The Real Reason Why Alf Was Canceled
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 тра 2024
- Running for four years with huge success, the American sitcom ALF was canceled in 1990 after it’s fourth season. When a classic sitcom ends before it rightfully should have, it’s always a shocking surprise. But when it comes to the NBC television series ALF, a show about an alien living with a suburban American family after crashing into their garage, that may not be the case. The show ALF, titled after the alien’s name, premiered in the fall of 1986. NBC was currently going through a rough patch and had failed with its recent programming. This included the shows Fathers and Sons, Baby Boom and Manimal. You probably haven’t heard of any of them and for good reason. The new series based around a sarcastic alien appeared to be another misguided effort by the network. Early reviews of the show reflected this, critics hated it. But the show had something, as it managed to find an audience. It was a full-fledged phenomenon by the time it hit it’s second season. The image of ALF was plastered over every kind of merchandise possible. Lunch boxes, trading cards, skateboards, comic books, dolls, even wristwatches. They released several albums by ALF, Stuck on Earth charted in Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. ALF even featured on the game show Hollywood Squares, where he was a regular celebrity guest. Although the show was highly successful, it came to an abrupt end when ALF was canceled after the fourth season ended on a cliffhanger. Clearly the creators of the show expected it to go on. So with such an iconic leading alien, a set up for another season that looked to shake up the direction of the series, why was the sitcom so abruptly canceled? From on set dramas, to technically demanding shoots, we’ll dive into the real reason why ALF was canceled after four seasons.
The Real Reason Why Alf Was Canceled
ALF wasn't called that because of his name. It stood for Alien Life Form. His real name was Gordon Shumway. Everyone thought his name was ALF.
Apparently, a lesser known fact than I expected
the cool thing is it works in german too. Auserirdiche LebensForm
they said it multiple times on the show and there was an animated series about his life on melmac that used his real name
I am glad that you posted your comment, I could not believe that the creator of this video got this wrong.
@@ArmouryTerrain Meh. People get things wrong. Didn't mean for my tone to be an an "actually...." so much as a "by the way"
if that makes sense.
This show was pure gold....80s gold
Absolutely, we feel the same way! Thank you for sharing your sentiments and for watching our content. Which episode is the most memorable for you?
@@Trender1 Well, I watched them in the early 90s on VHS-tapes every day.....I like the Wayne Schlegel- and the night when the Pizza came-thing a lot :D
@@Trender1 the first episode was the best .
MAJOR LEAGUE FACTS..!
When TV was actually good
Better than the Simpsons
Wow, what a shame both regarding tension on set and the untimely cancellation. They needed at least one more season. Losing Alf was like having a childhood friend move away without telling you, the both of you didn’t even get to say “goodbye”.
Yeah those always sucked. The friend moving away. My best friend moved to the Philippines but at least he came back a couple years later.
They made a movie called Project Alf to continue the story and bring some closure
It's also a shame that they wanted to end the show so bad, yet none of them really did anything afterwards that I know of.
I remember waving to my 2 friends as they waved to me from inside their RV window as it pulled away. Never saw them again.
@@sapnamotwani5203 they did? Wow, thanks!
I am a massive ALF fan. The show came on while I was in the military. I was a helicopter mechanic (Huey) and Crewchief. I was stationed in Hawaii in 1988-1990 and the Crewchiefs in my section, five of us, each gave our aircraft a name. One was called "The Helicopter from Hell", another was called "Scorpion" while another named his aircraft PeeWee after Pee Wee Herman. I, of course, named my aircraft ALF. We had the names stenciled to the stinger covers on the back of the aircraft. Everyone knew when it was my aircraft flying because I had the ALF plush that talked when you pushed in the tummy D-Ringed to one of the cargo rings on the aircraft wall. Here I was flying around with ALF clearly visible in the aircraft. Onceon the ground, I would place ALF on the inside but protruding from the top of my flight helmet bag and just scooted along the flight line where everyone could see ALF. I still have that Alf plush. I also have the larger ALF plush with the talking facial features that move when you insert a cassette into it's back and yes, I still have several of those cassettes. The ALF trading cards were referenced and as soon as it came up, I said that I have those. Not so fast! Those are different! I do not have those. I do have a full set of another ALF trading card set which you did not reference. I missed one set, the video missed the other one. As far as the comics, I pretty much have every issue of the run to include issue 1,2,3 on up. Those are treasured books. My son was born in 2000, ten years after the series was cancelled. My wife never saw the show. But they were both introduced to ALF when I picked up the full series on DVD. They absolutely love the show. Shows like that are not made these days. Such a shame. I think a full theatrical ALF movie would be very welcome and make a huge amount of money for whoever produces it.
Thanks for watching! We're glad to know that you love our video. If we may ask, what other types of video would you like to see on our channel?
