After five long years of playing the spy-game, ABC has announced that "Alias," the spy show created by J.J. Abrams, will be coming to an end this season.

The announcement comes as a bittersweet event, as many fans are still reeling from the death of leading man Michael Vaughn who was played by Michael Vartan since the shows debut in 2000. But one thing fans can be assured of is that the series wont be going out with a whimper.

The spy drama "is not going to wind down as it comes to an end," said Stephen McPherson, ABC's Entertainment Manager. Instead, "it's going to rev up, and we're going to make it the event it deserves to be."

"Alias," which has been critically acclaimed since its launch five years ago and has shot series star Jennifer Garner to fame, becoming a hit with the networks target demographic. Last season, while partnered with "Lost" (which was also created by J.J. Abrams) the series hit an all-time high. However, its move to Thursday nights has serious crippled the shows ratings. The show will be moved back to Wednesday, once again following "Lost" for two episodes starting with December 7th's "Bob."

The series will be taking a brief hiatus after its December 15th episode to cover Jennifer Garner's maternity leave. Entitled The Horizon," the last episode of 2005 sees Michael Vartan return to the series for a one episode appearance. Former series regular David Anders is also expected to be appearing in several episodes starting with "Bob."