АЛФ: Сыртқы планеталық қонақтан отбасылық дау-дамай

American television sitcom (1986–1990)

ALF is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 22, 1986, to March 24, 1990. The title character, called ALF (an acronym for "Alien Life Form") but whose real name is Gordon Shumway, crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle class Tanner family. The series stars Max Wright as father Willie Tanner, Anne Schedeen as mother Kate Tanner and Andrea Elson and Benji Gregory as their children, Lynn and Brian Tanner. ALF was performed by puppeteer Paul Fusco, who co created the show with Tom Patchett. However, in the scenes in which the character appeared in full body, a small costumed actor was briefly used (then uncredited in that role), the Hungarian born Michu Meszaros. Produced by Alien Productions, ALF ran for four seasons and produced 99 episodes, including four one hour episodes ("Try to Remember", "ALF's Special Christmas", "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Tonight, Tonight") that were divided into two parts for syndication, totaling 102 episodes. The series proper concluded with an unresolved cliffhanger, but a later TV movie, Project: ALF, served as a series finale for the franchise. In August 2018, Warner Bros. Television announced the development of an ALF reboot, which was later canceled in November of that year. In February 2022, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired distribution rights to the ALF titles, and would "develop new ALF related content", with the company Maximum Effort subsequently joining in July 2023 to develop new material as well.

Gordon Shumway is an alien from the planet Melmac who follows an amateur radio signal to Earth and crash lands into the garage of the Tanners, a suburban middle class family who live in the San Fernando Valley area of California. The family consists of social worker Willie (Max Wright), his wife Kate (Anne Schedeen), their teenage daughter Lynn (Andrea Elson), younger son Brian (Benji Gregory) and their pet cat Lucky (whom Gordon wishes to consume). Willie Tanner gives Gordon the nickname ALF ("Alien Life Form"). Unsure what to do, the Tanners take ALF into their home and hide him from the Alien Task Force (part of the U. S. military specializing in aliens) and their nosy neighbors Trevor and Raquel Ochmonek (John La Motta and Liz Sheridan), until ALF can repair his spacecraft. He generally hides in the kitchen. It is eventually revealed ALF's home planet Melmac exploded, due to nuclear war. In the season one episode "Pennsylvania 6 5000", ALF tries to convince the President of the United States to stop the nuclear program, as ALF fears Earth might suffer a fate similar to Melmac's, though miscalculating his words causes the President and national security to call the FBI to arrest Willie. ALF was off the planet when it was destroyed because he was part of the Melmac Orbit Guard. ALF is homeless but is not the last survivor of his species. He becomes a permanent member of the family, although his culture shock, survivor guilt, general boredom, despair, and loneliness frequently cause difficulty for the Tanners. Despite the problems and inconveniences his presence brings into their lives, they grow to love him, though some episodes make it clear they are also afraid of how their lives would be turned upside down if word got out that he has been living with them. While most of the science fiction of ALF was played for comedic value, there were a few references to actual topics in space exploration; for example, ALF uses a radio signal as a beacon in the pilot episode. In the episode "Weird Science", ALF tells Brian, who is building a model of the solar system for his science project, that there are two planets beyond Pluto called "Dave" and "Alvin" (as in David Seville and Alvin from the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise), which gets Brian in trouble at school. However, after ALF makes a call to an astronomical organization and states that "Dave" is known by the organization, Willie comes to believe that "Dave" could be the planetoid Chiron or "Object Kowal". ALF then shows Willie exactly where "Dave" is on an intergalactic map of the universe. Episodes dealt with ALF learning about Earth and making new friends both within and outside the Tanner family, including Willie's brother Neal (Jim J. Bullock), Kate's widowed mother Dorothy (Anne Meara) with whom ALF has a love hate relationship, her boyfriend (and later husband) Whizzer (Paul Dooley), the Ochmoneks' nephew Jake (Josh Blake), a psychologist named Larry (Bill Daily) and a blind woman named Jody (Andrea Covell) who never figures out that ALF is not human (although she is aware through touch that he is short and hairy). Changes occur within the Tanner household over the course of the series, including the birth of a new child, Eric (the reason for adding a baby in the series being that Anne Schedeen was pregnant at the time); ALF's move from his initial quarters in the laundry room to the attic, which he and Willie converted into an "apartment" and the death of Lucky in season four's "Live and Let Die"; in this instance, as ALF finds, despite his occasional attempts to catch Lucky with the intention of making the cat a meal, as cats are the equivalent of cattle on Melmac, he has come to love and respect the family pet too much to do anything untoward with Lucky's remains. When ALF acquires a new cat with the intent of eating it, he actually grows fond of it and allows it to be adopted by the family, although he admits to the Tanners he has become the worst kind of Melmackian, a "cat lover". In the 1996 movie Project ALF, which stars ALF after his capture by the USAF, the Tanners do not appear – they have relocated to Iceland.