@@Trender1 Shows that nobody has heard of such as Run, Joe, Run!
I am 48 and ALF effected since i was a child. These shows forever effect us all are lives. The country to woke for his humor now and they would butcher are memories like they did with scooby do show with velma show destroying chars to fit you know and forever tainted that show for me now. I loved V too in foster care it kept me going but that reboot was half mom and son soap opera... The rest was good enough but lowered my love for V.
I never did get an ALF doll, but I did get a plastic card about the size of a credit card with a photo of ALF captioned “Official Member” and “No Problem Club.” If I was asked for ID by someone and she looked like she might have a good sense of humor, I’d give that to her instead of my license. 😁
@@BorikenWarrior I used to watch that one every Saturday morning!
I loved ALF and especially the interactions between a chaotic alien and the earnest Willy Tanner. There was so much humour in this constellation. Sad to hear, that the cast was so miserable and I can't believe it was only 4 seasons.
I read about what happened behind the scenes many years after the show went off the air. It was sad to learn that a show I loved as a kid had people working on it who were so misreable.
So tru...who would have know..sometimes seeing is not believing...but i sure missed my ALFY ☹️🇯🇲
@@waynejohn1160 hay there, did u ever see the TV movie that carried on the show story?
Sounds like they made each other miserable.
Working as an actor sounds fun. It is an opportunity to have fun with your colleagues, make jokes, improve the show (give feedback).
Some people take their talent and opportunities for granted. What are the chances that your work becomes a superhit?
After ALF, I don't recall seeing any of them in anything else.
I think max Wright was in WKRP in Cincinnati as a lawyer a couple of times.
@@louistournas120This isn't always the case. Just like in every other Job where People are working together. Not every Personality is compatible with each other.
they (the actors) shouldnt have btched about it so much. They made good money and fame with it
If the current cast wasn't getting along for 4 years maybe a season 5 with alf in the military base with a whole new cast would've saved the show from getting canceled, it's also like a middle finger to fascio who played alf he had a verbal agreement and they back stabbed him.
Well he oculd have found out another network tough.
I was 12yo kid in 1986, and was a fan of ALF when it aired. I didn't learn until several years ago about the behind-the-scenes troubles and the hellish conditions on the set. After they wrapped the final episode, Max Wright reportedly walked off the set, headed to his dressing room, and drove home without so much as a goodbye.
What a jerk
It’s always sad when a story isn’t finished. Frustrating for both the audience and the creators.
There was a tv movie that wrapped it up
My Name is Earl also got cancelled on a major cliffhanger. They were gonna announce who Earls kid really is since it wasn't his or Crabman's.
@@seanodeli7031 and it sucked (for the most part).
Like Lost lol
@@jimnfl7134I actually liked it.
I remember when the last episode aired as a kid. The “to be continued” message hinted at a new season that I waited for that never materialized. “Project ALF” was eventually the sequel in the form of a TV movie. It at least resolved the cliff hanger and gave us the finale the fans deserved.
Like the Firefly movie. It was made for fans and no one else
Wait, what? I didn't know that was a thing.
His name wasn't ALF, ALF is a acronym for Alien Life Form, his name was Gordon Shumway.
I loved this show when I was about 5. I always wondered why it ended so abruptly. Now 33 years later I found out why.
They should have just let Alf go home and that would of been the end ..
He did have a choice...Rhonda was on the way...but he said no.
Indeed
@sandygrimes7196, I agree, it would've been better to just agree that season 4 would be the last season, & give us a satisfying ending of seeing Skip & Rhonda pick ALF up, while the Tanner family watched in wonder, & have the Alien Task Force guys arrive much to late to catch ALF. That would've been the best ending ever, for the series. Then we wouldn't have ended up with the steaming turd of a "finale" that was Project ALF!
Learning of the on-set strife in ALF is almost as bad as finding out that Ponch and John didn't like each other.
I love ALF more than any other show! I believe that it should still be going today!!
We're glad to know that you love the show. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. If we may ask, which episode did you like the best?
@@Trender1 going out of my head over you is definitely the greatest episode!
I don't know the episode titles but I always loved the one where they had to lock Alf into a cage, because he was going to freak out. 😅
It showed a different side of him. More alien.
it would have been funny to have him in a military base acting foolish. lol! They are remaking everything else, I wonder why not this. We could see flashbacks of him frustrating the military officers so much that they finally freeze him and then he wakes up and one of the other families take him home.
Also, tv is so different now. My son watches UA-cam, so we don't have shows we watch together the way we did in the 80s. I just thought of that. :(
Good grief, glad you were not a Nielsen’s rating family!
A friend of mine who worked for Comedy Central and NBC told me that it's all a power trip. He worked as a writer briefly for My Name is Earl, Conan, and The Daily Show. It is 100% politics.
