Anybody that thinks Alf was the worst sitcom of the eighties clearly was not around in the eighties To even think that something like Growing Pains wasn't far far worse, far far far worse, is a discredit. Galactica 1980 The powers of matthew star casablanca bad cats
@@brandonpage7087 Alf was both great and terrible. The show was great, but as a cat lover I didn't care for that, but it was funny. But for people of teenage years, the LEADUP to Alf was something that was just creepy. EVERYBODY was talking about it. The entire media system. Frankly to hear Seinfeld deride it, when about 80% of the shows were far funnier, is a discredit. The Simpsons made fun of it with "Gabbo" pretty accurately.
As somebody who grew up with the German synchronization i can tell you that it is basically like watching a different show. And the only reason for that is that in German all the Characters (especially willy) sound like they really love and care for alf, mainly because, they rarely get angry at him and basically never yell at him. I think at most they get frustrated sometimes. When I watched the English version I was shocked to find that all the characters sound like they hate alf. Willy literally sounds like he is at the verge of a mental breakdown every time he talks to alf. You dont get that feeling with the german dub. Here you think that alf doesn't do anything he does on purpose, that he just doesn't know any better, that he always tries to fix it when he messes something up anyway and that at the end of the day they are a family that truly love each other. It really is crazy just how much of a difference voice acting can make.
I wanted to write something similar... but for a slovak dub ☝️🙂 Basically all of that apply to slovak dub a well. And slovak duber was a belowed comedian, mr. Stanislav Dančiak ☝️🙂 Without mr. Dančiak, there is no Alf for slovak people ☝️
The same in France Alf was dubbed by fantastic actor Roger carel which also dubbed Winnie the pooh. He was already quite aged and fat which gave to alf's voice and the show a very different tone
Completely disagree. ALF was awesome! Willie/Max Wright was hilarious! It's the differences and learning tolerance that the show was all about. Even as a kid I understood that.
@@pferreira1983 precisely, I thought it was actually pretty realistic in depicting an intelligent lifeforms adjustment to his new surrounding, sure alf's a bit crass, rude and uncouth but that's how all melmacians were on his planet, so learning to adapt to humanity's way is difficult, I've always loved this show, I've actually been rewatching it lately, the first season is the most nostalgic to me since I've seen that one the most :)
As a german kid growing up I absolutly loved this show. This is why I clicked on the video. It's crazy to me that Willy was this mean to him on the regular show and the actor himself hated alf. For me he was the best character in the show and still one of my most beloved sitcom characters ever. Yes he was often angry about alf but it seems allways to me he still really loves him as a good friend and a family member.
The puppet that’s reviewing Alf he forgot that the neighbor had a nephew who finds out about alf and be friends and that there was an episode. Alf did leave the house and went camping with the family when they got a camper yes, the episode of ALF ended on a cliffhanger, but I got resolved when they made a movie that picked up after what happened he says that Alf only ever had conversations and acted with only four members of that family well yeah but then later Kate’s mother met Alf and Willy’s brother found out about him
Plus Jody, the psychologist, Kate's alcoholic friend, the bum in the Tahnksgiving Episode, the couple that wanted to turn him into a circus attraction,... he interacted with tons of people, also on the phone with more
It's always fun to go back and rewatch things you liked as a kid from the 80's. My god, the cocaine in 80's Hollywood gave us some of the greatest and creepiest things.
Alf feels like a precuros for Roger from American dad. They even have the same exact back story. I wonder if he was the inspiration. They even have an episode in American dad where they complain abotu expenses and food being eaten while roger leaves crumbs on the ground while eating like Alf does.
Bender from Futurama also has a similar vibe and personality as Alf though he's a robot not an allien. Ironically, American Dad did the Alf thing much better than Alf itself.
Whoever made this video is very wrong about Kate. She had the chance to turn ALF over to the Alien Task Force in season 1 episode 1 and she didn't do it.
ALF was an amazing show and probably one of the best TV characters ever and I'm not speaking out of nostalgia or anything, I rewatched the whole show, the four seasons, barely a couple of weeks ago and I enjoyed it immensely. I also watched the movie but that was as bad as I remembered it.
While the production of the show was a nightmare for the human actors, it is far from the worst 1980s sitcom. Despite the tension behind the scenes the cast and crew produced a fun and loveable series that still holds up 33 years later. Indeed the Project ALF movie was a big step down from what made the show a success, at least we got something that attempted to provide closure after the series was abruptly cancelled on a cliffhanger.
I love that despite the criticism (well earned may I add) that you give to Alf the character, that you also praise Paul Fusco. The man was a insane genius in terms of his puppetry, and his knowledge of practical effects. But, he was just iconic in terms of the way he sold his show. Basically just letting Alf speak for himself, by picking his nose and then wiping it on the arm of the guy he was pitching to. Only in the coke fueled, neon haze of the 80s does Alf work, though I was shocked to find out he survived into the early 90s. Well he’s never really left, the constant unwanted visitor, that’s overstayed his welcome. I’m still shocked that he hasn’t been given the reboot treatment, as much as Paul Fusco has tried to keep the show going, with random cameos and late night shows… even a “podcast.” So strange… But one thing I found out recently that just tickled me, is that Al Jean, was a writer for the show, and he was later one of the early show runners for the Simpsons. Which now makes so much sense why they always take jabs at Alf. Even as recently as season 34, I can’t believe I’m still watching the Simpsons after all this time. But I digress my long ass novel of a comment aside, this video was hilarious and I’m definitely gonna subscribe. I love puppets!
I was getting angrier and angrier at this analysis until you mentioned Germany's Alf and remembered that North American's experience with Alf is totally different. I'm from Latin America, and Alf was also immeasurable loved here (At least in Argentina). I believe it has a lot to do with the voice acting: It's always a shock for us to learn that Alf originally didn't have a deep hoarse voice. He doesn't sound as he's being sassy and making jokes, he sounds serious and thoughtful. Willy also sounds like he really cares about Alf and behaves like a normal family man who's really concerned and cares about Alf, trying to make things work for everyone.
It would’ve been cool they did episode alf. And willy swap bodies. Having. Alf be in willy body and willy be in alf body and could’ve done it episode where alf accidentally shrinks the human family, expense, the tire episode, trying to find them and then get them back to normal size
This show would have been horrible to work on. Just the stage set up that allowed the puppeteering was a constant hazard to the cast and crew, much less all the other issuers with writing and whatnot. It’s worth mentioning that there was a writers strike in the middle of the run of this show.
@@russellharrell2747 No doubt Fusco was pain in the ass, but dude is genius nevertheless, you have to give that one to him. That writers strike you are talking about was about money grab, and there were like two dozen writers for that show, I remember thinking was it that viewers are sending their scripts because it somehow seemed that every episode had a different writer
@seeerserious OMG I literally was going to ask the VERY same thing! You obviously ARE NOT an 80's kid! You look like SID THE SCIENCE KID if He became a Muppet!
I know this video is old but I have to say your assessment of Kate is wrong. She and ALF have a love hate relationship. He gets on her nerves with his zany antics which also frustrate and annoy her however, deep down she loves him and would protect him with her life if anyone tried to bring harm to him. This was established in the very first episode when she single handedly saved him from a member of the Alien Task Force. Kate is indeed the typical loving sitcom mom and she isn't afraid to let it be known that her kindness is not weakness. She often is made to play straight man to ALF's foolishness however once the alien has learned his lesson for the week, she forgives him until the next time he breaks something or eats all the food in the house.
