Alias is far more plot-driven and conspiracy-driven than Buffy ever was. Alias has an emotional tenor closer to early X-Files; I care about the characters, but they are secondary to the cliffhangers, unveilings, and double-crosses. Alias exists more-or-less in our world, though it does have a lot of James-Bond-style whatever technology (TM TWOP). There is a tiny bit of the flavor of prophecy that permeates Angel, but that takes a while to unfold.

Well, I think this superbly sums up Alias in comparison to the other shows and I agree completely. Buffy I watched primarily for the characters; Alias I got hooked on because of the stories being told. It's a brilliantly twisty show. And one that JJ Abrams has 'reinvented' twice already in it's relatively brief life.

I do believe you could start watching the show with season 3 and understand the basics of it. Yet, you'd miss out on the significance of the little things and the incresingly rich emotional history of the show (I think you would be fascinated by Jack and Irina's complicated relationship). Therefore, I'd recommend watching from the beginning.

Now, I tried repeatedly to get into LFM, but failed. The show just left me cold. I can't enjoy a show devoid of emotion no matter how many neat plot twists they may throw in. I need to care about the fate of the characters and it boggles my mind why anyone cared whether Nikita, Michael, etc lived or died.

While I'm not as emotionally invested in Alias as I was with Buffy, I do give a damn as to what happens to these characters. Without spoiling you, Sydney Bristow's life can be just as heartbreaking as Buffy's.