Intriguing information, thank you for providing context about the show. Which episode is the most memorable for you?
I grew up as a child watching this show. Now that I am in my 40's, I still watch it. Makes me think back to my childhood
They should’ve given us the fans what we really wanted to see ALF going home. I wish that’s how they should’ve concluded with Season 4
In Brazil, during the 1980s and 1990s, it was very common for television networks to purchase TV shows from the USA or Mexico. ALF was one of those shows that was bought by a major local TV network, and a new episode would air every Sunday. I remember eating my lunch as quickly as I could to be ready to watch ALF. When the show ended, I remember that most of the audience thought the program had continued in the USA but had been canceled only here. It was much later that I discovered the show stopped airing in Brazil because it had been canceled in the USA.
Alf's name was Gordon Shumway. AIf was an acronym for alien life form. Great video despite that discrepancy. Max Wright sounds a bit like Gary Burghoff, Radar from M.A.S.H., since both played sympathetic, compassionate, and patient characters yet were rough customers on set. Crazy he made the kid cry.
@Russell Collier The first time Alf revealed his real name was in episode 22 of the first season, "It Isn't Easy ... Bein' Green," when he told Brian a personal anecdote to help him get over stage fright. There was also the cartoon in which he was Gordon Shumway all the time. It delights me both series are available for free on Tubi. Please excuse me, my nostalgia runneth over....
It wasn't Max wright who made the kid cry
@@chrispbacon5313 5:43 You just wanted to get me to watch the video again, huh? Interesting form of trolling.
@@ajbonine69 no his real name is revealed in the episode help me rhonda
@@gordonshumway467 Yeah, I noticed that after I made that comment. I recently watched the episode I referenced and later noticed other earlier instances, such as right in pilot he calls himself Gordon when trying to contact his friends.
I was 10 yrs old at the time and was definitely extremely angry that they canceled the show AND that there was a cliffhanger leaving the audience to believe ALF was in a bad predicament!
The writing was on the wall when the show moved to Saturday night.
Hell no it wasn't a good time to cancel the show! Amazing video btw
No this thing need to be canceled they just needed to get new cast that wanted to do the damn work and see the show become something big.
@@monicamariamclean2198
We are hearing all this and we don't know the tension that was there... You learn from your mistakes...And with that you would think with as popular as ALF was...It's amazing they haven't given it another big try...So let's cross our fingers and see if what happens...With that ending a spin off can go in so many direction...He was kind of a little sticker but what else would you expect a being from another would think...Like I said cross your fingers everybody..
Alf stood for "alien lifeform". His name was gordon
*Shumway lol
The puppet was used for stationary shots in seasons one and two with Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros in the suit for the moving shots. Starting in season three ALF no longer moved around because they got rid of the actor in the costume. Thus the decline began as the show just wasn't the same after that. By season four you could see how little any of the actors wanted to be there and whatever spark it once had was long gone.
The concept got old anyway. The fact that ALF is stranded on earth, he can't leave the house, he can't work or go to school or have a normal life, how long can you go without running short of ideas? I'm at least glad it lasted while it did.
I still cant believe they canceled alf! I never truly got over it
The end of an era. Loved this show as a kid and i actually enjoy watching it again in HBO these days.
We're glad to know that you love the show. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. If we may ask, which episode did you like the best?
I do too, watching all of them again.
Sounds like a real job, being missal, but making a lot of money.
It's also on Tubi.
And is back on 39 something
Paul’s personality was exactly like Alf’s. That dry sarcasm. I worked for him in high school and also on Crown of Bogg.
@mlehky, really?? That's awesome!! Are you still in touch with him??
I just wish the show had ended properly. If Alf successfully went home, that would have worked, but no, we got that cliffhanger.
I was 23-24 when ALF ended. The last episode was so grim and scary at times that it didn't feel like it fit at all.
I think the best subplot was when he met the blind lady. He finally got out of the house and got close to somebody new. But of course he had to lie about who he was, which strained things.
The fact that the whole thing was too hard to eventually keep making was what doomed it. That's very sad because it really worked for a while.
@henrikharbin5521, yes, I loved the storyline with Jody!! I would've fallen in love with Jody too, she was a sweetheart! I hate that the writers never gave that storyline a conclusion, though. Jody just disappears, & ALF stops referencing her, which makes little sense, as he really cared about her. They could've had Jody eventually find out the truth about ALF, & then agree to protect him. I would've loved to see that, as the storyline had alot of potential.
Alf is a show I watched when I was still in kindergarten, and I still watch it sometimes. It's a huge loss that there wasn't another season, although I read somewhere that 2 were even planned and that the scenario was almost finished.
We're happy to know that you love the show. In your opinion, what is its best episode?