Great insight. I love the show and think it's a seriously complex comedy that works because the characters are well written. Kate, Willie and Alf are among the great TV comedy teams.
Benji Gregory, the actor performing as Brian, is not only a comic genius - the child was also a brilliant actor. Sure, the writing held him back a bit, but when & where he was featured his sincerity practically jumps of the TV and into our collective living rooms.
ALF was a phenomenally successful in Bulgaria as well. The Bulgarian "Alf" voice was so popular they used him in all kinds of commercials and so on. It was for a time the most recognizable and famous voice in Bulgaria!
I never watched Alf as a kid, only started recently because of my girlfriend's nostalgia. While I can agree with a lot of the criticism, I think you severely underrate the quality of writing and acting on the show. I don't like sitcoms but despite some of the jokes not landing at all or just being plain bad, I also consistently found good gags in each episode, laughing out loud at many. I'd consider that a success for a comedic show. The quality of the plots varies, but I really enjoyed some storylines like the Jody episode (shame it was a complete one off). While I consider Brian the weak link in terms of acting and as a character, the rest of the Tanners are doing their jobs really well. It's a shame they got jokes stolen from them, but Alf's interactions with Willy (the most interesting character in my opinion) and the sniping between him and Kate are consistently amusing. Lynn is there to be the heart of the family and the actress performs this function well. On the other hand, it's true that Alf's behavior can be genuinely nasty and definitely takes it too far at times, crossing the line form "loveable trickster" to "dangerous asshole". The constant allusions to killing and eating cats got tiresome and upsetting for me at some point, to say nothing ot the creepy "Alf gets a crush on a 16-year old" plot. From what I've seen so far he is purely a destructive force, at best returning things to status quo at the cost of severe stress for his family. I wish this was more balanced and he actually did something constructive sometimes, because as it stands the Tanners' sacrifices for him seem unreasonable and the premise gets more and more claustrophobic as time goes on. I agree it would do the show good to open up more and I'm surprised to hear this doesn't happen later on. Overall, the show is flawed and could use some tweaking to its basic premise, but it's also genuinely funny with a great cast - there is a reason why it was so succesful despite all the shortcomings.
ALF was my #1 show in my EARLY DAYS! Even pick up a VINTAGE ALF DOLL from a CHURCH SALE. Also had the DVD SERIES. Until I gave it all to my AUNT to WATCH far away. HA! I KILL ME.
The problem with any show , movie etc is that it has to have some loopholes or things that don't make sense, otherwise it wouldn't work. I do like ALF and think that it was such a good fun show, of course when the premise is that an alien lives with a family, what do you expect. It's like watching a Michael Bay movie and complaining there are too many explosions.
... I wonder why a story about harboring a Jewish-coded stateless refugee from a clandestine paramilitary organization became popular in Germany! It's almost like there's something in German history that would make that particularly relatable for them! 🙃
I tried to see your point of view, really, but Alf was and still is a great show for the whole family. Maybe try watching the uncut episodes next time?
"How to make you never want to see my Channel ever again with one Videotitle"... don`t care about your reasons and arguments and opinions! Please just go away!
Worst part about suspenseful end of season cliff hangars, they're resolved in the first few minutes if the next season, and goes on with the show like it barely happened. I want an ALF movie that starts right when he gets picked up by the government. They could've at least made Willie Tanner an anti government nut, and that's why he helped ALF.
I'm 100% in agreement with you about cliffhangers. The wait is almost never worth the resolution. Did you ever see the made-for-TV movie about Alf's life with the military and his eventual escape?
You told an untruth about how infrequently ALF left the house. See episode 103. Have you seen all 80s U.S. sitcoms? You should also watch the uncut version. "Looking for Lucky". A thorough analysis would be line by line thru every episode. This issue is YOUR sense of humour. Tell us which sitcoms you find funny.
Alf went to "Elvis' house, he went to Barstow to meet Blinky, he was at the hospital during the Xmas Special, the pound looking for Lucky, he went trick or treating, he went to the old folks home, he went to Griffith Park, the Ohcmonacs house on 3 occasions, and lastly he did a hot lap around SoCal in a Ferarri too 😂 edit: he also went to grandma dorothys, the desert for Willys grandpas treasure, Vegas w/ Willys brother, the RV/forest during season 1;'s trip, theres deff more cant think of them rn tho.
Ha! Yep, that about sums the guy up! If they had committed to calling him "Gordon" for 102 episodes, I wonder if his antics would have been quite so cute!
This just happened to show up on my feed. Oh the irony. A puppet, ripping on a sitcom that is literally 40+ years old that uses a puppet ! I sense some jealousy.
The tv show "ALF" was Awsome Funny & a Cool Tv Show.. I grow up with the show in the 80s.. I like the show.. I also have the entire show on dvd. I amalsoa huge fan of this sitcom.
Even though you didn’t enjoy it as much as I did I am so happy you made this video. It’s one of the few high quality reviews I’ve seen. I personally adore this show. I grew up with it and find ALFs humor to match my own so I laugh pretty consistently. Plus I kind of found ALF being an asshole part of the joke but I get why it’s not super appealing to most. I also find a lot of his mistakes to be so genuine and his efforts to come from a good place even if he never thinks it through. Due to this mixture of him being a genuine loving person but still kind of an asshole he’s so unique to me and he is both funny and lovable to me. Again I get why your criticisms. You explained your points very well. Even though we disagree on some things I really did enjoy this video talking about one of my favorite shows and I’m glad to find a fellow ALF fan even if we like it for different reasons.
Thanks, I appreciate it! And in spite of my complaints and the title of the video (which was meant to be a little tongue-in-cheek), I really do enjoy Alf. And though I poke fun at how assholish he can be, I agree that it's a big part of what makes the show so special. Anyone can make a "Mork and Mindy" or a "My Favorite Martian," but Alf is totally unique in what it's trying to accomplish. I wasn't kidding when I said that the Germans were right for enjoying it so much! And yeah, I also find myself identifying with Alf's humor... probably way too much.
@@ShawnBRyanVideos And despite hearing a laugh track ALF wasn't filmed "live" as due to all the technical aspects and trap doors used to bring ALF to life was a nightmare for the cast! Normally a sitcom can take up to 4 to 5 hours to tape one episode, ALF however would take 7 to 8 days and over 25 hours to complete just one episode LOL! On one occasion Max Wright lost his cool and choked the ALF puppet! Yikes! 🤔🙄🤨📺
About the rumor of Max Wright storming off after filming the last episode, Anne Schedeen confirmed it in a filmed interview. Look for the video "Ан Шедийн (Кейт Танер от АЛФ) - Посланик на Holiday Heroes" (don't be afraid of the Bulgarian title, the video is in English, just with Bulgarian subtitles), Anne talks about it at 10:19. Greeting from Ukraine where ALF also was VERY popular during the 90s.
I'm from Venezuela and I think it was broadcasted in the mornings back then. So if for whatever reason you had to stay home and not go to school, you could be in your couch watching this warm and funny show. One of the best from the 80's I would say.
Great video, your constructive criticism is a understatement on the show, but even though Alf is not great I still find a sense of joy when I hear it pop up in conversation.
Thanks, I also have a lot of love for Alf. A lot of my criticism is meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek. No matter how bad Alf is, it's hard to actually be angry at it.
What about the two cartoon shows? There was one that featured ALF on Melmac, and one that showed ALF reworking fairytales. The Chipmunks also had a fairytale season near the end of their run. It was an early '90s thing.
