As the character prepares to return to the helm of Ryan Reynolds, (re)discover the tragic ending of the original ALF series that ran from 1986 to 1990. And beware, you are probably not ready!
To remind you, ALF is a TV series created by Paul Fusco, which tells the story of the arrival of a cat-eating alien to the small Tanner family in the American suburbs. ALF (real name Gordon Shumway) takes the form of a puppet, animated and voiced by Fusco. In French, it’s the great Roger Carell who provides the creature’s voice.
The final episode of the series is titled “The Curtain is down” in French and “Consider Me Gone” (Consider Me Gone) in the original version. The official synopsis reads, “It’s a dark day for the Tanner family as ALF leaves Earth to settle on another planet with Skip and Rhonda, but ALF is captured by an alien task force before he can reach his ship.”
Alf
What the viewers don’t know then is that this synopsis doesn’t tell the beginning of the episode, but the end of it! ALF, who audiences have come to love and who has been an integral part of the Tanner family, will end the series arrested by Task Force Alien! In the ALF universe, the TFA is a US military organization that hunts down aliens to (officially) transmit to them, but (unofficially) conduct research on them.
The final plan of the “ALF” series
Nothing serious for the writers, who NBC verbally assures that a fifth season will see the light of day…until the channel changes its mind! Upon discovering this, the authors are clearly outraged, almost as much as the audience is outraged: their series ends on a cliffhanger, moreover, the hero is in a very miserable situation and will never have a conclusion!
We are in 1990 and nothing is planned to change the deal. Viewers will find themselves frustrated and helpless, even the smallest, traumatized.
Fans will have to wait until February 17, 1996 for The Project: ALF to arrive, this time on ABC. Designed to satisfy audiences disappointed by the end of the series, this 95-minute made-for-TV movie picks up right where the series left off, filmed by ALF. In prison, an alien has fun playing poker, and the Tanner family settles in Iceland under the witness protection program.
After many twists and turns, ALF and the three soldiers who helped him escape are rewarded for uncovering a plot hatched by a certain Colonel Milfoil (Martin Sheen). ALF is even being made an “Ambassador of Earth”. The usual humor of the series is there, but the alien has separated itself from the friendly Tanner family by 1:30, and the community is completely unfazed. Result: A TV movie, which was supposed to launch a new series around the character, is a failure.
Looking back over the years, Paul Fusco Trusts in 2012 : “I remember we had lunch with Tartikoff and he told me he was sorry. Let me tell you, it was a mistake to cancel the show because you still had a season or two under your belt.”
Back in 2012, Fusco pitched an ALF film to studios that would combine performance capture and live action, but to no avail. Six years later, Warners considered rebooting the series before ultimately canceling it, then reconsidering in 2020. It wasn’t until 2023 that Ryan Reynolds revived the project to bring ALF back into the spotlight. To be continued !
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