@@Trender1 Would have been the pilot but more so the, what we all did not know was the last for me. All that work those writers, actors, any and all doing the actual creation not the board and CEO, those are who usually mess things up for good shows that should not have ever ended how they did.
I think they definitely should have had a Season 5. It would have been great to see how the Military handled Alf. No way could they have taken away Alf's spirit! I would also love if they did a reboot 25 years later! To see Alf in today's world!!! Love you always Alf? 💓💯🥰🤣💓
They made a movie called Project Alf about Alf at the military
They could make a show where it is about Brian, years after the incident with Alf being captured. Working for the government to figure out what happened to Alf and assisted by Lynn and Jake Ochmonek.
Lol alf today.... Being stuck on earth for the last, almost 30 years, he becomes so disheveled that he ends up acting similar to Roger from American dad!😂
@justinepurdham, yes, let's get a petition going, to get an ALF reboot into production!! Whatever the premise is, I'll watch it, as long as ALF is still the main focus!
Season 5 was necessary I also feel bad for Benji that Max Wright yellled at a 9 year old kid and put him into tears. That wasn't cool of Max to do that
i agreed with you
It's hard to learn that the actor you liked were shitheads.
That all is news to me.
Yeah sounds like he was the one that was hard to work with.. and max also sounded like a drama queen
@@mauromesa78😂😂😂😂
Isn't it funny how acting in a hit sitcom seems like a dream come true but to a lot of them actually living it, it was a dreary, grueling job.
Yes and I haven't seen any of them since in anything. While they were happy to end the show I'm wondering if they regret it now. It's not like they had a lot of success afterwards
The aliens name wasn't A.L.F. it was Gordon Shumway. A.L.F. is the acronym for alien life form.
Fun stuff, thank you so much for sharing this information about Alf. Which episode is the most memorable for you?
@@Trender1 I think it was the first episode. When they first discover him.
Can't have a children's show where the main protagonist keeps trying to eat the family.... cat.
You could tell ALF was loaded with tension when you watched it.
Well I would think that Project ALF, which came out in 1996, could have been a 5th season miniseries. It continued where the show left off, and in the end, ALF becomes Melmacian ambassador. It could have shown him returning to the Tanner family, or moving in with any of the other friends he met.
I think that part of the reason ALF got cancelled, too is by Season 4, the concept of them hiding ALF from people was starting to get old. By that time, ALF had already met a number of people like Jake Ochmonek, Larry the shrink, Flaky Pete the bum, Dorotthy, Neal, and Whizzer. In Season 4, he also met four senior citizens so that was 10 people he knew who wouldn't call the Alien Task Force on him (remember that Jodi was blind and didn't know he was an alien), and they didn't say anything, so by that time, it was probably clear to people that eventually, nobody would have really said anything if ALF came into their presence.
One other thing I noticed was that ALF had once met a Mexican immigrant boy named Luis. He was never seen after the episode that featured him (Border Song) and he wasn't invited when the Tanners invited everyone else who met ALF (We are Family). Also, Luis was never told by the Tanners to keep ALF's existence a secret.
One of my acting teachers directed Max Wright, and he described how easily frustrated Max got with other actors or directions he didn't agree with... Not a bad person, just expected those around him to work like he did.
I liked Willie Tanner. I'm not sure I'd get along with Max Wright.
Well part of working with others is not always getting our way.
Enjoyed the video, but I'm surprised there was no mention of "Project: ALF," the TV movie that wrapped up the cliffhanger (at least as far as I remember).
Yeah, that's cause it's not worth remembering & was a terrible way to wrap up the series.
I recently watched an interview with the voice actor of Alf, Paul Fusco, and you'd never know that was the voice of Alf. They got the voice spot on perfect. No other voice would have worked. I was a freshman in high school when Alf went on the air. It's hard to believe that was 37 years ago!
Fun stuff, thanks for sharing! What other types of video would you like to see on our channel?
@dustinzilbauer7582, I was 2 going on 3, when ALF premiered, & yes, no other voice for ALF will work, but Fusco's. Which is why some new project needs to be made, while he's still living.
I find it pretty awesome that former President Reagan loved the show, seeing as how they kinda made fun of him in episode 4 of season 1. When Alf called the president, they never explicitly said that it was Reagan, but you could obviously tell the voice actor was doing an impression. With that said, I think it’s admirable for a president to not take things so personally. Something we should definitely learn from today
We tried telling Biden, but he was sleeping at the time
*** The actor of the Father ( Max Wright) .. HATED doing the show, (a MORK & MINDY rip-off) few years later he became a Crack addict and was obsessed with gay porn ...died 2019 .. with a Crack pipe in his mouth, such a "father-figure")
Ronald Reagan was well known for his huge sens of humor. When he left the W.H. they find in his desk a pile of cards fully filled with jokes.