@jenniferhanses7064, me too, & I wish more people would review them, as well. I also wish we could both entire series on home video! The Chipmunks final season wasn't fairytale related, it was the Chipmunks parodying famous movies, of the time.
"And for once, I think the German people are right." -Shawn B. Ryan, 2022, 22:20 Curious to see if the German people have a critically high rate of failure elsewhere on this channel. Jokes aside, this was a fascinating analysis with some great points. Really love how you touched on the good and the bad of everything. I feel like Alf peaked very early in S1E2. From start to finish, it's golden. Whatever the rest of the show may have been, that one episode is one of my favorite sitcom episodes from any show. Also has one of the greatest opening themes ever given to a show. First half of the show's theme is my preferred version, but the later seasons' version is also crazy good.
Hopefully my criticism wasn't too mean. I really do respect all the hard work that everyone did to make the show happen, and I've got nothing against anyone who loves it.
My name is Christina Owens and I am so in love with Alf and I love him very much and I hope that he is listening to me Christina Owens I love you Alf what's up with you ?how is your day going? I hope you are having some fun and enjoying your summer 😊 how
ALF and Willie are one of the great comedy duos of all time. I'm not kidding. They are on the level of Burns and Allen or Abbott and Costello. The show is an absolute classic that 100 percent holds up today. It was made by talented people with passion who believed in it. The creator is a real artist and the character of ALF is a genuine original who is as important as Charlie Mcarthy or Kermit the frog. The show has a very serious dramatic side that reveals the true depth of those behind it. It often has ALF tacke real problems and is anything but a mere kids program that patronizes it's audience. AlF is one of the very best shows of the decade. If ALF was handled correctly he could return today and comment on today's culture with an honesty that could possibly penetrate the cloak of dull propagandistic pap that has all but blotted out popular entertainment. The Show is up for free on peacock I believe. Please, if you have any love for the early Muppets or rebellious media of any sort.....give it a watch. It's unironically a very good show.
I think a good comparison to ALF wound be Small Wonder, which was aired around the same time but in syndication. It was about a suburban family of dweebs where the father was a robotics engineer that creates a robot that looks like an elementary school aged girl. At first they kept V.I.C.I. at home to better keep the secret that she was a robot, but eventually she went to school and other places you would normally take a child. These odd ball sitcoms have always had this problem of a very narrowly defined situation that the characters can interact in. Usually this is expanded by occasionally having the characters go to another sound stage location or having guest stars show up at home/the bar/at work. Giligan’s Island had a similar unique problem in that it wasn’t always feasible to have a guest star show up on a deserted island and not have the plot lead to the castaways escaping the island but also allowing for the guests to leave by the end of the episode, with this parallel even featured in an episode of ALF. Another comparison could be Mork and Mindy, another comedian-starring sit com centered around an alien character. But at least Mork from Ork had super powers and passed as human.
Shawn Ryan no way! ALF was funny. Now I will agree it had the darkest last episode of any sitcom in history. ALF getting caught by the government and that was it.
Interesting video but I disagree. I remember the 80s very well and family sitcoms were very popular back then, Alf provided a different angle. The show was called Alf for a reason because Alf is the main character, the family were the support people. I thought it was amazing how they always made Alf look real, there was never a scene when Alf looked fake. There were other people that knew of Alf’s existence outside of the 4 family members - Jake and Kate’s mother for example. All family sitcoms during this era showed clips from previous shows, Alf was no different. The writers did a terrific job to keep the show interesting, most sitcoms end after 4 to 5 years, the show I thought fell only 1 episode short from being complete after Alf was captured by the alien task force. Alf is very memorable even 34 years after ending and will always live on.
As an Aussie kid in the 80's most households only had 1 tv, & we only had 3 commercial tv stations. To this day I cant decide which character I hate more - Alf, or Zac Morris (from Saved By The Bell) Watching Alf on the family TV was my brothers choice. It wasn't funny enjoyable or entertaining. All these years later we have access to more tv stations & multiple pay tv services - yet we are still over saturated with American garbage that over emphasises Jewish & Italian-American issues. Totally irrelevant to Australian (& almost globally) lifestyle. I was disappointed that it ended when it did. With that cliff hanger I was looking forward to the 5th season seeing Alf interrogated tortured & dissected for various research purposes. Alas, that never eventuated.
We were re-watching ALF some years ago. I seem to remember there was one where he passed up a chance to go home with his friends; at the time I thought this would've been best for all of them if he went He's sort of like the Ninja Turtles in how he has to hide from people, except that they do go out and do things
I was a kid when ALF was on. Only four thoughts come to mind. One, Everything just had to be about ALF. Two, the episode with the cockroach. Three how terrible the show was. Four how good the main theme was.
Alf is a beautiful deeply touching show and I don't care what you say, why not target actually garbage sitcoms like friends, the big bang theory, how I met your mother, modern family and the worst of all.. The office (the U.S. one)
@@brandonpage7087 YAYYYYY! I'm thinking the same thing, I do not understand the appeal of the US office, haven't seen the UK version yet but I'm almost certain it's much better in every way, the US office is just so painfully unfunny, none of the characters act like real people, they're all annoying, the humor is repetitive and unfunny reminding me of another very overrated show bob's burgers, I gave the office a chance but I just could not stomach it
I don't understand the appeal either. I'm guessing the same people that binge watch the Office are the same that binge watch those dumbass reality shows. I've never understood the appeal of those either. Bob's Burgers? I don't hate it, but wouldn't call myself a fan. I do however, like how I met your mother, & big bang theory, though I wore myself out with both of those series, though, lol.
Alf left the house many times. He also had a group of people who knew him… Jake, the psychiatrist, Jodi, the elderly people at that retirement home, Kates mom, , Wizzer, Willie’s brother… I don’t understand this criticism… of course it’s ridiculous… it’s still a great show.
Alf was alse very popular in France. He was dubbed by Roger Carel, who's a legend in the world of voice over here. I have fond memories of growing up watching Alf after school and Lynn was my first crush as a boy haha.
Honestly I can say that I agree and disagree at some points of the show because I feel like Alpha supposed to be that a**hole because it was what was going on at the time he was literally the representation of a space New Yorker because of you heard his accent he basically was literally a alien cartoon character living amongst humans people and there were many points where he was giving life lessons as much as it was many moments where he was just being an azzz. Honestly I wish that he did so much more with him especially since it’s possible that the show could happen and be better especially with these times where we have multiple alien shows and many different types of aliens that I could definitely see him crossing over to different shows just to put some variety in this show or even have other aliens pop up out of nowhere but yeah I can see where you’re coming from as much as I can definitely see what the writers were doing at the time but definitely I can say without a shadow of a doubt that times have changed and I can definitely see ALF returning one day or another
I love ALF, still do, but some of the critique isn't far off. ALF was a jerk a lot, although he got a little better as time went on (emphasis on little) and some of his behavior was more naiveness than cruel. I also agree that the show didn't do enough with the science fiction aspect (the best episode is the one that is more sci-fi with the giant alien roach).
Definitely not in the '80s, he sounds too young. I was born in '83, & was already watching shows like Knight Rider & Amazing Stories, from ages 2 to 4!!
There's a movie titled Permanent Midnight in which Ben Stiller plays a drugged out, desperate writer hired to write on the show Alf. Stranger yet: The movie is a true story written by Jerry Stahl, who was that drug addict writer of Alf.
The people who didn't watch to the end missed the point of the video. Its not actually the worst, but just didn't come across as planned. This video put a new perspective on ALF for me and i appreciate that.
