"ALF" (1986) TV series 1986-1990

Creators:

Paul Fusco
Tom Patchett

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | unknown

Release Date:

22 September 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A furry alien wiseguy comes to live with a terran family after crashing into their garage.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Cat | Hiding | Space | Mistaken Identity

Awards:

3 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Paul Fusco	...	ALF / ... (103 episodes, 1986-1990)
Max Wright	...	Willie Tanner (101 episodes, 1986-1990)
Anne Schedeen	...	Kate Tanner (101 episodes, 1986-1990)
Andrea Elson	...	Lynn Tanner (101 episodes, 1986-1990)
Benji Gregory	...	Brian Tanner (101 episodes, 1986-1990)

Runtime:

Argentina:30 min | Germany:25 min (100 episodes) | USA:30 min (102 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | USA:TV-G | Canada:G | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG

Company:

Alien Productions

Trivia:

ALF stands for Alien Life Form.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the Halloween episode of season two, Kate answers the door with four Carmel apples on the tray, and the stooges take all four. When she puts the tray down, there is still one left.

Quotes:

[ALF has just squirted Willie with a squirting flower]
Willie: You amaze me. You're 229 years old and that's what you think is funny.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Shia LaBeouf/My Morning Jacket (#33.11)" (2008)

Fun Little Series That Is Carried by the Title Character

"ALF" was a nice little series that lasted a little more than four seasons in the late-1980s on NBC and was somewhat lost in the shuffle during a time when shows like "The Cosby Show", "Cheers", and "L.A. Law" dominated the ratings for the network. The series deals with a likeable alien from the planet Mailmac who is stranded on Earth and forced to live with the Tanners, a California family. Throughout, ALF is being protected from the fictional Alien Task Force. The Tanner family is led by Willie (Max Wright), his wife Kate (Anne Schedeen), and their children Lynn (Andrea Elson) and Brian (Benji Gregory). Perhaps the biggest minus of the series is the lack of character development within the Tanner family. Kate, Lynn, and Brian are all flat characters. However, Willie's character is excellent and it is Wright who helped carry the series as long as it went. Critically speaking, "ALF" is a somewhat disappointing series which struggles for story-lines. The fact that the series went on as long as it did is a testament to the writers and directors of this series. Sometimes the series struggled to find a permanent audience. At times the material was very adult-oriented, but at other times the stories seemed to cater more to the youngest of age groups. The way that the series ended was extremely disappointing in 1990. I am not sure how the series could have been wrapped up, but I felt empty and upset with the way the show ultimately ended. A made-for-television movie entitled "Project: ALF" tried to put a ribbon on the original series, but that film was overall unsatisfying as well. Overall an enjoyable series whose life on television was really longer than it should have been. 4 out of 5 stars.