@@PotterPossum1989 they tried to tell Trump but he was too busy blowing Putin and stealing your money
@@PotterPossum1989 If any president hasn't had a sense of humour about himself it must be Trump, who seems to take everything personally and constantly gets in fights with people on Twitter. Biden for sure has his flaws, but being thin skinned like that isn't one of them.
Willy says in the first episode that ALF is short for Alien Life Form but ALF himself says in that same episode while he is on the radio making calls out to any other survivors that his name is Gordon
Brian said it ffs get it right
@@King2myQueen46 you forgot to say please🤨
PLUS His name was Gordan but ALF was a nickname that actually meant
Alien Life Form.
I loved ALF. If it had lasted longer it could have had a longer run in syndication. It's a shame it didn't last
Us too! Which episode is the most memorable for you?
@@Trender1 the very special episode where ALF was addicted to cotton. It's still brings a tear to my eye. Funny thing is, I never see it in syndication these days.
@@Trender1Knight Rider had 4 seasons
One of the best articles I ever read on the topic was on Cracked, I believe. It described the set of Alf as, essentially, a death trap run by a puppet and his lunatic creator.
The series could have gone in a whole new direction in the upcoming episodes. Imagine if in the first few episodes the Tanner family managed to free Alf from the military installation and the series would then have looked at the Tanners' escape from the government. they would always meet new people who would have helped them so that they could have escaped at the last second. THAT would have been a fresh development.
it was already a challenge filming this show in one location...🤦♀️
There was also a TV movie in 1996 called project Alf I believe that continued it
It shouldn’t have been cancelled. Every show deserves an ending. The audience deserves that as well.
I guess Fusco got the last laugh as there was an ALF movie based on that very concept of him on a base in captivity. They did find ways to get ALF out of the house, usually by him sneaking out, but I suppose it wasn't enough to save the show as the other actors were wanting to be released from their contracts, among other issues.
Man they really hated us kids then, that was traumatic leaving us with this ending. 😢
I see the ending of Alf, and raise you one ending of Dinosaurs.
@rontayan, ikr??? It still sends chills down my spine, & makes me want to cry, when I watch that ending, nowadays!
I would have liked to see a 5th season as I was a kid and loved ALF and also watched the animated series. I AM glad the TV movie PROJECT ALF was made.
Wait what's Project Alf???
@@chrisgreene335 it is a movie that was on TV in the 90s.
@@AVengefulSoul thanks✌️ I just watched it. I never even knew they came out with a movie...
@@chrisgreene335 Yes they did do the TV Movie. However, if my memory serves me correctly no other members of the original cast were in the movie besides ALF.
@josephpapai5867 Yeah I watched it & the Tanners weren't in it 🤷♂️ but it was still great to see Gordon Shumway 😀 😁😎😏👍✌🏻
Thank you for the video and sharing the backstage story. I just finished watching the last part of the last episode with “to be continued” sign with my kids and we were shocked by the abrupt ending, searching all over for the second part, didn’t find it of course. Anyway, we found a movie Alf project which seems to replace the last part and we plan to watch it one of these days. I hope it will be a good closure. Anyway: filming the 5th episode 30 years later seems like a supercool idea! We would definitely love watching it ❤
We're happy to know that you love the show. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. If we may ask, which episode did you like the best?
@@Trender1 my 11y old son likes the first episode most of all, while I like all of episodes with psychotherapist snd family friend dr. Larry. Since I am a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist of psychodynamic orientation, I find all the situations with Alf and Larry very witty. By the way: I wish you a happy new year 🎄
@@mojcasostaric3040 Project ALF the made for tv movie which aired on ABC 6 years later was the conclusion albeit it was mentioned that the Tanners moved to Alaska LOL! Seems strange that they didn't try to rescue him or at least appear in the movie albeit 6 years later! God bless. 👼♥🙏🕊
@@mojcasostaric3040 Producers also pleaded with NBC to let them shoot a finale for ALF aka part 2 but NBC said no! 🤔🙄🤨😞
@@SuperMarioBrosIII what a strange decision…
After almost forty years I STILL WANT MORE ALF
@jonsumner5899, me too!!!
I feel disappointed on what they did to the series plus I wish they did season 5
Project Alf was a decent ending
learning ALF had an album that charted was priceless, thank you
It was the right time to end it. The 80’s had given way to the 90’s. Very fitting that Fresh Prince replaced it.
Alf was cancelled because Gordon was captured by the government, taken to area 51, and dissected. The last episode showed him getting captured. That was the end. It was a depressing end. By the way, ALF was not the name of thee alien. It was Gordon. ALF was an acronym for, "Alien Life Form."
