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About This Show
Cast
Great Characters
Photos
Seasons
Cast:
Paul Fusco as ALF (voice)
Max Wright as Willie Tanner
Anne Schedeen as Kate Tanner
Andrea Elson as Lynn Tanner
Benji Gregory as Brian Tanner
John LaMotta as Trevor Ochmonek
Liz Sheridan as Raquel Ochmonek
ALF (1986-1990): I love this show! It certainly wasn't on long enough. "ALF" lasted only four seasons, but had a very strong public appeal that has lasted to this day. The cliffhanger fourth season finale turned out to be the series finale, as it was not picked up for a fifth season. ALF was finally caught by the Alien Task Force, and the retooled series would have been set at a military base. Although ended very abrupt, the ALF saga was picked up in a 1996 TV movie, "Project: ALF". Although a great movie, it was sad not to see any of the cast from the TV series.
"ALF" was a sitcom about an alien who lived, in secret, with a human family by the name of Tanner. His endless foolishness caused the family, and those around them, constant frustration. In the first episode, the alien's spaceship crashes through the roof of the Tanners' garage. It is soon learned that he came from the doomed planet Melmac. He is called "ALF", an acronym for Alien Life Form. It is learned in later episodes of the first season that his true name is Gordon Shumway.
The series was great, but greatness often has its price. Tensions were high among the cast and crew. Technical difficulties called for long shooting schedules, and pretty much all of the cast felt upstaged by the funny puppet that had all the best lines. NBC was up in the air about bringing the show back for a fifth season, and it was believed that relocating the show to a military base would ease cast and crew tensions. If nothing else, it was thought that a major cliffhanger event would force the network into continuing the series, but no such luck.
It's sad that the cast felt unappreciated, but it was really them that made ALF, himself, so funny. Max Wright, as Willie Tanner, was the perfect target for ALF's psychological abuse. He was really great! ALF could really push Willie pretty far, because he was such a marshmallow. Anne Schedeen as Kate Tanner, however, was about the only person that ALF really feared. ALF couldn't push Kate around so easy. That was funny within itself. I love the kids, too. When I was little watching this TV series, I always thought Andrea Elson, who played teenage daughter Lynn Tanner, was pretty cute. And it was only natural for ALF to have a little boy buddy, like Benji Gregory, who played young son Brian Tanner. The way the show used the kids was pretty cool. They didn't go through all that cliche, "growing up is hard to do" kind of stuff. The kids were always pretty straight. ALF was the biggest kid of any of them.
Seasons:
Season 1 (1986-1987)
Season 2 (1987-1988)
Season 3 (1988-1989)
Season 4 (1989-1990)
Photos:
Paul Fusco as ALF (voice)
Max Wright as Willie Tanner
Anne Schedeen as Kate Tanner
Andrea Elson as Lynn Tanner
Benji Gregory as Brian Tanner
John LaMotta as Trevor Ochmonek
Liz Sheridan as Raquel Ochmonek
ALF (1986-1990): I love this show! It certainly wasn't on long enough. "ALF" lasted only four seasons, but had a very strong public appeal that has lasted to this day. The cliffhanger fourth season finale turned out to be the series finale, as it was not picked up for a fifth season. ALF was finally caught by the Alien Task Force, and the retooled series would have been set at a military base. Although ended very abrupt, the ALF saga was picked up in a 1996 TV movie, "Project: ALF". Although a great movie, it was sad not to see any of the cast from the TV series.
"ALF" was a sitcom about an alien who lived, in secret, with a human family by the name of Tanner. His endless foolishness caused the family, and those around them, constant frustration. In the first episode, the alien's spaceship crashes through the roof of the Tanners' garage. It is soon learned that he came from the doomed planet Melmac. He is called "ALF", an acronym for Alien Life Form. It is learned in later episodes of the first season that his true name is Gordon Shumway.
The series was great, but greatness often has its price. Tensions were high among the cast and crew. Technical difficulties called for long shooting schedules, and pretty much all of the cast felt upstaged by the funny puppet that had all the best lines. NBC was up in the air about bringing the show back for a fifth season, and it was believed that relocating the show to a military base would ease cast and crew tensions. If nothing else, it was thought that a major cliffhanger event would force the network into continuing the series, but no such luck.
It's sad that the cast felt unappreciated, but it was really them that made ALF, himself, so funny. Max Wright, as Willie Tanner, was the perfect target for ALF's psychological abuse. He was really great! ALF could really push Willie pretty far, because he was such a marshmallow. Anne Schedeen as Kate Tanner, however, was about the only person that ALF really feared. ALF couldn't push Kate around so easy. That was funny within itself. I love the kids, too. When I was little watching this TV series, I always thought Andrea Elson, who played teenage daughter Lynn Tanner, was pretty cute. And it was only natural for ALF to have a little boy buddy, like Benji Gregory, who played young son Brian Tanner. The way the show used the kids was pretty cool. They didn't go through all that cliche, "growing up is hard to do" kind of stuff. The kids were always pretty straight. ALF was the biggest kid of any of them.
Seasons:
Season 1 (1986-1987)
Season 2 (1987-1988)
Season 3 (1988-1989)
Season 4 (1989-1990)
Photos: