ALF (season 1)
| ALF | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
 DVD cover | |
| Starring | Max Wright Anne Schedeen Andrea Elson Benji Gregory |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 22, 1986 – May 11, 1987 |
| Season chronology | |
The following is a list of episodes from the inaugural season of ALF.[1] Most episode titles are named after popular songs.
Broadcast history[]
Season One aired Mondays at 8:00-8:30 pm (EST) on NBC.
DVD release[]
The season was released on DVD by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
Cast[]
- Paul Fusco as ALF (puppeteer, voice)
- Lisa Buckley as ALF (assistant puppeteer)
- Bob Fappiano as ALF (assistant puppeteer)
- Max Wright as Willie Tanner
- Anne Schedeen as Kate Tanner
- Andrea Elson as Lynn Tanner
- Benji Gregory as Brian Tanner
Episodes[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "A.L.F." | Tom Patchett | Tom Patchett | September 22, 1986 | |
| The story starts here as Gordon Shumway, a Melmacian who escaped his planet before it was destroyed, crash lands into the garage of the Tanner family. The Tanners call him "ALF" because he is an Alien Life Form and they decide to keep his presence a secret so that the U.S. Government will not take away the space being and subject him to experiments. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Strangers in the Night" | Peter Bonerz | Paul Fusco & Thad Mumford | September 29, 1986 | |
| Everybody but Brian and ALF are leaving the house for the evening and Kate does not want ALF to babysit Brian, so Willie calls their ever-snooping Mrs. Ochmonek from the neighbor. ALF is told to stay in the bedroom, but when Mrs. Ochmonek starts to watch Psycho he cannot resist sneaking out of the bedroom to watch. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Lookin' for Love" | Peter Bonerz | Bob Bendetson & Howard Bendetson | October 6, 1986 | |
| When Lucky the cat disappears ALF is accused of eating him so he decides to search for him to prove his innocence. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Pennsylvania 6-5000" | Peter Bonerz | Donald Todd | October 13, 1986 | |
| After ALF uses the shortwave radio to call the President about the nuclear disaster, Willie gets blamed and is thrown in jail. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Keepin' the Faith" | Peter Bonerz | Laurie Gelman | October 20, 1986 | |
| To solve the Tanners' money problems, ALF gets a job selling make-up. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "For Your Eyes Only" | Peter Bonerz | Mitzi McCall & Adrienne Armstrong | November 3, 1986 | |
| ALF meets a blind woman named Jody (Andrea Covell). | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Help Me, Rhonda" | Peter Bonerz and Rick Gough | Tom Patchett & Lloyd Garver | November 10, 1986 | |
| Brian's 7th birthday is approaching and it gets ALF depressed, because he realizes he is never going to see his friends on Melmac again — he was finally going to get together with his true love Rhonda and then the planet exploded. In sleep, ALF dreams about his 228th birthday on Melmac, just before the explosion. In order to cheer ALF up, Brian and Willie start broadcasting into space, in hopes of finding another survivor from Melmac. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Don't It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue?" | Tom Patchett | Jerry Stahl | November 17, 1986 | |
| Lynn is excited because Scott wants to keep all his band equipment in the Tanners' garage. Willie is not so excited. Lynn is interested in Scott and begs for Willie to allow Scott to keep the equipment in their garage for just two days. Willie gives her his permission. ALF is not happy - he was supposed to be redecorating his room with Lynn. And he also has a crush on Lynn, so he proceeds to sabotage Scott's time with Lynn while trying to come up with something to impress her. He also films a music video for her ("You're the One Who's Out of This World") to prove it. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Jump" | Peter Bonerz | Gary Markowitz | November 24, 1986 | |
|
For Willie's birthday, ALF gives him a box he found in the basement full of photos from high school and college. There is also a menu, on the back of which Kate and Willie both made lists of things they wanted to achieve in life. Kate actually did the things on her list, but Willie did not. This starts to haunt him so badly that he decides to do the list. Guest Star: Joe Namath as himself | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Baby, You Can Drive My Car" | Nancy Heydorn | Thad Mumford & Laurie Gelman | December 1, 1986 | |
|
ALF buys a car for Lynn after the family car continues to be unreliable. Guest Star: Robert Costanzo as Tow truck driver Bert | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "On the Road Again" | Peter Bonerz | Bob Bendetson & Howard Bendetson | December 8, 1986 | |
| Willie suggests that they go to San Diego on holiday. Kate is all for it, but the family is unsure what to do with ALF. Since leaving ALF alone is a recipe for disaster, the family takes him along for the road trip. However, the weather turns stormy, ALF gets bored of sitting in the RV and starts complaining. Willie goes mental and shows ALF the door. Defiantly, ALF wanders off. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Oh, Tannerbaum" | Rick Gough | Donald Todd | December 22, 1986 | |
| Willie and ALF break down while picking out a Christmas tree. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Mother and Child Reunion" | Tom Patchett | Bob Bendetson & Howard Bendetson | January 12, 1987 | |
| Kate's mother (Anne Meara), who is not on warm terms with Willie, arrives for a surprise visit that forces the Tanners to lock ALF in the garage for several days. The problem is that ALF cannot stand being not allowed to roam around in the house, with all the luxuries found there. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "A Little Bit of Soap" | Tom Patchett | Laurie Gelman | January 19, 1987 | |