You’re a genius. Can’t get one by you! They also made a movie about him
@@thefrase7884 Gordan Shumway is his real name!🤗🧐👍👏
I loved watching the cartoon version
😂
The cast did a great job with their performances despite the difficulties. When I hear ALF I also hear "Willie!!" 😆. Such an iconic pair
In the Philippines when ALF was aired on ABS CBN back in the 80s many Filipinos knew that ALF's real name was Gordon with his two friends. But on ALF The Animated Series was aired on RPN 9 every Monday at 7 pm when he said his complete name, Gordon Shumway. Many Filipinos know the name Gordon Shumway since many Filipinos watched ALF on ABS CBN before they moved on to RPN 9 in 1990 this is right after ALF The Animated Series was aired on RPN 9 in 1988 and the TV movie Project ALF was aired on RPN 9 in 1997
Very interesting, thanks for sharing this info! Salamat 😁
@@Trender1 You're welcome I always love ALF including Project ALF
Today, I am a 40yo Australian male. When i was a young child i would not go sleep without my ALF teddy. For years that ALF doll was my most beloved possession as child.
Honestly putting the show out of it's misery was the right thing to. The final two seasons were weak compared to the first two. The theme song change was not good and lacked the upbeat mood of the original arrangement. The additional characters did little to revive the show. I wasn't a fan of the Tanner's new baby which bloated an already full main cast.
Season 5 being spent with ALF as a prisoner on a military based would have been a disaster. The premise of hiding ALF from the outside world is one of the things that made the show interesting. It doesn't work with the world knowing about him.
A proper ending for season 4 would have been ALF leaving earth with his fellow aliens in the ship. Season 5 could have been about his new adventures with his own kind in a live action version of the ALF cartoon.
What would have been good is if the Tanners distract the Military and ALF leaves with his friends. Having it end with ALF being captured was awful
@@zt1053 it was as bad as the ending of the show Dinosaurs, Spoiler Alert: … It ends with the beginning of the Ice Age, and the father Dinosaur is shivering, and he says something like “Oh I’m sure this cold will only be a for a day or two”. That was pretty dark.
Alf was like introduction to Al Bundy 😅
Those times when characters could tell anything and no social media existed to hate everybody. We needa rhose times back again ❤
Al is back on channel 2.4😄
@antoninsebera152, yes, & also when there was no social media to obsessively dig up dirt from celebrities past. Idk about you, but I'm fine not knowing all their personal business. Agreed, we need those times back, but it's too late.
NBC has a tendency to cancel. But a military base comedy would have been great. Today, another network might have bought the rights.
My dad loved this show. He'd even do a great impersonation of ALF. "Hey, WILLY !"
Alf was way funnier than some stupid French prince.
@oldskool1977, I actually love both the Fresh Prince & ALF, but like ALF more.
The audience spent nearly 5 years investing time into a pretty good show, they deserved to see an ending to it.
We absolutely agree! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. Be safe and have a great day!
There was a tv movie where Alf got broken out of Alien Task Force custody, it ends on an Alf note where Alf annoys everyone around him in either the White House or the UN consulate in New York.
I hate it when shows are cancelled without a (proper) ending.
NBC always had a knack for cancelling shows before it was over. Star Trek, Knight Rider and My name is Earl along with Alf are many others. I can see why the original SNL cast took comedic jabs at the network back in the 1970's
alf was my favorite series even today I can watch it and love it too bad a fifth season didn't come out.
I loved Alf! It was sad and disappointing to learn the process of making it wasn't bringing joy to the involved. I can't think of a great way to resolve the issues but I like the idea of Alf being in a military base and pissing people off but nothing compares to the emotional family interactions. Perhaps they indeed should have let Alf go to his people and end it there.
Errr, why did you not include info on the movie that came after the final episode? "Project Alf" it's called and I still have the VHS flying around somewhere.
Robot Chicken did an Alien sketch where they had ALF instead of the xenomorph. Comedy gold.
Sad the cast had such hard times.
Ending with ALF caught by the Alien Task Force seems appropriate, but counter-intuitive. The show was never exclusively a comedy. It was about real life too. And real life has real tragic endings alot of the time. I give it a thumbs up.👍
Well said, we strongly concur! Thank you for watching our content and for sharing your thoughts. What other types of video would you like to see?
So sad to learn that actors you loved in your childhood couldn't act that professionally on set. I'm ashamed of Max Wright behaviour. I thought more of him.
Mrs. Ochmonek. She's outside looking in the window.
What a fantastic summary. Thanks!
We need a Netflix sequel of sorts. The Tanners reunite with Alf after escaping the military.
Yes, please, somebody make this happen!!! I know Max Wright is dead, but maybe you could get the surviving cast members on board, or hell, get an all new cast, just please bring back ALF, & do it while Paul Fusco is still alive!!
