Your Favorite Melmacian Is Back As ALF Is Returning To Screens Thanks To Ryan Reynolds

Jul 26, 2023 by apost team

The '80s and the '90s are some of the biggest eras of television as many people grew up watching some of the iconic programs such as “Seinfeld,” “Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” “Saved by the Bell,” “Boy Meets World” and many more. Another series that stood out from the rest was “ALF,” and it appears to finally be making a big comeback in 2023.

First released in 1986 by NBC, the story of the original program revolved around the character of Gordon Shumway, an alien from the planet Melmac. He later crashed into the garage of a simple family in California. The show was created by Paul Fusco and Tom Patchett.

The family of five is composed of the father named Willie Tanner, played by Max Wright, the mom Kate Tanner, played by Anne Schedeen, and their children, Lynn and Bryan Tanner, played by Andrea Elson and Benji Gregory, respectively.

They also have a pet cat named Lucky, whom the alien wanted to eat throughout the show.

Shumway later got the nickname ALF, meaning Alien Life Form, and he was hidden by the family in order to avoid the Alien Task Force as well as their neighbors.

Although the show was a massive success throughout its run, The Things reported that the show got canceled because production ran out of stories as ALF’s plot only revolved around the Tanner household as he couldn’t go out since they were hiding him from the public.

It was also reported that some of the cast members wanted the show to end. Wright is said to have been very enthusiastic about his role at the beginning of the show since he'd play exactly what the script told him to do, but over time, he was described as a “diva” as he clearly wanted to retire the role.

In July 2023, Ryan Reynolds announced that he would revive the beloved TV series through different segments in product placements as a deal with Fubo and his Maximum Effort Channel.

According to Complex, the channel’s first-ever series titled “Maximum Moments” would feature the favorite alien creature. The actor made the revival with the help of the show’s original creator, Paul Fusco, and Shout! Studios. Reynolds and his production team collaborated with some of their sponsors Mint Mobile, MNTN, Fubo, Hims and Ring.

In a statement, the actor said, “At Maximum Effort, we love taking risks and blurring the lines between shows and sponsorship because we believe both can be equally entertaining.”

He also noted that one of the main reasons why his team decided to license the show was because Fusco, Shout! Studios and their brand partners wanted to bring ALF back to life. He was also an avid fan of the show during his early days.

After the teaser was shared on social media, fans immediately expressed their excitement over the short reboot.

“I love Alf so much. Used to watch reruns as a kid,” one wrote.

“I never realized how similar Ryan's speech pattern is to Alf's. Yet another great joy from my childhood brought back by one of my favorite humans,” another one wrote.

Some users praised Reynolds for incorporating advertisements with ALF’s return as they wrote: “Ryan, you are the only one that gets me excited to watch commercials. I don't just tell that to any content creator, just so you know.”

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Hello! Magazine reported that fans would not get new full-length episodes as ALF would only appear in the said brand deals. However, the outlet noted that the old series will have a rerun on the channel.

There were fans who noted that featuring ALF in the advertisements is not enough and Reynolds should create an entire series about the beloved alien.

“This is not enough Ryan, we need a new season, Alf living with Brian. ALF, AIRBNBing, ... Paul is the man and needs to get back on that  or in that puppet. Let's goooo. Millions of fans are waiting,” one commented.

Despite the show being well-loved by audiences throughout its first run in the '80s and '90s, there was also controversy that surrounded the show, especially on how ALF’s character was portrayed.

He'd do things like try to put a kitty cat in between two pieces of bread and bring electrical appliances into the bathtub. That was one of the episodes that they had to go ahead and re-record because it caused a child to attempt to do the same thing. 

You see, children were watching this show because of the puppet factor, and they were being influenced by the events that took place. The producers often had to tone down some of the content so that the show could be aired on television.

One fan did point out that although they loved watching the show as a kid, when they attempted to re-watch it, they felt uncomfortable.

“I tried to watch it again recently and it was…awkward… I couldn’t make it to the end of one episode,” the fan wrote.

Did you love ALF when you were a kid? Would you watch his major comeback? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.