Gordon "ALF" Shumway (performed and voiced by Paul Fusco; credited by Michu Meszaros as one of ALF's assistants in costume, Lisa Buckley and Bob Fappiano as assistant puppeteers) is an alien from the planet Melmac who has arrived on planet Earth and lands in the Tanner family's garage. On Melmac, ALF was a member of the planet's Orbit Guard. He was given the nickname "ALF" by Willie Tanner in the pilot episode. Willie Tanner (portrayed by Max Wright) is the father of the Tanner family, and a social worker by trade. Willie is an amateur radio enthusiast, and it was a result of his shortwave radio signals that ALF followed them and crashed into his home. He also avidly collects scale model train sets. Kate Tanner (portrayed by Anne Schedeen) is the mother of the Tanner family. In addition to her mother who plays a role in the series, she has at least one sister. She majored in art history and sometimes works in real estate. Like Willie, she was a flower child during the 1960s. In "Having My Baby", she gives birth to her son Eric. Lynn Tanner (portrayed by Andrea Elson) is the oldest daughter of the Tanner family who is one of ALF's best friends since he arrived on Earth. Brian Tanner (portrayed by Benji Gregory) is the middlest son of the Tanner family. He is nicknamed 'B' by the rest of the cast. Eric Tanner (portrayed by Charles Nickerson) is the younger son of the Tanner family. He first appeared at the end of "Having My Baby" when ALF and the Tanner family met him. Lucky is the Tanner's family cat. After ALF came to live with the Tanner family, Lucky's existence became somewhat more precarious. He died in "Live and Let Die" and got replaced with Lucky II.

Trevor Ochmonek (played by John LaMotta) is a neighbor of the Tanner family, and is the husband of Raquel. He is a Master of Arts graduate, who played football for seven years through high school and he is a veteran of the Korean War, where he served as a pilot. In "Come Fly With Me", it is revealed that Trevor is allergic to shellfish which makes him act loopy. Raquel Ochmonek (portrayed by Liz Sheridan) is a neighbor of the Tanner family, and is the wife of Trevor. She is very nosy, often spying on the neighbors with a looking glass and spreading rumors. Raquel was also a cheerleader in high school. Jake Ochmonek (portrayed by Josh Blake) is the nephew of Trevor and Raquel who was sent to live with them after his father was in jail. He becomes friends with Brian, and also discovers the existence of ALF. Jody (portrayed by Andrea Covell) is a blind woman whom ALF befriended in "For Your Eyes Only". Larry Dykstra (portrayed by Bill Daily) is a psychologist who was initially called in to help resolve a conflict between Willie and ALF. Dorothy Halligan Deaver (portrayed by Anne Meara) is the widowed mother of Kate, the mother in law of Willie, and the grandmother of Lynn, Brian, and Eric. She eventually marries Whizzer in Season 2. Whizzer Deaver (portrayed by Paul Dooley) is Dorothy's second husband, Kate's stepfather, Willie's stepfather in law, and Lynn, Brian, and Eric's step grandfather. Whizzer is a talented jazz musician and he accidentally meets ALF in Season 4 when there is company. Neal Tanner (portrayed by Jim J. Bullock) is Willie's younger brother and the uncle of Brian, Lynn, and Eric. Neal lived with the Tanner family briefly after his wife Margaret left him before moving into his own apartment and gaining employment in the same apartment building as a handyman.