I remember watching every season of ALF especially the Season 4 finale where ALF was captured by the Alien Task Force but left with a To Be Continued with a possibility of a Season 5 continuation of either his adoptive family The Tanners or his family from Melmac to rescue him. I was sad to see the show cancelled but hopefully maybe they will bring it back one day even on another network. I do own a ALF puppet that was a promotion from Burger King that my mom got for me years ago and still kept it to this day in a safe place.
Thank you so much for sharing your life story and thoughts. If we may ask, which episode did you like the best?
@@Trender1 Hey Trender, To answer your question to which was my favorite ALF Episode. That there I don't remember to be honest I liked every episode especially ALF on Hollywood Squares and even Hosting an Episode of Hollywood Squares. You can still watch every episode of ALF on UA-cam now for Free.
@@Trender1 It's too bad that I couldn't send a picture of my ALF PUPPET from Burger King that I still have to you.
That's awesome that you still have it😎✌️
In 1986 forward, ALF was the No1 show here in Germany.
Interesting, thanks for sharing this info. Which Alf episode is the most memorable for you?
@@Trender1 When ALF bought Lynn a Ferrari, and later went on a ride with that car.
A.L.F. Alien Life Form.
I wish they made a 5th season. I love this show. I wish they would reboot the series.
We feel the same way! Which episode is the most memorable for you?
@@Trender1 I don't have a specific favorite episode. I like a lot of them. Thats why I wish we could experienced another ALF season or two.
@@ctg8563 my favorite is the one that wanted to be with his friend and girlfriend but at the end change his mind that is my favorite episode because it as alf friends skip rick stella and his girlfriend rhonda
Childhood nostalgia, this was certainly one I watched as a kid in the nineties. I even had an Alf stuffed teddy bear, simply times in a way especially having my dad here & alive at the time… Thank you for this classic wholesome deep dive.
So interesting. Basically what I heard was that as the lead of the show Wright, may he Rest In Peace, made the experience unFun for everyone around him. I've been on sets like this. I loved me so Alf though! LOVED!
And he also got busted for possession of child porn, so he practically nuked his own career as an actor.
@@sawtooth808 Wait? What? Are you serious? I'm going to google. I hope that's not true.
Every cancellation of a show with a "cliffhanger episode" should be required to produce the following season. SOAP is another example, and Las Vegas where the baby was in jeopardy and the funeral they were at just had the dead guy walk through the door!
this show should of had many more seasons. it was hilarious and had a good message to it. I miss it a lot.
I did of course watch "project alf" movie and liked the tv show much more. I am now an adult but still watch it.
it has always been my favorite show growing up. of all the sitcoms this was the most hilarious.
Well said, we strongly concur! Thank you for watching our content and for sharing your thoughts. What other types of video would you like to see?
Love Alf I still have cuddly toy of hun years later!
Alf is my favorite show of all time. So I wanted to continue
We're happy to know that you're a fan of Alf! Which episode is the most memorable for you?
@@Trender1 its hard to choose but if its hard to choose,, my most memories is the Christmas special when Alf meets the terminal ill girl. After that when Alf does song for Lynn (which as a kid I had a crush) and third when Lucky dies. I always been a cat lover.
At least they gave it a movie to end it properly. I like ALF, but I am glad Fresh Prince was given a chance.
I hated Alf for the single reason that he ate cats. I was just a little girl who loved cats and watched Small Wonder, so...
I wish there was a season 5 to complete the shows finale
We absolutely agree! Thank you for your watching our video. Be on the lookout for the next one!
Ok
@@Trender1 I remember seeing project A.L.F. It sucked. They should have made a movie almost IMMEDIATELY after it canceled and let Alf be reunited with Skip and Rhonda with the help of the military since they found out about him
I think all shows that are my favorites should've gotten at least 3 more seasons; but on the other hand most of those shows, including ALF were getting worse at the end. In the case with ALF, Josh Blake as next-door-neighbor-nephew Jake Ochmonek, was dropped after Season 3 of ALF. Josh Blake's final episode was the episode when the Tanners encounter an Earthquake and ALF prepares for the worse, especially convincing Brian to hide under his bed for a long period of time. Josh Blake's final scene in that episode has ALF asking Jake incase this is the last time we see each other and Jake says forget it I'm going home, I'm not sure if Jake meant his Uncle Trevor's & Auntie Raquel's Home, or his Home Back in New York City where his Father, Cyril, is released from jail, he reconciles with is kleptomaniac mother after stealing Kate's Brooch from her's and Willie's bedroom, and reunites with both parents; or it could've been that Jake was still living at Trevor & Raquel's, but the character was not seen or heard from on camera and visited the Tanner's without being in the script.