|
ALF and Kate's mom are arguing about TV. Kate's mom thinks ALF's favorite soap opera, Midwest General, is sleaze, and shows him her favorite, One World to Hope For, which ALF thinks is boring. Angered, ALF argues that he could write a better script for the series than the writers are coming up with. So ALF actually writes a script and sends it in. Guest Star: Robert Pine as Father | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "I've Got a New Attitude" | Nancy Heydorn | Thad Mumford | February 2, 1987 | |
| Willie catches ALF from eating a box of chocolate that was to be a Valentine's Day present for Kate. This incites Willie to give ALF a lecture on how ALF does not respect private property and needs to adopt a new attitude. Also, Kate's mom is moving out of the Tanners' house. The problem is that her new neighbor, Whizzer, wants to come help Dorothy move her stuff. Which means ALF has to hide from him. Kate likes Whizzer and suggests that they invite him over for a dinner. Dorothy doesn't want that. ALF interjects by claiming to have spoken to Dorothy's dead husband Sparky's spirit, who wants Dorothy to move on. Apparently, all Melmacians have the ability to speak to the dead. Dorothy wants ALF to prove his ability and let her speak to Sparky through ALF. | ||||||
| 16 17 | 16 17 | "Try to Remember" | Tom Patchett | Laurie Gelman, Bob Bendetson, Howard Bendetson & Donald Todd | February 9, 1987 | |
|
ALF loses his memory and thinks he is insurance agent Wayne Schlegel after accidentally electrocuting himself in the bathtub. The Tanners then use flashbacks to restore his memory. NOTE: one-hour clip show; later edits changed cause of memory loss from electric shock to head injury after NBC received complaints from viewers. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Border Song" | Tom Patchett | Donald Todd | February 16, 1987 | |
|
ALF befriends a Mexican teenage immigrant who wants to go back home. Guest Star: Earl Boen as Warren | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Wild Thing" | Nancy Heydorn | David Silverman & Stephen Sustarsic | March 2, 1987 | |
| ALF, beginning to go through a Melmacian psychological and physiological transformation which happens every 75 years for Melmacians on March 2nd, warns the Tanner family that he must be locked up for 24 hours during this period in which he will experience wild, erratic behavior — but he escapes before the day is over. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Going Out of My Head Over You" | Nancy Heydorn | Bob Bendetson & Howard Bendetson | March 16, 1987 | |
|
Brian has to lie to his friend who wants to come for a sleepover that the Tanner's basement is flooded, because ALF must be kept secret. Willie then tries to explain to Brian that lying is always wrong even though Brian has to keep lying because of ALF. Lying to the Ochmonecks is also tiring Willie, not to mention having to put up with ALF's antics. Kate suggests Willie talk to Larry, a therapist they know. Of course, Willie has to prove that ALF exists and is not his hallucination, which means that Larry and ALF meet. Guest Star: Bill Daily as Dr. Lawrence 'Larry' Dykstra; Jack Riley as his patient | ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "Lookin' Through the Windows" | Nancy Heydorn | Bob Bendetson | March 23, 1987 | |
|
There's a power blackout, so ALF is passing the time by watching the Tanners' neighbors, the Ochmoneks, who are fighting. By dinner time, the power has come back so the Tanners can have dinner. Then comes another, short blackout. Trevor Ochmonek appears at the Tanners' door, seeking peace and quiet from the angry Raquel. Soon after, Raquel comes to demand that Trevor return home. The Tanners persuade him to do so. Night falls and ALF hears the Ochmoneks continue fighting. Guest Star: Bill McIntyre as Officer | ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "It Isn't Easy ... Bein' Green" | Peter Bonerz | Wendy Graf & Lisa Stotsky | March 30, 1987 | |
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Brian must perform a song about asparagus for the school play, but is too nervous. Guest Star: Marcia Wallace as Mrs. Lyman | ||||||
| 23 | 23 | "The Gambler" | Gary Shimokawa | Thad Mumford & Laurie Gelman | April 6, 1987 | |
|
The Tanners are preparing for a garage sale to get some money for house payments. ALF discovers the alluring world of horse racing thanks to Kate's mom who bets on them. When the concept of a bookie is explained to ALF, he gets the bright idea of getting the Tanners some money through betting. When his initial bets yield only profit, the plan seems good. Guest Star: David Leisure as Nick "The Fish" Mintz | ||||||
| 24 | 24 | "Weird Science" | Paul Fusco | Paul Fusco | April 13, 1987 | |
| When the living room television breaks down, Willie declares that he will not have it fixed, despite ALF's complaints that he has nothing to do but watch television. In the meantime, Brian announces that he needs to come up with a project for the Science Carnival. On his own, Brian creates a model of the Solar System. ALF points out that there are inaccuracies and offers to help. He tells Brian that there are two more planets named Dave and Alvin. | ||||||
| 25 | 25 | "La Cuckaracha" | Peter Baldwin | Jerry Stahl | May 4, 1987 | |
| A cockroach from ALF's spaceship grows to gigantic proportions. | ||||||
| 26 | 26 | "Come Fly With Me" | Peter Baldwin | Nelson Costello | May 11, 1987 | |
| ALF forces the Tanners and Ochmonecks listen a sales pitch for vacation homes. Turns out he is a pilot who flew in the Korean war, so they are able to fly instead of a seven-hour drive. The reluctant Willie eventually warms to the idea, but ALF has to stay home. | ||||||
References[]
- ALF (TV series) seasons
- 1986 American television seasons
- 1987 American television seasons