Alf represents humor from a different age, it's very Very Clear that are not of that generation and can appreciate the humor and even the story telling style of those times.
ALF certainly wasn't the worst '80s show, but i agree with you on ALF the character, being an asshole, most of the time, lol. Though he was one hilarious asshole!! He was particularly an ass to poor Uncle Neal, in that one episode, where they room together. I actually wanted to strangle ALF myself, in that episode, lmao!! However, i think alot of ALF's bad behavior was caused by the fact that he was miserable & lonely, wheb it came down to it, & the ass behavior is a coping mechanism for his unfortunate situation. The series even touches on this from time to time. Especially in the episode where ALF gets addicted to eating cotton. ALF flat out admits to being miserable & lonely, in that episode.
Alf was the man! My whole family would watch this together. When it came to the badasses of the eighties, Alf was up there Mr T, Hulk Hogan, Kitt, and Michael Jackson, just simply Iconic!
Disagree. Alf was fantastic. Remember it with a warm feeling. Alf made a lot of friends outside the family. He made a lot of stuff. And the willie character, if you look at outtakes, he was laughing and seems to enjoying it. You really have to it for what it is. Back then not many had VCR, so the clip episodes was great. This was you trying to sound intellectual man. and the germans dub everything you know.
I remember the first run; I was about 7 then. It was hyped a lot at first, but dropped in ratings, and you could tell they hated making it! It could only exist in the ‘80s…
I remember watching Alf as a kid in early 2000s (like maybe 2005 or 6?), but, I was too young to remember much of its details xD so, thanks for explaining the show again, since, it did fly over my head 😂
I think Alf was a funny character and cute. The show failed with the parents' bad relationship with him and not letting him interact with people outside of the family.
I actually liked ALF. Maybe because it ran during my college years and it was a mindless pieced of fluff to watch between going to classes and having to study. Sometimes we just need those kinds of shows in our life.
I don't think the explosion is ever foreshadowed in the cartoon, but there is a line in the main series about that: ALF : That's it. I say we fight violence with violence. That's how we used to solve things back home. Willie : Alf, don't you remember what happened to your planet? Alf : Well, it blew up in a nuclear holocaust. Why? Willie : Don't you see the connection? Alf : [pause] What connection?
@awesomefox555, it's stated in the pilot episode that Melmac was destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. Something that gives the animated prequel series a super dark undertone!
I can only judge the show from my memory of watching it when I was about 13 years old with my family. I really enjoyed the show and my family seemed to too or at least seemed to be mesmerized by it and we'd watch it together each week. Now, of course back then every TV show had its time slot and you would usually be watching one particular channel the same time every week and TV was very hypnotic and addictive. Also, I used to love The Dukes of Hazzard when I was 10 years old and I tried to watch a rerun of that show when I was an adult and it was so bad I couldn't even last 10 minutes before I had to change the channel, so some shows are better remembered than rewatched as an adult ha ha! Maybe Alf is one of those shows.
Ha! Yeah, I remember watching TV when you had to sit around the television as a family and watch what was on at a scheduled time. Such a lost era! As much as I poke fun at Alf, I really respect the folks who made it. In some ways, it's even funnier that all the time, energy, and attention to detail was devoted to performing some pretty mediocre scripts. And honestly, it's probably better than most other sitcoms of the era... though that's not saying too much.
There's a good amount of puppet UA-camrs that are legit video essayists and I'm here for it every time I stumble upon one of y'all 👍🏿 It's even more awesome that you're doing a video about a forefather in the game. I haven't seen ALF but I've always found the character interesting with how popular he got and a little creepy give I think he likes eating cats right 😂
@chapterblaq, LMAO, for me, as a small child, ALF, the puppet, not the show, both frightened me, & greatly appealed to me. I was a bit scared of him, because of how freaky & weird he looked, but at the same time, found him to be hilarious & damn entertaining! Talk about a dichotomy!! 😆😆😆😆😆😁😁😁😁😁😁
I'd watch the show in its heyday and yeah I'd laugh a bit but then revisiting it sometime in the 2010's it's just a miserably written show that I can tolerate ALF's antics in small doses it almost makes the the sitcom Small Wonder good by comparison. I also read that the cast had to endure long shooting hours due to the laborous ALF puppeteering.
I hope I wasn't too mean. I wouldn't spend 23 minutes complaining about an 80s sitcom if I didn't secretly love it. I was really just surprised how abrasive the show could be, and I thought it would be fun to make a video about it.
@@ShawnBRyanVideosIt was a fun video! I enjoy hearing opinions that are different than my own as long as it doesn’t put down my own views. I hear you length means passion for sure lol.
I've never watched ALF but I know of it but did not realize how big of an asshole Alf is. The dad looks like he wants him dead every single interaction. Great video it was very enjoyable!
Yeah, it's hard not to feel bad for those actors. When you're a kid watching the show, you empathize with Alf and his silliness. As an adult, boy do you feel for those poor humans that he spends four years torturing!
Anybody that thinks Alf was the worst sitcom of the eighties clearly was not around in the eighties
To even think that something like Growing Pains wasn't far far worse, far far far worse, is a discredit.
Galactica 1980
The powers of matthew star
casablanca
bad cats
@mikearchibald744, agreed, & yes, the puppeteer sounds too young to have been around in the '80s. I was alive in the '80s, though, & I LOVE ALF!!
@@brandonpage7087 Alf was both great and terrible. The show was great, but as a cat lover I didn't care for that, but it was funny.
But for people of teenage years, the LEADUP to Alf was something that was just creepy. EVERYBODY was talking about it. The entire media system. Frankly to hear Seinfeld deride it, when about 80% of the shows were far funnier, is a discredit. The Simpsons made fun of it with "Gabbo" pretty accurately.
I loved Alf and his relationship with Lucky the cat.
As somebody who grew up with the German synchronization i can tell you that it is basically like watching a different show.
And the only reason for that is that in German all the Characters (especially willy) sound like they really love and care for alf, mainly because, they rarely get angry at him and basically never yell at him. I think at most they get frustrated sometimes.
When I watched the English version I was shocked to find that all the characters sound like they hate alf. Willy literally sounds like he is at the verge of a mental breakdown every time he talks to alf.
You dont get that feeling with the german dub. Here you think that alf doesn't do anything he does on purpose, that he just doesn't know any better, that he always tries to fix it when he messes something up anyway and that at the end of the day they are a family that truly love each other.
It really is crazy just how much of a difference voice acting can make.
I wanted to write something similar... but for a slovak dub ☝️🙂 Basically all of that apply to slovak dub a well. And slovak duber was a belowed comedian, mr. Stanislav Dančiak ☝️🙂 Without mr. Dančiak, there is no Alf for slovak people ☝️
m.ua-cam.com/video/E4t_UY3uQHU/v-deo.html ☝️🙂
@@vasilijvasiljevic1781same for bulgarian dub exact same thing my friend
Looks like a European phenomenon haha
I'm German too
The same in France
Alf was dubbed by fantastic actor Roger carel which also dubbed Winnie the pooh. He was already quite aged and fat which gave to alf's voice and the show a very different tone
Completely disagree. ALF was awesome! Willie/Max Wright was hilarious! It's the differences and learning tolerance that the show was all about. Even as a kid I understood that.
I know right, this guy has no taste
@@AbrasiousProductions ALF is a harmless show, it doesn't need to be on any worst sitcom list.
