And is the end near for the show?

With “Alias” struggling “After MASH”-like in the TV ratings, fans of the series will be pleased to hear that Michael Vartan has returned to the show.

Vartan’s character, Vaughn, was killed off in the first episode of the year, but apparently they’ve worked out a way for the actor that played him to return, says TV Guide.

Vartan – who I hear is in talks for a certain pricey blockbuster to be made in Australia, and I’m working on getting confirmation for that – returned to the set yesterday to film more episodes of the spy series. No word on who he’s playing.

But as Michael Ausiello at the site states, don’t get too used to seeing him because he’s “willing to bet my entire collection of 2005 Smurfs that Alias will be put to rest in May”.