Aliens in the Family

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Not to be confused with the 1987 BBC drama serial, or the 1986 Margaret Mahy novel on which it was based, both of the same name.
Aliens in the Family
GenreSitcom
Science fantasy
Created byAndy Borowitz
Susan Borowitz
Written bySusan Borowitz
Andy Borowitz
Patricia Marx
Charlie Rubin
Directed byTom Trbovich
StarringJohn Bedford Lloyd
Margaret Trigg
Theme music composerTodd Rundgren
ComposersJoe Carroll
Peter Thom
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersAndy Borowitz
Susan Borowitz
Brian Henson
ProducerRitamarie Peruggi
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companiesJim Henson Productions
The Stuffed Dog Company
Release
Original networkABC
Audio formatDolby Surround
Original releaseMarch 15 (1996-03-15) –
August 31, 1996 (1996-08-31)

Aliens in the Family is an American science fantasy sitcom that aired on ABC from March 15 to August 31, 1996, conceived as part of its TGIF lineup.

Premise[]

The show was about single dad Doug Brody (John Bedford Lloyd), who is abducted by single alien mom Cookie (Margaret Trigg). The two fall in love, get married, and try to live a normal life on Earth as a mixed family. Much of the humor of the series was derived from gags involving the assimilation of the alien family into everyday life — despite being pink and having massive heads. While all of the aliens were puppets (designed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop), everyone on Earth seems to accept their presence, and in spite of possessing technology far superior to that of Earth, the aliens all go about their everyday lives in the same fashion as all the humans.

Although not the focus of the show, the character to receive the most attention in episodes was Bobut, Cookie's infant son. Baby Bobut was a mad scientist constantly plotting grand schemes to get his way and feuding with his nanny, Sally.

Cast[]

Puppeteers[]

Production[]

The series was created, written and executive produced by Andy and Susan Borowitz. Brian Henson, son of Jim Henson, also served as co-executive producer. The series theme song was written and performed by Todd Rundgren. The series was shot in its entirety at Lifetime Studios in New York City.[1]

Episodes[]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Meet the Brodys"Tom TrbovichAndy Borowitz & Susan BorowitzMarch 15, 1996 (1996-03-15)
2"Bobut Conquers All"Tom TrbovichSusan Borowitz & Andy BorowitzMarch 22, 1996 (1996-03-22)
3"Cookie Makes Some Dough"Tom TrbovichSusan Borowitz & Andy BorowitzJuly 27, 1996 (1996-07-27)
4"You Don't Have a Pet to Be Popular"Tom TrbovichSusan Borowitz & Andy BorowitzAugust 3, 1996 (1996-08-03)
5"Too Good to Be True"Tom TrbovichPatricia MarxAugust 10, 1996 (1996-08-10)
6"Respect Your Elders"Tom TrbovichSusan Borowitz & Andy BorowitzAugust 17, 1996 (1996-08-17)
7"Dissected and Neglected"Tom TrbovichCharlie RubinAugust 24, 1996 (1996-08-24)
8"A Very Brody Tweeznax"Tom TrbovichSusan Borowitz & Andy BorowitzAugust 31, 1996 (1996-08-31)

Cancellation[]

The show premiered on March 15, 1996; ABC pulled the series from its TGIF lineup after two weeks, replacing the show's scheduled third airing with re-runs of other TGIF programs. The show did not return for over four months and aired the rest of its episodes on Saturday mornings in the summer of 1996.

Jaleel White, who starred as Steve Urkel on another TGIF program (Family Matters), was a vocal critic of TGIF adding Jim Henson programs onto the TGIF block (Aliens in the Family debuted the same year as Muppets Tonight) and speculated that their addition ruined the block's credibility by changing its target demographic from whole families to children.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ "Aliens in the Family: Cast and crew". tv.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  2. ^ Hal Boedeker (July 18, 1997). "He's A Goober But CBS Has A Lot Riding On Urkel TV". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 18, 2012.

External links[]

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