@@pferreira1983 precisely, I thought it was actually pretty realistic in depicting an intelligent lifeforms adjustment to his new surrounding, sure alf's a bit crass, rude and uncouth but that's how all melmacians were on his planet, so learning to adapt to humanity's way is difficult, I've always loved this show, I've actually been rewatching it lately, the first season is the most nostalgic to me since I've seen that one the most :)
@@AbrasiousProductions It's a fun show for sure. 😊
I definitely see where he's coming from with his explanation, but that won't stop me from loving ALF.
"Worst" is a weird way of saying best.
Right?
ALF is one of the best sitcoms ever made.
Go watch _The Orville_
ALF is a classic sitcom.
I honestly think Alf is a genius show (Not always).
Fusco was unbearable, but show, at least first two seasons were out of this planet? This guy probably likes Kardashians and Island boys better
@@seeerserious damn
Alf is a good show
You can't say ALF was the worst, not while Dear John existed.
Ah, is that Dear John the US or the UK original version?
As a german kid growing up I absolutly loved this show. This is why I clicked on the video. It's crazy to me that Willy was this mean to him on the regular show and the actor himself hated alf. For me he was the best character in the show and still one of my most beloved sitcom characters ever. Yes he was often angry about alf but it seems allways to me he still really loves him as a good friend and a family member.
Liegt am deutschen Dub haha
The puppet that’s reviewing Alf he forgot that the neighbor had a nephew who finds out about alf and be friends and that there was an episode. Alf did leave the house and went camping with the family when they got a camper yes, the episode of ALF ended on a cliffhanger, but I got resolved when they made a movie that picked up after what happened he says that Alf only ever had conversations and acted with only four members of that family well yeah but then later Kate’s mother met Alf and Willy’s brother found out about him
Plus Jody, the psychologist, Kate's alcoholic friend, the bum in the Tahnksgiving Episode, the couple that wanted to turn him into a circus attraction,... he interacted with tons of people, also on the phone with more
It's always fun to go back and rewatch things you liked as a kid from the 80's. My god, the cocaine in 80's Hollywood gave us some of the greatest and creepiest things.
Bro go UA-cam - are you a good person by living waters
Alf feels like a precuros for Roger from American dad. They even have the same exact back story. I wonder if he was the inspiration. They even have an episode in American dad where they complain abotu expenses and food being eaten while roger leaves crumbs on the ground while eating like Alf does.
Bender from Futurama also has a similar vibe and personality as Alf though he's a robot not an allien. Ironically, American Dad did the Alf thing much better than Alf itself.
Whoever made this video is very wrong about Kate. She had the chance to turn ALF over to the Alien Task Force in season 1 episode 1 and she didn't do it.
ALF was an amazing show and probably one of the best TV characters ever and I'm not speaking out of nostalgia or anything, I rewatched the whole show, the four seasons, barely a couple of weeks ago and I enjoyed it immensely. I also watched the movie but that was as bad as I remembered it.
While the production of the show was a nightmare for the human actors, it is far from the worst 1980s sitcom. Despite the tension behind the scenes the cast and crew produced a fun and loveable series that still holds up 33 years later. Indeed the Project ALF movie was a big step down from what made the show a success, at least we got something that attempted to provide closure after the series was abruptly cancelled on a cliffhanger.
Willy was really the star of the show
I love that despite the criticism (well earned may I add) that you give to Alf the character, that you also praise Paul Fusco. The man was a insane genius in terms of his puppetry, and his knowledge of practical effects. But, he was just iconic in terms of the way he sold his show. Basically just letting Alf speak for himself, by picking his nose and then wiping it on the arm of the guy he was pitching to. Only in the coke fueled, neon haze of the 80s does Alf work, though I was shocked to find out he survived into the early 90s. Well he’s never really left, the constant unwanted visitor, that’s overstayed his welcome. I’m still shocked that he hasn’t been given the reboot treatment, as much as Paul Fusco has tried to keep the show going, with random cameos and late night shows… even a “podcast.” So strange…
But one thing I found out recently that just tickled me, is that Al Jean, was a writer for the show, and he was later one of the early show runners for the Simpsons. Which now makes so much sense why they always take jabs at Alf. Even as recently as season 34, I can’t believe I’m still watching the Simpsons after all this time.
But I digress my long ass novel of a comment aside, this video was hilarious and I’m definitely gonna subscribe. I love puppets!
There were worse 80s sitcoms.
DEFINITELY!!!
A puppet critiquing a puppet. Very ironic and meta.
I was getting angrier and angrier at this analysis until you mentioned Germany's Alf and remembered that North American's experience with Alf is totally different.
I'm from Latin America, and Alf was also immeasurable loved here (At least in Argentina). I believe it has a lot to do with the voice acting: It's always a shock for us to learn that Alf originally didn't have a deep hoarse voice. He doesn't sound as he's being sassy and making jokes, he sounds serious and thoughtful.
Willy also sounds like he really cares about Alf and behaves like a normal family man who's really concerned and cares about Alf, trying to make things work for everyone.
This guy was way off on his analysis. We loved A.L.F in America.
It would’ve been cool they did episode alf. And willy swap bodies. Having. Alf be in willy body and willy be in alf body and could’ve done it episode where alf accidentally shrinks the human family, expense, the tire episode, trying to find them and then get them back to normal size
The worst 80s sitcom? Which planet you was evicted? How old are you? Have you even watched Alf?
This show would have been horrible to work on. Just the stage set up that allowed the puppeteering was a constant hazard to the cast and crew, much less all the other issuers with writing and whatnot. It’s worth mentioning that there was a writers strike in the middle of the run of this show.
@@russellharrell2747 No doubt Fusco was pain in the ass, but dude is genius nevertheless, you have to give that one to him. That writers strike you are talking about was about money grab, and there were like two dozen writers for that show, I remember thinking was it that viewers are sending their scripts because it somehow seemed that every episode had a different writer
@seeerserious OMG I literally was going to ask the VERY same thing! You obviously ARE NOT an 80's kid! You look like SID THE SCIENCE KID if He became a Muppet!
I grew up in the ‘80s, and it wasn’t worst by any means. It was just painful in a lot of ways.
14:43 “Try To Remember(AKA, The Clipshow)” was produced as episode 23.
You lost me at "worst sitcom"
I know this video is old but I have to say your assessment of Kate is wrong. She and ALF have a love hate relationship. He gets on her nerves with his zany antics which also frustrate and annoy her however, deep down she loves him and would protect him with her life if anyone tried to bring harm to him. This was established in the very first episode when she single handedly saved him from a member of the Alien Task Force.
Kate is indeed the typical loving sitcom mom and she isn't afraid to let it be known that her kindness is not weakness. She often is made to play straight man to ALF's foolishness however once the alien has learned his lesson for the week, she forgives him until the next time he breaks something or eats all the food in the house.
Great insight. I love the show and think it's a seriously complex comedy that works because the characters are well written. Kate, Willie and Alf are among the great TV comedy teams.
ALF WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! SORRY FOR THE CAST ISSUES, BUT THE SHOW WAS PHENOMENAL IF YOU WERE A KID IN THE 1980's!
Benji Gregory, the actor performing as Brian, is not only a comic genius - the child was also a brilliant actor. Sure, the writing held him back a bit, but when & where he was featured his sincerity practically jumps of the TV and into our collective living rooms.
RIP
ALF was a phenomenally successful in Bulgaria as well. The Bulgarian "Alf" voice was so popular they used him in all kinds of commercials and so on. It was for a time the most recognizable and famous voice in Bulgaria!
