DVD/TV Series Review: ALF: The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition)

 

ALF: The Complete Seris is a DVD box set containing the live-action sitcom Alf, which aired for four seasons on NBC from 1986 to 1990, and the two animated Saturday morning cartoons that were spun off of the main series: Alf: The Animated Series and Alf Tales. The live-action series was created by Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco about an alien from the planet Melmac named Gordon Shumway (but always called ALF, short for alien life form), whose ship drifted in space for a year after his planet blew up and then crashed into the garage of a family in Los Angeles. Fusco created the character of ALF, voiced him in the series, and acted as the puppeteer. The series also starred Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson, and Benji Gregory in the leading roles as the Tanner family members with whom ALF lives. John Lamatta and Liz Sheridan play the most prominent supporting characters in the series, Tanner's neighbors, Trevor and Raquel Ochmonek. The Animated Series aired from 1987 to 1989 and was a story-of-the-week cartoon about ALF's life on Melmac. Alf Tales aired from 1988 to 1990 and spoofed Fairy Tales such as Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, etc., often infusing them with pop-culture references such as movie references like The Godfather or 80s personalities like Sigfried and Roy and Johnny Carson. 

The DVD set is a 24-disc set. The final disc is a bonus disc that contains a series retrospective featuring interviews with Fusco and Patchett, the 1996 TV movie Project ALF, which resolved the cliffhanger that the parent series ended on, and a handful of episodes from the series with Patchett and Fusco (mostly in character as ALF) commentating on the episodes as bubbles with facts about the series or jokes pop up on the screen. Overall, this is a nice box set, especially for people who were kids in the 1980s watching the show when it aired. The live-action series is the best of everything included in this set. It was mainly wholesome and family-friendly, but occasionally, it would sneak a more adult joke in. The series had quite a few recognizable character actors from the 1980s who appeared, along with a couple of well-known guest stars like Ed McMahon and David Odgen Stiers. The only drawback is that the series ended on a massive cliffhanger. If you watch the bonus material, you will discover that NBC had not decided on the series' fate as the fourth season ended. The producers agreed with NBC that they would end the season on a cliffhanger, and if the series was not renewed for a fifth season, they would make a TV movie to wrap up the story. Unfortunately, NBC backed out of that agreement, so the ending went unresolved until 1996 when ABC agreed to do the TV movie Project ALF.

While it was a decent ending to the story, it did not include any of the cast members from the main series, so it was not a proper series finale. The two animated series were fine but were definitely geared 100% for kids, so they are not as enjoyable for adults. Ultimately, ALF was a fun show. If you lived through the 1980s, it will be a nostalgic blast from the past. One thing some may enjoy is that there are a couple of shots taken at donald t***p, proving that the orange genital wart was just as big a joke back then as he is now. Of course, Americans would be stupid enough to elect an idiot who was a punchline for 80s sitcoms and cartoons as President. The show is dated and a bit cheesy but holds up well and is worth the time to watch.

DVD/TV Movie Review: Project ALF

 

Project ALF is a 1996 TV movie starring Paul Fusco, William O'Leary, Miguel Ferrer, Jensen Daggett, Scott Michael Campbell, John Schuck, Liz Coke, and Martin Sheen. There are also some great cameo and extended cameo appearances by recognizable actors such as Ray Walston, Ed Begley Jr., and Charles Robinson. It serves as a finale to the series ALF, which ran from 1986 to 1990 but ended on a massive cliffhanger with ALF being caught by the Alien Task Force when he was on his way to rendezvous with the ship coming to pick him up. In the movie, the government is trying to decide what to do with ALF. A general (played by Sheen) secretly plans to kill ALF, and two Air Force scientists (played by Daggett and O'Leary) help ALF escape.

The DVD is very bare-bones, just including the movie itself. When the fourth season of ALF was coming to an end, NBC had not decided whether to renew the show for a fifth season. There was, however, a tacit agreement between the network and the producers that they would end the season on a cliffhanger, and if the show was not renewed, NBC would allow them to make a TV movie to resolve the cliffhanger. However, NBC canceled the show and backed out of the agreement to produce a movie, so it was not until ABC approached the producers years later that they could finally get a TV movie to wrap the storyline up. Thus, we get Project ALF. 

It is an okay wrap-up to the series, but because so many years had passed since the series's end, aside from Fusco (who voiced ALF and controlled the puppet), none of the other actors from the series appeared. The Tanner family was written out as having gone into the witness protection program and were living in Iceland. The movie has a slightly different feel than the TV show, but the character of ALF remains mostly the same, and thus, the brand of humor does, too. While it would have been nice if the actors from the TV show had been involved so that the series could get a proper finale, the movie, while a little cheesy, does wrap up on a good note. So, if you were a fan of the show, this is definitely worth the time to watch.   