If they do reboot the series, they could just say the new episodes were “declassified”. The 5th season wasn’t aired because it was a “need to know” basis.
i still hope they do season 5 removing project alf from canon.season 5 should start where the final episode ended since that was the original plan with a new cast playing the tanners since max die and the other 3 are to old to play youngers versions of the characters in the early 90´s
You should mention that project Alf (from 1996) was the fifth season but made on a bizarre tv movie in which Alf lives on a military base and the tanners live now hidden in Iceland.
This is certainly one of my top 3 favorite shows....bless you Alf for giving me so much joy ❤
We're happy to know that you love the show. In your opinion, what is its best episode?
@@Trender1 Here are the Main reasons ALF ended that you did not mention. 1.There was no new Jokes or material. The last 10 episodes i felt were getting weaker. 2. Trevor and Jake Ochmonek. The actor who played Trevor (Jake LeMotta) said Years later, that he hated portraying the character, thinking he was stupid. The final season is when we saw him the least and even their nephew Jake was gone without any explanation what happened. Yes, like so many fans of the show, we wished it would have at LEAST had a better ending. And no, the Project ALF didn't save it.
Firstly, I'm honestly kinda surprised by the fact that the actors were so unhappy on set. However, that does explain something to me. I always wondered how some of the actors, Willy especially, could play irritation and tension in such a real manner. Based on what you said, I think I have an answer now and it's because the actors on set truly did have irritation towards each other. However, I still can't really believe that they all hated their jobs on the show, but maybe that's just my inner theater kid talking.
I will say that the guy who played Willy, I thought he was plenty funny. One of my favorite moments in the show is in season three, when Alf is scared of a ghost story his friend Jake tells and runs through the house yelling, "Taxi!" Willy's reaction to that is probably one of the funniest moments. Plus, I always enjoyed the moments with Willy. He was honestly one of my favorite characters.
I would've liked to have seen what they did with a season 5 and, in all technicalities, they could still do that. They kind of already did with the movie they put out in the 90s, but they could wind back and show the time before that in which it shows more of Alf's day to day life on base. I also wouldn't mind seeing what comes after the movie, his time as an ambassador on the base. Maybe even him finally integrating into society or spending more time trying to contact Skip and Rhonda.
Art imitating life. lol
Funny thing is, Alf himself was my least favorite character in this show.
as a kid I thought it had its day after 4 seasons tbh. it was stifled too much, they could have made it really raw. no 'adult swim' back then.
From yelling at Benji Gregory to attacking the actual alf puppet to the point producers had to pull him off the puppet clearly Max Wright was the cancer on the show that ultimately ended it. I mean seriously yelling at a 9 year old child the producers should've fired him right then and there because the show could've survived without him considering nobody cared about him due to the fact that Paul Fusco/ALF was the star. And why they didn't fire him after that incident where he yelled at Benji Gregory is beyond me.
Clearly you're stupid and actor like Wright could have reasons to be frustrated by real 'cancer' of the show reserving 'all the goods' for 'puppet star'/Fusco and leaving him for always as 'dull grouch'. Maybe YOU didn't cared for him, being stupid, but don't speak up for everyone like 'nobody cared' - nobody gave you right to say that. Even role of Kate, also 'in opposition' to ALF could often be arranged funny, interesting way, while role of Willie usually was NOT. I am convinced incident with Benji Gregory has in reality not much to do with their relations as actors, more probably Max frustration became too much in some moment and just timing happen to be bad for Benji. Probably if some mess-up would happen in that moment to Andrea Elson for example it could be incident with her instead of Benji. Clearly Max Wright has 'enough of that sh...' in that particular moment and it can be understandable, although reaction could be too much. And somehow producers didn't fire Max as you would want to.
So willy being mean to alf was not acting on Wright's part. Nice.
@@marcellachine5718he was a jerk always was a jerk maybe yhey all had problems because of him well he's dead now
It would’ve been dumb as the characters we see still had a such good chemistry together. Alf and Willie. They bounced off each others differences. Especially when its just the two of them.
I definitely think that they should have had a 5th season because of the cliffhanger at the end of season 4.
We absolutely agree! Thank you for your watching our video. Be on the lookout for the next one!
@@Trender1 Thank you! 🙂
I remember being stunned when I had learned about 10 years ago what a nightmare making the show was.
But soon after I also learned that before he passed away the actor who played William Tanner said (can't remember the exact words), "It doesn't matter how I felt working on it. The show brought joy to a lot of people and in the end that's what counts."
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. What other types of video would you like to see on Trender?
However, the Story of the Show would been continued 7 Years later in the Movie "Project ALF", which also managed to wrap up the Show's Storyline and give the Show a relatively proper Conclusion.
Fun Fact: Sony managed to get the Rights for ALF in 2012 and announced Plans for bringing him back on the Big Screen. Since then, no Progress has been made tho.