I never watched Alf as a kid, only started recently because of my girlfriend's nostalgia. While I can agree with a lot of the criticism, I think you severely underrate the quality of writing and acting on the show. I don't like sitcoms but despite some of the jokes not landing at all or just being plain bad, I also consistently found good gags in each episode, laughing out loud at many. I'd consider that a success for a comedic show. The quality of the plots varies, but I really enjoyed some storylines like the Jody episode (shame it was a complete one off). While I consider Brian the weak link in terms of acting and as a character, the rest of the Tanners are doing their jobs really well. It's a shame they got jokes stolen from them, but Alf's interactions with Willy (the most interesting character in my opinion) and the sniping between him and Kate are consistently amusing. Lynn is there to be the heart of the family and the actress performs this function well.
On the other hand, it's true that Alf's behavior can be genuinely nasty and definitely takes it too far at times, crossing the line form "loveable trickster" to "dangerous asshole". The constant allusions to killing and eating cats got tiresome and upsetting for me at some point, to say nothing ot the creepy "Alf gets a crush on a 16-year old" plot. From what I've seen so far he is purely a destructive force, at best returning things to status quo at the cost of severe stress for his family. I wish this was more balanced and he actually did something constructive sometimes, because as it stands the Tanners' sacrifices for him seem unreasonable and the premise gets more and more claustrophobic as time goes on. I agree it would do the show good to open up more and I'm surprised to hear this doesn't happen later on.
Overall, the show is flawed and could use some tweaking to its basic premise, but it's also genuinely funny with a great cast - there is a reason why it was so succesful despite all the shortcomings.
ALF was my #1 show in my EARLY DAYS!
Even pick up a VINTAGE ALF DOLL from a CHURCH SALE.
Also had the DVD SERIES.
Until I gave it all to my AUNT to WATCH far away.
HA!
I KILL ME.
The problem with any show , movie etc is that it has to have some loopholes or things that don't make sense, otherwise it wouldn't work. I do like ALF and think that it was such a good fun show, of course when the premise is that an alien lives with a family, what do you expect. It's like watching a Michael Bay movie and complaining there are too many explosions.
... I wonder why a story about harboring a Jewish-coded stateless refugee from a clandestine paramilitary organization became popular in Germany! It's almost like there's something in German history that would make that particularly relatable for them! 🙃
I tried to see your point of view, really, but Alf was and still is a great show for the whole family. Maybe try watching the uncut episodes next time?
"How to make you never want to see my Channel ever again with one Videotitle"...
don`t care about your reasons and arguments and opinions!
Please just go away!
Worst part about suspenseful end of season cliff hangars, they're resolved in the first few minutes if the next season, and goes on with the show like it barely happened.
I want an ALF movie that starts right when he gets picked up by the government.
They could've at least made Willie Tanner an anti government nut, and that's why he helped ALF.
I'm 100% in agreement with you about cliffhangers. The wait is almost never worth the resolution.
Did you ever see the made-for-TV movie about Alf's life with the military and his eventual escape?
Yeah the movie is called project alf i dont think its that bad but its hailed as the worst sitcom movie ever made
Actually, this was the best, still watching it to this day, but that's personal preference
Not the first time the Germans were right and misunderstood.
David Hasselhoff
You told an untruth about how infrequently ALF left the house. See episode 103. Have you seen all 80s U.S. sitcoms? You should also watch the uncut version. "Looking for Lucky". A thorough analysis would be line by line thru every episode. This issue is YOUR sense of humour. Tell us which sitcoms you find funny.
Alf went to "Elvis' house, he went to Barstow to meet Blinky, he was at the hospital during the Xmas Special, the pound looking for Lucky, he went trick or treating, he went to the old folks home, he went to Griffith Park, the Ohcmonacs house on 3 occasions, and lastly he did a hot lap around SoCal in a Ferarri too 😂 edit: he also went to grandma dorothys, the desert for Willys grandpas treasure, Vegas w/ Willys brother, the RV/forest during season 1;'s trip, theres deff more cant think of them rn tho.
Alf did have a select number of friends outside the family
He even had all of them (except for Flakey Pete and Luis the kid from Mexico) come to his surprise party too 😂
Gordon Shumway is like the brother-in-law who comes for a visit but stays for the rest of his life,
Ha! Yep, that about sums the guy up! If they had committed to calling him "Gordon" for 102 episodes, I wonder if his antics would have been quite so cute!
This just happened to show up on my feed. Oh the irony. A puppet, ripping on a sitcom that is literally 40+ years old that uses a puppet ! I sense some jealousy.
The tv show "ALF" was Awsome Funny & a Cool Tv Show..
I grow up with the show in the 80s..
I like the show..
I also have the entire show on dvd.
I amalsoa huge fan of this sitcom.
Are you nuts ?? ALF is awesome !!!
Even though you didn’t enjoy it as much as I did I am so happy you made this video. It’s one of the few high quality reviews I’ve seen. I personally adore this show. I grew up with it and find ALFs humor to match my own so I laugh pretty consistently. Plus I kind of found ALF being an asshole part of the joke but I get why it’s not super appealing to most. I also find a lot of his mistakes to be so genuine and his efforts to come from a good place even if he never thinks it through. Due to this mixture of him being a genuine loving person but still kind of an asshole he’s so unique to me and he is both funny and lovable to me. Again I get why your criticisms. You explained your points very well. Even though we disagree on some things I really did enjoy this video talking about one of my favorite shows and I’m glad to find a fellow ALF fan even if we like it for different reasons.
Thanks, I appreciate it! And in spite of my complaints and the title of the video (which was meant to be a little tongue-in-cheek), I really do enjoy Alf. And though I poke fun at how assholish he can be, I agree that it's a big part of what makes the show so special. Anyone can make a "Mork and Mindy" or a "My Favorite Martian," but Alf is totally unique in what it's trying to accomplish. I wasn't kidding when I said that the Germans were right for enjoying it so much!
And yeah, I also find myself identifying with Alf's humor... probably way too much.
I also grew up on it and share the same sense of humor as Alf on the show. Wonder if his one liners made me develop the same sense of humor 😂
@@ShawnBRyanVideos And despite hearing a laugh track ALF wasn't filmed "live" as due to all the technical aspects and trap doors used to bring ALF to life was a nightmare for the cast! Normally a sitcom can take up to 4 to 5 hours to tape one episode, ALF however would take 7 to 8 days and over 25 hours to complete just one episode LOL! On one occasion Max Wright lost his cool and choked the ALF puppet! Yikes! 🤔🙄🤨📺
I think you got it.
About the rumor of Max Wright storming off after filming the last episode, Anne Schedeen confirmed it in a filmed interview.
Look for the video "Ан Шедийн (Кейт Танер от АЛФ) - Посланик на Holiday Heroes" (don't be afraid of the Bulgarian title, the video is in English, just with Bulgarian subtitles), Anne talks about it at 10:19.
Greeting from Ukraine where ALF also was VERY popular during the 90s.
I'm from Venezuela and I think it was broadcasted in the mornings back then. So if for whatever reason you had to stay home and not go to school, you could be in your couch watching this warm and funny show. One of the best from the 80's I would say.
ALF WAS a friggin' Alien trying to exist on Earth, obviously He was a menace! You're seriously over thinking this!
2:15 -- ALF was close! In 2005 two addional moons of Pluto were in fact discovered! Plus two more in 2011-12.
Great video, your constructive criticism is a understatement on the show, but even though Alf is not great I still find a sense of joy when I hear it pop up in conversation.
