Amy Acker

Sydney, we hardly knew ye.

ABC has confirmed that its cult-fave spy-fi drama "Alias" will wrap its five-year run at the end of this season in May.

The Touchstone TV drama, which stars Jennifer Garner as covert CIA agent Sydney Bristow, has never been a top-rated show but has long been buoyed by a loyal cadre of fans who track every nuance of its highly complex and mysterious storylines. It was also among the first of a new breed of TV series that can be sustained for multiple seasons of modest primetime numbers on the strength of ancillary businesses, like DVD sales and video games.

"Alias" was in many ways the perfect spooky, moody, terrorism-fighting drama for its moment, debuting in the grim shadow of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on Sept. 30, 2001. The series that made Jennifer Garner a major star was the brainchild of creator/executive producer J.J. Abrams, now riding high on ABC with "Lost."

"Right out of the box, ’Alias’ attracted a cult following of fans that were completely invested in the show," said ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson, praising Abrams’ talents and dedication to the show. "We owe both the storytellers and the fans a send-off worthy of a show that has been such a big part of the pop culture vernacular."

Touchstone president Mark Pedowitz made special mention of the contributions of Garner, who has earned four consecutive Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe trophy in 2002 for her work on the show. Garner has consistently shown her "dedication to the role and (has) unarguably the best demeanor in the business," Pedowitz said.

"Alias" executive producer Jeff Pinkner promised that the writing team was prepared to "wrap up the story of Sydney Bristow in a surprising and, we think, thrilling way." Instead of prolonging the tough decision about the show’s fate, the early notice from ABC and Touchstone will allow cast and crew "the freedom to end the series in the climactic way it deserves," Pinkner said.

ABC said it would begin a "countdown" approach to the series finale in May. The series aired in the Sunday 9 p.m. slot in its first three seasons before moving to Wednesday last year and to the tough Thursday 8 p.m. slot this fall. So far this season, "Alias" has ranked No. 75 among all primetime series with an average of 7 million viewers and 2.9 rating/7 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research.

In addition to Abrams and Pinkner, "Alias" exec producers this season also include Ken Olin, Jesse Alexander and Jeffrey Bell. Garner’s costars this season include Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin, Carl Lumbly, Kevin Weisman and Balthazar Getty.