DVD/TV Series Review: ALF: Season 4

 

The fourth season of ALF consisted of 24 episodes and aired during the 1989/1990 TV season. It was the final season of the show and brought back all of the main characters, although the supporting characters, such as the Ochmoneks, were utilized less this season than in the first three seasons. This season of the show had the most guest stars, some very recognizable, including Casey Kasem, David Spade, Ted Raimi, Dan Castellaneta, and Fran Drescher. James J Bullock joined the cast as a recurring character this season, playing Willie's younger brother, Neal. It appears that the writers may not have known that the series would be canceled, as it ended on a massive cliffhanger (which would eventually be resolved via a 1996 TV movie called Project ALF). 

The DVD set is a four-disc set with just the episodes and no bonus features. However, the episodes do have English captions. For the most part, the series stuck to its formula as a wholesome, family-friendly sitcom, with the occasional (tame) adult-themed joke thrown in. The show did start to address heavier issues (such as hinting at Lynn having sex) but never got controversial. The cliffhanger ending to the series finale was not great (especially back in 1990 when it was not clear that it would ever be resolved), but my guess is the showrunners thought they would get a fifth season to properly conclude the series. The show was getting stale by the fourth season, but it still had some funny moments. It is still worth watching, especially to get the blast of nostalgia if you watched the series as a kid.  

DVD/TV Series Review: Alf: Season 3

 

The 26-episode third season of Alf aired during the 1988/1989 TV season. The main cast members, including Paul Fusco, Max Wright, Andrea Elson, Benjy Gregory, and Anne Schedeen, returned this season. Schedeen's role was reduced during the season to accommodate her real-life pregnancy, which was written into the show. All the cast members playing the Tanner's neighbors, the Ochmoneks, also returned, including John LaMotta, Liz Sheridan, and Josh Blake.

The DVD set is a four-disc set.  The episodes have English captions, but there are no bonus features such as episode commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes material, or the like. The show continues to be a fun, family-friendly procedural sitcom. Aside from two two-part episodes, the storylines do not stretch throughout the season. A particular episode's storyline is resolved by the end of that episode. This season included two two-part episodes, which would see the series' biggest guest stars appear. There was a two-part episode in which Alf filled in for Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show (which were mainly clip-shows, showing highlights from throughout the series). Johnny did not appear, but Ed McMahon appeared in both episodes. In the second, David Ogden Stiers, who played Major Winchester on M*A*S*H, guest starred as a homeless person hanging out in the neighborhood and who, of course, discovers ALF. Overall, the show continued to be a fun sitcom. It was a very wholesome, feel-good show. All of the jokes were family-friendly, although the show did have the occasional more adult-oriented joke that would be a double-entendre that would go over most kid's heads. Whether you watched the show when it originally aired or not, it is a good comedy that holds up pretty well nearly 40 years after it first aired (as of this writing) and is still worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: ALF: Season 2

 

The 26-episode second season of ALF aired during the 1987/1988 TV season. The main cast members returned, including Paul Fusco, Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson, and Benji Gregory. The roles of the Ochmoneks were also increased this season, with John LaMotta and Liz Sheridan getting more screen time and Josh Blake recurring throughout the season.

The DVD set is a four-disc set. It only contains the episodes and does not have any bonus features. The episodes can be played with English captions. Ultimately, the show continues to be a good sitcom. Most episodes have self-contained storylines that are resolved by the end of the episode, but the season includes some two-part episodes. The show is family-friendly, with mostly innocent jokes, although a few more adult-oriented jokes will probably go over most kids' heads. If you watched the show when it was originally on the air, it is a nice blast from the past (especially if you were a kid back in the 1980s). Regardless, if you are looking for a nice, family-friendly sitcom, this is worth the time to watch.

DVD/TV Series Review: ALF: Season 1

 

The first season of ALF consisted of 26 episodes that aired during the 1986-1987 TV season and starred Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson, Benji Gregory, John LaMotta, Liz Sheridan, and Paul Fusco (who is the voice and puppeteer of ALF). The show's premise is that an alien life form (or ALF) from the planet Melmack crash-lands in the San Fernando Valley of California into the garage of the Tanner family. They end up taking ALF (real name Gordon Shumway) in as a member of the family, and hilarity ensues. 

The DVD set is a four-disc set, with the episodes spread substantially evenly across the discs. There are no bonus features, but the episodes have English captions. The show is a fairly standard procedural sitcom, with each episode (aside from the occasional two-part episodes) having a self-contained storyline. It is a family-friendly sitcom that both kids and adults can enjoy. Some of the jokes are definitely aimed at adults and will go over the heads of most kids, but for the most part, there is nothing that is inappropriate for kids in the show. Some of the jokes in the show are very topical to the mid to late 1980s, which definitely dates it. On the whole, however, it holds up pretty well nearly 40 years after it aired. It is definitely worth the time to watch, especially if you enjoyed it as a kid.