Thanks, I also have a lot of love for Alf. A lot of my criticism is meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek. No matter how bad Alf is, it's hard to actually be angry at it.
What about the two cartoon shows? There was one that featured ALF on Melmac, and one that showed ALF reworking fairytales. The Chipmunks also had a fairytale season near the end of their run. It was an early '90s thing.
I loved those! Especially "Alf Tales".
@jenniferhanses7064, me too, & I wish more people would review them, as well. I also wish we could both entire series on home video! The Chipmunks final season wasn't fairytale related, it was the Chipmunks parodying famous movies, of the time.
I’m buying the deluxe coming out in October
"And for once, I think the German people are right."
-Shawn B. Ryan, 2022, 22:20
Curious to see if the German people have a critically high rate of failure elsewhere on this channel.
Jokes aside, this was a fascinating analysis with some great points. Really love how you touched on the good and the bad of everything. I feel like Alf peaked very early in S1E2. From start to finish, it's golden. Whatever the rest of the show may have been, that one episode is one of my favorite sitcom episodes from any show.
Also has one of the greatest opening themes ever given to a show. First half of the show's theme is my preferred version, but the later seasons' version is also crazy good.
How to say you're Gen Z with out saying you're Gen Z
Fun fact, the guy who did the latino dub for Alf also voiced Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z.
It was a great show and ALF was hilarious.
Hopefully my criticism wasn't too mean. I really do respect all the hard work that everyone did to make the show happen, and I've got nothing against anyone who loves it.
My name is Christina Owens and I am so in love with Alf and I love him very much and I hope that he is listening to me Christina Owens I love you Alf what's up with you ?how is your day going? I hope you are having some fun and enjoying your summer 😊 how
This is just cute :)@@christinaowens9823
ALF and Willie are one of the great comedy duos of all time. I'm not kidding. They are on the level of Burns and Allen or Abbott and Costello. The show is an absolute classic that 100 percent holds up today. It was made by talented people with passion who believed in it. The creator is a real artist and the character of ALF is a genuine original who is as important as Charlie Mcarthy or Kermit the frog. The show has a very serious dramatic side that reveals the true depth of those behind it. It often has ALF tacke real problems and is anything but a mere kids program that patronizes it's audience. AlF is one of the very best shows of the decade. If ALF was handled correctly he could return today and comment on today's culture with an honesty that could possibly penetrate the cloak of dull propagandistic pap that has all but blotted out popular entertainment. The Show is up for free on peacock I believe. Please, if you have any love for the early Muppets or rebellious media of any sort.....give it a watch. It's unironically a very good show.
Alf still makes me laugh most of the jokes have held up
I think a good comparison to ALF wound be Small Wonder, which was aired around the same time but in syndication. It was about a suburban family of dweebs where the father was a robotics engineer that creates a robot that looks like an elementary school aged girl. At first they kept V.I.C.I. at home to better keep the secret that she was a robot, but eventually she went to school and other places you would normally take a child.
These odd ball sitcoms have always had this problem of a very narrowly defined situation that the characters can interact in. Usually this is expanded by occasionally having the characters go to another sound stage location or having guest stars show up at home/the bar/at work. Giligan’s Island had a similar unique problem in that it wasn’t always feasible to have a guest star show up on a deserted island and not have the plot lead to the castaways escaping the island but also allowing for the guests to leave by the end of the episode, with this parallel even featured in an episode of ALF.
Another comparison could be Mork and Mindy, another comedian-starring sit com centered around an alien character. But at least Mork from Ork had super powers and passed as human.
Shawn Ryan no way! ALF was funny. Now I will agree it had the darkest last episode of any sitcom in history. ALF getting caught by the government and that was it.
Alf is an absolute masterpiece
Interesting video but I disagree. I remember the 80s very well and family sitcoms were very popular back then, Alf provided a different angle. The show was called Alf for a reason because Alf is the main character, the family were the support people. I thought it was amazing how they always made Alf look real, there was never a scene when Alf looked fake. There were other people that knew of Alf’s existence outside of the 4 family members - Jake and Kate’s mother for example. All family sitcoms during this era showed clips from previous shows, Alf was no different. The writers did a terrific job to keep the show interesting, most sitcoms end after 4 to 5 years, the show I thought fell only 1 episode short from being complete after Alf was captured by the alien task force. Alf is very memorable even 34 years after ending and will always live on.
ALF is one of my favourite 80's sitcom!
As an Aussie kid in the 80's most households only had 1 tv, & we only had 3 commercial tv stations. To this day I cant decide which character I hate more - Alf, or Zac Morris (from Saved By The Bell) Watching Alf on the family TV was my brothers choice. It wasn't funny enjoyable or entertaining. All these years later we have access to more tv stations & multiple pay tv services - yet we are still over saturated with American garbage that over emphasises Jewish & Italian-American issues. Totally irrelevant to Australian (& almost globally) lifestyle. I was disappointed that it ended when it did. With that cliff hanger I was looking forward to the 5th season seeing Alf interrogated tortured & dissected for various research purposes. Alas, that never eventuated.
Hating on ALF? That’s just sad.
We were re-watching ALF some years ago. I seem to remember there was one where he passed up a chance to go home with his friends; at the time I thought this would've been best for all of them if he went
He's sort of like the Ninja Turtles in how he has to hide from people, except that they do go out and do things
I was a kid when ALF was on. Only four thoughts come to mind. One, Everything just had to be about ALF. Two, the episode with the cockroach. Three how terrible the show was. Four how good the main theme was.
Alf is a beautiful deeply touching show and I don't care what you say, why not target actually garbage sitcoms like friends, the big bang theory, how I met your mother, modern family and the worst of all.. The office (the U.S. one)
AbrasiousProductions, yes!!! Finally, another human being who despises the US version of the Office, besides me!!! 😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃
@@brandonpage7087 YAYYYYY! I'm thinking the same thing, I do not understand the appeal of the US office, haven't seen the UK version yet but I'm almost certain it's much better in every way, the US office is just so painfully unfunny, none of the characters act like real people, they're all annoying, the humor is repetitive and unfunny reminding me of another very overrated show bob's burgers, I gave the office a chance but I just could not stomach it
I don't understand the appeal either. I'm guessing the same people that binge watch the Office are the same that binge watch those dumbass reality shows. I've never understood the appeal of those either. Bob's Burgers? I don't hate it, but wouldn't call myself a fan. I do however, like how I met your mother, & big bang theory, though I wore myself out with both of those series, though, lol.
Alf left the house many times. He also had a group of people who knew him… Jake, the psychiatrist, Jodi, the elderly people at that retirement home, Kates mom, , Wizzer, Willie’s brother… I don’t understand this criticism… of course it’s ridiculous… it’s still a great show.
We used to watch this only because our dog resembled Alf.
Alf was alse very popular in France. He was dubbed by Roger Carel, who's a legend in the world of voice over here. I have fond memories of growing up watching Alf after school and Lynn was my first crush as a boy haha.
Honestly I can say that I agree and disagree at some points of the show because I feel like Alpha supposed to be that a**hole because it was what was going on at the time he was literally the representation of a space New Yorker because of you heard his accent he basically was literally a alien cartoon character living amongst humans people and there were many points where he was giving life lessons as much as it was many moments where he was just being an azzz. Honestly I wish that he did so much more with him especially since it’s possible that the show could happen and be better especially with these times where we have multiple alien shows and many different types of aliens that I could definitely see him crossing over to different shows just to put some variety in this show or even have other aliens pop up out of nowhere but yeah I can see where you’re coming from as much as I can definitely see what the writers were doing at the time but definitely I can say without a shadow of a doubt that times have changed and I can definitely see ALF returning one day or another
Oh, I live in Germany and it still airs on TV here (reruns).
