ALF (TV series)

ClassyCo

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I just bought the complete series of ALF on DVD at Walmart on my lunch break. It was just twenty dollars, which I thought was a good deal, so I snatched it up. It aired four seasons on NBC from 1986 to 1990, and enjoyed solid ratings its entire duration. ALF focused on the life of ALF (meaning "alien life form") after he leaves the planet Melmac and crashes into the backyard of the Tanner family, where he moves into their home.

There was a time where some Disney channel outlet or something was airing ALF in syndication, and I watched it a lot there. I had the first two seasons on DVD, but they got lost somewhere in the translation, so I bought the box set today.

Any fans out there?
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DallasFanForever

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I was never really a fan during its run. But I was forced to become a fan later on when my nephew found it one year in syndication. I think ur right that it was the Disney channel but I’m not positive on that one. It was actually a pretty decent show. Alf was hilarious with his one liners and to me that was the whole show really. You got a pretty good deal I’d say. I can’t remember what I paid for the set but it was a lot more than $20.
 

the-lost-son

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Alf was huge (in Germany). I guess most kids around 1990 had Alf merchandise. I owned some audio tapes. Some quotes are still a part of todays language (at least for my generation). The actor who gave Alf his German voice wasn‘t happy about series at all. His voice nodoubtedly contributed to a great deal to the shows success, but little royalties were awarded to him and his (acting) career never got anywhere because his voice was just tied to this comedy show. When there was a talk of a reboot of few years ago (which would have been a disaster because the show belonged in the 80s) he showed no desire to return.

I loved it, it was different, funny. I regarded Tanners as the ultimate American family ( and the interior with pastel colours everywhere). I once read the cast wasn‘t very happy because the shooting of the show was tedious and they were all happy when things ended. A classic show with the worst season finale of all which I ignore.
 

ClassyCo

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I was never really a fan during its run. But I was forced to become a fan later on when my nephew found it one year in syndication. I think ur right that it was the Disney channel but I’m not positive on that one. It was actually a pretty decent show. Alf was hilarious with his one liners and to me that was the whole show really. You got a pretty good deal I’d say. I can’t remember what I paid for the set but it was a lot more than $20.
The whole show is really Alf's gig. Apparently that irked the real-life stars of the show because the best lines were going to a puppet.​
 

the-lost-son

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The whole show is really Alf's gig. Apparently that irked the real-life stars of the show because the best lines were going to a puppet.​
Correct. It obviously must be frustrating for an actor to watch the best lines going to a puppet.

For us at that time it was just fascinating. Alf ordering all this stuff by phone paying with credit card - it really seemed like another planet and Alf eating in front of the TV - totally out of our imagination.

I remember one episode lividly. Alf was calling the u.s. president telling him sth. about a bomb and Willie Tanner got arrested somehow. The seriousness of the Police/military forces was breathtaking, it felt like watching a thriller back then.
 
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ClassyCo

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Correct. It obviously must be frustrating for an actor to watch the best lines going to a puppet.

For us at that time it was just fascinating. Alf ordering all this stuff by phone paying with credit card - it really seemed like another planet and Alf eating in front of the TV - totally out of our imagination.

I remember one episode lividly. Alf was calling the u.s. president telling him sth. about a bomb and Willie Tanner got arrested somehow. The seriousness of the Police/military forces was breathtaking, it felt like watching a thriller back then.
Oh, the actors have spoken frequently about the tedious working schedule. Apparently it took twenty-five hours to film a twenty-two-minute sitcom episode. That would've made me ill, I'm sure, and I know it would've bothered me to see all the canned laughter being geared towards a puppet.​
 

the-lost-son

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Oh, the actors have spoken frequently about the tedious working schedule. Apparently it took twenty-five hours to film a twenty-two-minute sitcom episode. That would've made me ill, I'm sure, and I know it would've bothered me to see all the canned laughter being geared towards a puppet.​
I‘ve read these reports not too long ago. The Tanners (in my imagination) were the perfect family. It was a surprise to read some things back then. Then the show was wrapped up the actor of Willie Tanner left the shooting location without a word/goodbye. There was an interview of kate & lynn Tanner (who suffered from bulimia during the series) once and they described the atmosphere of the production as joyless. It‘somehow nice to see when a cast is on good terms (like Dallas, FC, Dynasty) if brought together.

I once made a bike trip from Vancouver to the Mexican border. I visited plenty of filming locations along the westcoast (e.g. Cabot Cove/mendocino, Murder she wrote, the balcony of pretty woman). During that time I wanted to bike to the Tanner‘s home in Los Angeles. They never shot a scene there, and it had been torn down years ago.
 
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Alison Carr

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Oh this is pure childhood for me! big fan! not so much of the movie that they made after the tv series had finished. I remember the animated series Alf Tales too. I need to find this on region 2 dvd!
 

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I have fond memories of ALF, although the character moreso than the series. I recall a very funny central character surrounded by a pretty generic sitcom; I'm not sure I distinctly recall the family from ALF without muddling them with the family from, say, MR. BELVEDERE.
 

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Correct. It obviously must be frustrating for an actor to watch the best lines going to a puppet.

For us at that time it was just fascinating. Alf ordering all this stuff by phone paying with credit card - it really seemed like another planet and Alf eating in front of the TV - totally out of our imagination.

I remember one episode lividly. Alf was calling the u.s. president telling him sth. about a bomb and Willie Tanner got arrested somehow. The seriousness of the Police/military forces was breathtaking, it felt like watching a thriller back then.
 

Rove

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Alf could be seen in the opening credits to Home & Away back in 1988
...and from memory Alf was screened on a Sunday night up against the ratings juggernaut 60 minutes...and beat it. I remember a few serious journalists questioning Australians viewing habits that people had more interest in a puppet than journalism.

Alf also popped up in The Big Bang Theory...

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Chris2

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It was certainly a success, running four years and spawning all kinds of merchandise. Not sure I would call it “huge.”. It climbed to #10 in the Nielsen ratings for its second season, then dropped to #15 for the third, then to #39, then was cancelled.
 

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i didn't say it was a hit like Dallas was back in the day but it was a big hit. i am glad they did do a tv movie to finish the show off though it's just like i said sad that nobody in that cast liked being on the show they all hated it. i'm not sure about the dude who played Alf though but the cast itself hated it at least everyone who played a Tanner anyways i dunno about anyone else though
 
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