SEASON PREMIERE

SYDNEY, VAUGHN, JACK AND DIXON GET A NEW BOSS, SYDNEY AND VAUGHN QUESTION WHETHER THEY'LL EVER BE ABLE TO RECONCILE THEIR RELATIONSHIP, SYDNEY LEARNS A TERRIBLE SECRET ABOUT HER FATHER, AND NADIA IS RELUCTANT TO RETURN TO THE SPY WORLD SINCE LEARNING THE TRUTH ABOUT HER FATHER - SLOANE - ON THE SEASON PREMIERE OF ABC'S "ALIAS"

Angela Bassett ("How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "Waiting to Exhale," "What's Love Got to Do with It") Guest Stars as CIA Director Hayden Chase

Mia Maestro Joins the Cast as Sydney's Half-Sister, Nadia Santos

The electrifying Emmy Award-winning spy drama, "Alias," returns for an emotionally gripping fourth season. Jennifer Garner stars in her Golden Globe Award-winning role as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in this non-stop thrill ride through espionage, adventure and heart-wrenching drama, on the season premiere of "Alias," WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5 (9:01-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Editors, please note: This release has been updated to reflect a revised guest cast for "Authorized Personnel Only, Part 1.

After shutting down the malevolent Arvin Sloane and SD-6, Sydney thought she had finally rid the world of evil and avenged the murder of her fianci. But her life took a shocking turn last year when she mysteriously awoke in Hong Kong to the realization that she had no recollection of the past two years of her life. Everyone had presumed Sydney dead, including her soul mate, CIA agent Michael Vaughn, who had since married agent Lauren Reed. While uncovering the truth about her missing two years, Sydney was stunned to learn that Lauren had been working clandestinely for The Covenant, a crime syndicate bent on the destruction of the CIA. It became Sydney's mission to convince Vaughn of the facts about his new wife and to eradicate both her and The Covenant. Meanwhile, Sydney's journey led her and her father, Jack Bristow, to the discovery of Sydney's half-sister, Nadia Santos, the result of an illicit affair a quarter-century ago between arch nemesis Sloane and Sydney's mother, Irina Derevko. Finally, unearthing a past misdeed by Jack left Sydney wondering, once again, if she could trust her father.

Even more gripping and emotional events are in store this year for Sydney. She'll be utterly devastated when she learns who her new boss is at the CIA, but she'll be thrilled when she finds out the identity of her new partner. She'll mourn the loss of someone close. She'll discover the joys and heartbreaks of having -- and being -- a sister. She'll struggle to define her relationship with the newly-widowed and now soul-tortured Vaughn. And she'll be sickened to hear the truth about her father's betrayal -- all the while traveling incognito, outsmarting the bad guys and keeping the world safe.

In the season premiere episode, "Authorized Personnel Only, Parts I & 2," Sydney, Vaughn, Jack and Dixon are stunned by CIA Director Hayden Chase's (Angela Bassett) choice to be their new boss. Meanwhile, Sydney and Vaughn's possible reconciliation is surprisingly in doubt -- even though

Lauren is dead -- and Sydney learns an appalling secret about Jack that threatens to destroy their relationship. Additionally, against Sydney's vehement objections, her new boss partners her with Jack to hunt down a modern-day samurai; Sydney's half-sister, Nadia, is reluctant to return to the spy game since learning the truth about her father -- Arvin Sloan; and Vaughn and Jack share a surprising bond over Jack's unspeakable past misdeed - much to Sydney's chagrin.

"Alias" stars Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, Victor Garber as Jack Bristow, Ron Rifkin as Arvin Sloane, Michael Vartan as Michael Vaughn, Carl Lumbly as Marcus Dixon, Kevin Weisman as Marshall Flinkman, Greg Grunberg as Eric Weiss and Mia Maestro as Nadia Santos.

Guest starring in "Authorized Personnel Only, Part 1" are Angela Bassett as Hayden Chase, Robert Patrick Benedict as Brodien, Karl Hamann as Komorov, JR Reed as lead CIA agent and Vicky Shen as angry punk girl.

Guest starring "Authorized Personnel Only, Part 2" are Rick Yune as Kazu Tamazaki, Dennis Di Angelo as Jorge, Jay Harik as Leclerc, Clive Pearson as guard no. 1 and Mark Ryan and Cooney.

"Authorized Personnel Only, Parts I & 2" were written by J.J. Abrams & Jeff Melvoin and directed by Ken Olin.

"Alias" was created by J.J. Abrams, who executive-produces the series along with Ken Olin and Jeff Melvoin. Jeffrey Bell, Jess Alexander and Jeff Pinkner are co-executive producers. The series, which is filmed in Los Angeles and premiered on September 30, 2001, is from Touchstone Television.

"Alias" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound.

This program carries a TV-14,S,V parental guideline.