various members of the crew.

Advertisement

The hair on this show has been nuts since its inception.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

3 / 15

Hello Blondie

Hello Blondie

65185_11_9 - ALIAS - "So It Begins" -- Bent on destroying SD-6 with the aid of Vaughn and the CIA, Sydney returns to the agency and is assigned with Dixon to travel to Moscow to retrieve some stolen files. But when Sydney discovers that she has inadvertently given SD-6 access to a nuclear weapon, she is forced to travel to Cairo and face a deadly foe. Meanwhile, Will begins to question the circumstances surrounding Danny's death, and Sydney learns of her father's involvement in the murder, on "Alias," SUNDAY, XXXX (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Craig Sjodin/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) JENNIFER GARNER
Photo: Craig Sjodin/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

While wearing this wig, our dear Sydney figures out she’s actually been working for a worldwide crime network instead of a dark-ops CIA department. We find her on a mission to Moscow—in this incredible blonde wig—to recover stolen files. It’s her first mission as a double agent, actually working with the CIA to bring down SD-6, the aforementioned criminal syndicate.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

4 / 15

Blondie Got Several Uses

Blondie Got Several Uses

65185_18_9 - ALIAS - "So It Begins" -- Bent on destroying SD-6 with the aid of Vaughn and the CIA, Sydney returns to the agency and is assigned with Dixon to travel to Moscow to retrieve some stolen files. But when Sydney discovers that she has inadvertently given SD-6 access to a nuclear weapon, she is forced to travel to Cairo and face a deadly foe. Meanwhile, Will begins to question the circumstances surrounding Danny's death, and Sydney learns of her father's involvement in the murder, on "Alias," SUNDAY, XXXX (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Craig Sjodin/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) JENNIFER GARNER
Photo: Craig Sjodin/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

What Russian hotel maid doesn’t carry a briefcase and four poorly folded towels to clean only one room on a floor? Soon after she’ll discover that the money she’s searching for is fake! And she must race through a club to switch the floppy discs!

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

5 / 15

Red Heads Have More Fun

Red Heads Have More Fun

65230_5_26 - ALIAS - "PARITY" (Photo by Richard Cartwright/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) JENNIFER GARNER
Photo: Richard Cartwright/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

Here we have Sydney in Spain, retrieving a sketch...I think. Honestly, who cares if this is what she looks like? But again, it doesn’t look like Jennifer Garner at all! Does it Garner-Affleck kids?

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

6 / 15

This Is Prime Roast Material

This Is Prime Roast Material

67328_8775 -- ALIAS - "Repercussions" Ð While Vaughn's life hangs in the balance, Lauren butts heads with Sydney after learning the part she played in his stabbing. Meanwhile, Sydney further questions Sloane's allegiances after he is kidnapped by Kazari Bomani (Djimon Hounsou), a kingpin in The Covenant; Jack's cover is jeopardized when he meets with Simon (Justin Theroux) to dig up information on Sydney's missing two years; and Marshall is sent on his second mission with Sydney, posing as a high-stakes, southern gambler, on "Alias," SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Carin Baer/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) JENNIFER GARNER
Photo: Carin Baer/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

Kids, your mother put on this wig and acted the HELL out of it. All dearest love to my mother but she could not pull off a wig, let alone this wig, this dress, and the boa while trying to save her friend/handler/man she loves, Vaughn (her CIA handler played by Michael Vartan.)

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

7 / 15

Not All Were Winners

Not All Were Winners

65458_4_6 - ALIAS - "The Confession" -- Sydney is grateful and proud of her father after he saves her life while on a case in Havana. But her admiration is short lived when Vaughn discovers further evidence that Jack may have been responsible for the deaths of over a dozen CIA officers many years earlier, on "Alias," SUNDAY, JANUARY 6 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Craig Sjodin/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) JENNIFER GARNER
Photo: Craig Sjodin/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

This stringy red number doesn’t exactly look great, but luckily Garner’s bone structure and stunt work make up for its weird inclusion in this Cuba-set episode.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

8 / 15

An Updated Shirley Temple

An Updated Shirley Temple

Image for article titled Jennifer Garner's Kids Should Watch Alias
Photo: Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

Garner wears this little number to either Mexico or Japan while also dealing with the fact that the man she loves won’t leave his wife aka a spy who was just using him!!!!! Again, there’s some romance because romance is necessary to life, but mostly it’s about Garner kicking ass in increasingly ridiculous get-ups.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

9 / 15

High Rollers, Rock Stars

High Rollers, Rock Stars

Image for article titled Jennifer Garner's Kids Should Watch Alias
Photo: Mitchell Haaseth /Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

You’re telling me you do NOT want to know the context of this photo of Garner and Bradley Cooper portraying rock stars??? Couldn’t be me. To give you a taste: This is from season 3, episode 10 when Cooper’s Will is brought back into the fold from witness protection so they can...you’ll have to watch to see 😘

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

10 / 15

Better Look Twice

Better Look Twice

Image for article titled Jennifer Garner's Kids Should Watch Alias
Photo: Mitchell Haaseth/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

This wig is so transformative I almost missed that this is Garner!

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

11 / 15

Understated Spy

Understated Spy

Image for article titled Jennifer Garner's Kids Should Watch Alias
Photo: Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

The show could do understated looks too! I just prefer when they’re absolutely over-the-top...

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

12 / 15

Like This

Like This

Image for article titled Jennifer Garner's Kids Should Watch Alias
Photo: Mitchell Haaseth/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

Blue! Hair! Bondage! Attire! This show could blend Garner—who is as apple pie beauty queen as a girl can look—into any environment as long as they have enough spirit gum. In the season 1 finale, Garner and Vaughn are trying to save Cooper and must go to a club in Taipei to do it.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

13 / 15

Or This Look

Or This Look

Image for article titled Jennifer Garner's Kids Should Watch Alias
Photo: Vivian Zink/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

Bleached blonde wig? Cool bomber jacket? Enough eyeliner to make Billie Joe Armstrong jealous? This just screams SPY, and not “my mom, Jennifer Garner.”

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

14 / 15

One Final Look

One Final Look

Image for article titled Jennifer Garner's Kids Should Watch Alias
Photo: Craig Sjodin/Disney General Entertainment Content (Getty Images)

This one isn’t a wig, of course, but yet another unhinged costuming choice. More than getting the Garner-Affleck kids to watch Alias, I really just want to look inside the minds of the show’s costume designers. Kids, watch the damn show, and then maybe your mom will give all of us their contact info.

Advertisement