Pete Finnegan (portrayed by David Ogden Stiers) is a hobo who hung around the Tanner house and spotted ALF during Thanksgiving in "Turkey in the Straw". Uncle Albert (portrayed by Elisha Cook Jr.) is Willie's uncle and Lynn and Brian's great uncle who appeared in "We're So Sorry, Uncle Albert". He becomes more considerate and generous by giving the Tanner family expensive gifts and paying for dinner. Later, he dies of shock when he discovers ALF after opening a tent in the backyard. Rhonda (performed by Lisa Buckley), Skipper (performed by Bob Fappiano), Rick (performed by Paul Fusco), and Stella (performed by Lisa Buckley) are four Melmacians who appeared in "Help Me, Rhonda" during ALF's flashback.

The series was videotaped at Century Studios, 8660 Hayden Place in Culver City, California. Producer Bernie Brillstein was approached to see Fusco's audition with a puppet character but was initially uninterested, having managed Jim Henson for years and regarding Henson as the best puppeteer in showbiz. However, Fusco's brief performance as ALF won over Brillstein, who thought the character was hilarious and strong enough to be the focus of a series. Fusco co produced the series with Tom Patchett. Patchett also co created, wrote, and directed the series. The series was first syndicated by Warner Bros. Television and Lorimar Telepictures. The U. S. syndication rights were passed over to Debmar Mercury when its parent company, Lionsgate, owned home video rights. Shout! Factory assumed distribution rights to the series in February 2022. Artie Lange, who later worked with Wright on The Norm Show, told of a time when Wright had become "crazed" and physically attacked ALF, causing producers to have to pull Wright off the puppet. Anne Schedeen said that on the last night of taping the final episode, "there was one take and Max walked off the set, went to his dressing room, got his bags, went to his car and disappeared There were no goodbyes." Schedeen herself said "there was no joy on the set it was a technical nightmare – extremely slow, hot and tedious A 30 minute show took 20, 25 hours to shoot." While fond of her on screen children, Schedeen said some adults had "difficult personalities. The whole thing was a big dysfunctional family." Schedeen added, "It's astonishing that ALF really was wonderful and that word never got out what a mess our set really was." Andrea Elson, who suffered from bulimia during the second season of shooting, stated, "If ALF had gone one more year, everybody would have lost it." Wright later admitted that as the years passed he looked back at ALF with less animosity and conceded that "It doesn't matter what I felt or what the days were like, ALF brought people a lot of joy." In an interview on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Tina Fey said that her biggest frustration as producer of NBC's 75th anniversary special was dealing with ALF's "people". Fey said Fusco would only allow ALF to appear on the show if the puppeteers were hidden from everyone else. After ALF's cameo alongside former Family Ties star Michael Gross, ALF disappeared through a hole in the riser, was stuffed into a case, and immediately removed from the building. While a puppet was usually used for ALF, there were some shots of the tiny alien running or walking around. This was accomplished by the 2 feet (1 m) actor Michu Meszaros wearing an ALF costume. This can be seen in one of the series' intros, which concludes with the Tanner family getting their picture taken; ALF (played by Meszaros) walks over to be part of the photo. However, Meszaros' services became too costly as well as time consuming, and the full ALF costume was abandoned after the first season. ALF scored its highest ratings during Season 2 (reaching tenth place in the Nielsen ratings). Ratings remained at a steady fifteenth place during Season 3, but plummeted to 39th place during Season 4. NBC moved the show from its traditional Monday night slot to Saturday in March 1990 and eventually moved to Sunday, but ratings continued to fall. The season ending cliffhanger "Consider Me Gone" became an unintentional series finale when NBC gave Alien Productions a verbal commitment for a fifth season, but ultimately withdrew its support. ABC resolved the cliffhanger on February 17, 1996, with the TV movie Project: ALF. NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff later told Fusco that the network regretted cancelling ALF prematurely, saying "It was a big mistake that we cancelled your show, because you guys had at least one or two more seasons left."