I love ALF, still do, but some of the critique isn't far off. ALF was a jerk a lot, although he got a little better as time went on (emphasis on little) and some of his behavior was more naiveness than cruel. I also agree that the show didn't do enough with the science fiction aspect (the best episode is the one that is more sci-fi with the giant alien roach).
@NinjaCthulu, yes, la cucaracha is my all time fave episode, & I wish there had been more episodes like it!!!
To the content creator: when were you born?
Definitely not in the '80s, he sounds too young. I was born in '83, & was already watching shows like Knight Rider & Amazing Stories, from ages 2 to 4!!
There's a movie titled Permanent Midnight in which Ben Stiller plays a drugged out, desperate writer hired to write on the show Alf. Stranger yet: The movie is a true story written by Jerry Stahl, who was that drug addict writer of Alf.
I watch the reruns of ALF today. ALF was one of the best sitcoms of the 80s.
The people who didn't watch to the end missed the point of the video. Its not actually the worst, but just didn't come across as planned. This video put a new perspective on ALF for me and i appreciate that.
Alf represents humor from a different age, it's very Very Clear that are not of that generation and can appreciate the humor and even the story telling style of those times.
ALF certainly wasn't the worst '80s show, but i agree with you on ALF the character, being an asshole, most of the time, lol. Though he was one hilarious asshole!! He was particularly an ass to poor Uncle Neal, in that one episode, where they room together. I actually wanted to strangle ALF myself, in that episode, lmao!! However, i think alot of ALF's bad behavior was caused by the fact that he was miserable & lonely, wheb it came down to it, & the ass behavior is a coping mechanism for his unfortunate situation. The series even touches on this from time to time. Especially in the episode where ALF gets addicted to eating cotton. ALF flat out admits to being miserable & lonely, in that episode.
The comic books and cartoons hold up better than the show does
i think theyre all great, the comic really does do some crazy story lines not possible in the show.
I did enjoy! This was fun😊 Thanks, Shawn Ryan🤗
Cool and all Not the kind of work that needs called out. You and your kind can keep striking We don’t miss you
Alf was fantastic, end of story.
Alf was the man! My whole family would watch this together. When it came to the badasses of the eighties, Alf was up there Mr T, Hulk Hogan, Kitt, and Michael Jackson, just simply Iconic!
Don't forget Pee Wee!!
Disagree. Alf was fantastic. Remember it with a warm feeling. Alf made a lot of friends outside the family. He made a lot of stuff. And the willie character, if you look at outtakes, he was laughing and seems to enjoying it. You really have to it for what it is. Back then not many had VCR, so the clip episodes was great. This was you trying to sound intellectual man. and the germans dub everything you know.
I remember the first run; I was about 7 then. It was hyped a lot at first, but dropped in ratings, and you could tell they hated making it! It could only exist in the ‘80s…
I remember watching Alf as a kid in early 2000s (like maybe 2005 or 6?), but, I was too young to remember much of its details xD so, thanks for explaining the show again, since, it did fly over my head 😂
I think Alf was a funny character and cute. The show failed with the parents' bad relationship with him and not letting him interact with people outside of the family.
I actually liked ALF. Maybe because it ran during my college years and it was a mindless pieced of fluff to watch between going to classes and having to study. Sometimes we just need those kinds of shows in our life.
I’ve never seen this or the prequel series that apparently exists but I guarantee that Alf is the reason that his planet blew up.
I don't think the explosion is ever foreshadowed in the cartoon, but there is a line in the main series about that:
ALF : That's it. I say we fight violence with violence. That's how we used to solve things back home.
Willie : Alf, don't you remember what happened to your planet?
Alf : Well, it blew up in a nuclear holocaust. Why?
Willie : Don't you see the connection?
Alf : [pause] What connection?
@awesomefox555, it's stated in the pilot episode that Melmac was destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. Something that gives the animated prequel series a super dark undertone!
Worst? I just rewatched the 1st season and the show has it's charm sure it's not the best but calling it the worst?
Good old ALF, all us kids loved that show. My parents would always let us watch it. The good old days
I can only judge the show from my memory of watching it when I was about 13 years old with my family. I really enjoyed the show and my family seemed to too or at least seemed to be mesmerized by it and we'd watch it together each week. Now, of course back then every TV show had its time slot and you would usually be watching one particular channel the same time every week and TV was very hypnotic and addictive. Also, I used to love The Dukes of Hazzard when I was 10 years old and I tried to watch a rerun of that show when I was an adult and it was so bad I couldn't even last 10 minutes before I had to change the channel, so some shows are better remembered than rewatched as an adult ha ha! Maybe Alf is one of those shows.
Ha! Yeah, I remember watching TV when you had to sit around the television as a family and watch what was on at a scheduled time. Such a lost era!
As much as I poke fun at Alf, I really respect the folks who made it. In some ways, it's even funnier that all the time, energy, and attention to detail was devoted to performing some pretty mediocre scripts.
And honestly, it's probably better than most other sitcoms of the era... though that's not saying too much.
@KM-dk5gn, lol, yeah, I've never been a Dukes of Hazzard fan, but have always loved ALF!
yeah i liked alf as kid , but looking back it was really wtf.. and silly..!
Alf is great. Alf is funny and thats the point. not every show needs to be "important"
Comedies almost never age well. Seinfeldt still works, but it’s a true gem.
People loved this show in the 1980:s, it was meant for them, not us :)
im surprised they havent made a gritty reboot of this show yet
feel like all the elements of it are there just needs to change the genre
There's a good amount of puppet UA-camrs that are legit video essayists and I'm here for it every time I stumble upon one of y'all 👍🏿
It's even more awesome that you're doing a video about a forefather in the game. I haven't seen ALF but I've always found the character interesting with how popular he got and a little creepy give I think he likes eating cats right 😂
@chapterblaq, LMAO, for me, as a small child, ALF, the puppet, not the show, both frightened me, & greatly appealed to me. I was a bit scared of him, because of how freaky & weird he looked, but at the same time, found him to be hilarious & damn entertaining! Talk about a dichotomy!! 😆😆😆😆😆😁😁😁😁😁😁
I'd watch the show in its heyday and yeah I'd laugh a bit but then revisiting it sometime in the 2010's it's just a miserably written show that I can tolerate ALF's antics in small doses it almost makes the the sitcom Small Wonder good by comparison. I also read that the cast had to endure long shooting hours due to the laborous ALF puppeteering.
I love ALF! One of my all-time favorite comedies! I respect your opinion though.
I hope I wasn't too mean. I wouldn't spend 23 minutes complaining about an 80s sitcom if I didn't secretly love it.
I was really just surprised how abrasive the show could be, and I thought it would be fun to make a video about it.
@@ShawnBRyanVideosIt was a fun video! I enjoy hearing opinions that are different than my own as long as it doesn’t put down my own views. I hear you length means passion for sure lol.
@@JoshRazauskas Ha! Thanks!
@@ShawnBRyanVideos You’re welcome!
I've never watched ALF but I know of it but did not realize how big of an asshole Alf is. The dad looks like he wants him dead every single interaction. Great video it was very enjoyable!
Yeah, it's hard not to feel bad for those actors. When you're a kid watching the show, you empathize with Alf and his silliness. As an adult, boy do you feel for those poor humans that he spends four years torturing!