ALF (1986–1990)

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

Creators:

Paul Fusco, Tom Patchett

Stars:

Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson

4 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
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)

Storyline

The Tanner family is an average American family. One day, they discover that they have a visitor. He's small, he's furry, he's arrogant, and he's an alien from the planet Melmac. Unsure what to do, they name him ALF: Alien Life Form. Alf soon decides that as much as he misses his home planet, there's a lot to be said for Earth: the Tanners are willing to concede anything as long as he doesn't announce his presence. Oh yeah, the the Tanners also have a cat, which looks rather tasty...

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Plot Keywords:

alien | cat | hiding | blind woman | sitcom | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

ALF, o Eteimoso

Filming Locations:

USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alien Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 25 min (100 episodes) 30 min (102 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the years since the show's demise, both Max Wright and Anne Schedeen have stated that tensions were very high among the cast and crew. The technical demands of the series made for very long shooting schedules, and none of the actors enjoyed playing supporting roles to a puppet who always had the best lines.

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Goofs

In the Halloween episode of season 2, A black strip of tape disappears and reappears on ALF's chest

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Quotes

ALF: The only good cat is a stir-fried cat.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.69 (2005)

User Reviews

Another Cool And Crazy Sitcom From The 1980s

This show was cool! Alf was an alien that crashed in the Tanner's family living room. Then he ended up staying there to live. He had to hide from other humans the first couple of seasons. Then the Ochmonics and the Tanner's mother in law discovered him. One serious episode was the Christmas episode. Alf stopped an old man from jumping off a bridge, helped deliver a baby, and became friends with a girl with leukemia. A silly episode was the Gilligan's Island episode. I can still hear Alf singing the Gilligan's Island theme song in my head today! The Alf cartoon was stupid. And when they added Alf Tales the second season, it made the cartoon more stupid! It was cool to see a movie called Project Alf years later. But why did Alf appear in stupid 1800COLLECT commercials?