In France, ALF aired on Antenne 2 in 1988. ALF was very popular in Germany after it began airing on ZDF. The actor who dubbed ALF's voice in German, Tommi Piper, recorded two albums and four singles as ALF between 1988 and 1991. In Italy, ALF aired on Rai 2 in 1988. In New Zealand, the entire series (and the movie) were screened on TVNZ. In the United Kingdom it was broadcast on CITV. In the Philippines, the show aired on GMA Network with a simulcast on ABS CBN and RPN 9 from 1986 to 1990. It moved to ABC 5, where it aired while dubbed in Tagalog from 1999 to 2002. In Guatemala, the show started to be aired in 1988 on Canal 3 as part of its night schedule the show was aired from 1988 to 1997 and briefly from 1999 to 2001 on Trecevisión as part of the afternoon schedule. During the initial airing from 1988 to 1994 the series was highly apraised and earned a respectable rating amongst the TV viewers. In fact Guatemala was the first country of Central America to air the show.

In the U. S., ALF has won numerous awards. In 1987, the show won a People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy Program; in 1988 it won Favorite Show at the Kids' Choice Awards; and at the 1989 Kids' Choice Awards, ALF himself won Favorite TV Actor. Benji Gregory and Andrea Elson were also nominated in various Young Actor categories for their work on ALF at the Young Artist Awards during 1987–1989, with the show also receiving a nomination for Best Family Television Series.

Reruns of ALF entered off network syndication in September 1990, an arrangement that later became less frequent on most local stations, until September 1995. Repeats of the show debuted on cable in 1999 on the Odyssey Network, remaining on the schedule after Hallmark took full control and airing until 2002. It also ran on Nick at Nite for a short time in 2001, and aired on the Hub Network from June 4, 2012, to October 12, 2014. It aired on MeTV from May 2017 until May 2020. Since January 2, 2023, the show has aired on Laff. It can be streamed on several streaming services, such as Peacock, Tubi, and Freevee.

To capitalize on the success of the series, a spin off animated series was produced, airing Saturday mornings on NBC. ALF: The Animated Series, set on ALF's home planet of Melmac, ran from 1987 to 1988 and was produced by DIC Entertainment. This was a prequel series, set on Melmac before the planet exploded. The show focused on ALF, his family, his friends, and his girlfriend Rhonda and their various exploits. Each episode was book ended by a live action sequence involving ALF talking to the television viewers, setting up the episode, and commenting on it afterward. When the cartoon entered its second season, it was paired in a one hour block with its own spin off ALF Tales, which took Gordon and the cast of characters from season one, and recast them as characters from assorted classic fairy tales. Select episodes of both shows are included as special features on the ALF: Season 2 DVD as well as the cartoon specific releases ALF Animated Adventures – 20,000 Years in Driving School and Other Stories and ALF and The Beanstalk and Other Classic Fairy Tales. The animated version of ALF also appeared in Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue.

In 2004, ALF's Hit Talk Show debuted on U. S. cable channel TV Land, which featured ALF as a Johnny Carson type TV talk show host and co starring Ed McMahon as his sidekick. Guests included Drew Carey, Tom Green, and Merv Griffin. It ran for seven episodes.

Following the end of the series, a made for television movie was produced, in 1996, intending to give the series a proper end. Project: ALF starts right after the series final episode but, especially because of the absence of the Tanners, it failed at obtaining success. On May 21, 2012, Paul Fusco said he was pitching an ALF movie. In August 2012, it was reported that Sony Pictures Animation had acquired the rights to ALF and would develop the property into a CGI Live action hybrid feature. The Smurfs producer Jordan Kerner, would also produce the film, along with Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco.

On August 1, 2018, Warner Bros. announced it would produce an ALF reboot. The reboot would have likely focused on ALF returning to Earth, with a new family and characters. In November 2018, Warner reported that it had cancelled the reboot.