ABC’s ‘Alias’ an edge-of-the-seat spy drama

The best new drama so far in the fledgling fall TV season is “Alias,” debuting at 9-10:06 p.m. Sunday on ABC, without commercial interruption.

“Alias” is the baby of J.J. Abrams, who also created the teen soaper “Felicity.” But his new heroine is no curly-haired, doe-eyed moppet.

Sydney Bristow is a struggling grad student who has a part-time job as a savvy agent for a covert branch of the CIA. She’s a kick-ass action figure following in the karate kicks of last year’s breakout character, Jessica Alba’s Max on “Dark Angel.”

Her double life was going along peachy until her cuddly, handsome medical student boyfriend proposes. She breaks an unwritten rule of the agency, which leads to a personal tragedy for her.

All of a sudden, Sydney finds herself hunted by her own agency. She also discovers that all is not as it seems at the CIA. Also, her distant father is trying to help her, which really freaks her out.

Jennifer Gordon is very believable as the formerly unflappable Sydney, whose world gets ripped apart. She’s capably assisted by a cast of fresh, young faces and such reliable veteran pros as Ron Rifkin and Carl Lumbly.

As it flashes from present to past and back again, “Alias” is a real adrenaline rush. It’s an edge-of-the-seat thriller, as Sydney plays a dangerous game with her life in a shadowy realm. Spies are an overused theme this season, but this is espionage done right.

Those fans of well-crafted drama who want to watch “Alias” had better be able to work their VCRs, as NBC offers another strong new entry at exactly the same time, 9 p.m. Sunday.

In “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” producer Dick Wolf has found a couple of new twists for his successful franchise, and as a result, the series starts out with more direction than its sibling, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” has managed to muster.

Unlike the other two “Law & Order” shows, which are ensemble dramas, “Criminal Intent” belongs to Vincent D’Onofrio, who has made a name for himself in both independent and commercial films. His character, Robert Goren, is part detective, part psychologist, part profiler.

Kathryn Erbe plays Goren’s partner and Jamey Sheridan his boss in the Major Case Squad, and Courtney B. Vance is the district attorney attached to the unit. None of these characters have been developed enough.

Also, on the other two shows, the crime is approached from the side of justice. “Criminal Intent” also follows the criminals as the case evolves. Since other crime dramas have used a similar approach (remember how Columbo always tripped up the murderer?), it’s no great transition for viewers.

“Criminal Intent” provides the plot surprises that have helped “Law & Order” maintain a steady high quality for more than a decade. It’s a worthy successor to its distinguished ancestor.