"Gordon, send us into outer space
'Cause there ain't no one like you in the Melmacian race!
Teach us, send us Gordon, make us twitch
You're the only one, that can scratch our itch!
So Gordon, Gordon, put us in stitches
There ain't no one like you in this place!"
'Cause there ain't no one like you in the Melmacian race!
Teach us, send us Gordon, make us twitch
You're the only one, that can scratch our itch!
So Gordon, Gordon, put us in stitches
There ain't no one like you in this place!"
ALF: The Animated Series, also known as ALF on Melmac, is an American animated television series co-produced by DiC Entertainment and Saban Entertainment alongside Alien Productions that aired on NBC for 26 episodes from September 26, 1987, to January 7, 1989.
It depicted Gordon's life on Melmac before he came to earth. It introduced Gordon's family members and friends, such as little sister Augie and girlfriend Rhondanote (both voiced by Paulina Gillis). A villain threatening Melmac was also introduced to add some tension. He was called Larson Petty (a pun on petty larceny). The show had its own Spin-Off, ALF Tales, which had the characters as Animated Actors performing modernized versions of classic stories. The animated version of ALF also appeared in the 1991 animated Crossover TV special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.
ALF: The Animated Series provides examples of:
- Adaptational Nice Guy: As Gordon, ALF is significantly less obnoxious and inconsiderate, generally only causing problems through simple accidents.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Curtis and Augie can often be this for Alf, particularly in "Home Away From Home".
- Ascended Extra: The flashback in "Help Me Rhonda" featured ALF's friends Skip and Rick in-person, while Rhonda's voice is heard during a call in the present. All three are main characters in this series, appearing in almost every episode.
- Baseball Episode: "Pride of the Shumways" from Season 1. Gordon is recruited for a professional Bouillabaseball team, but he is by far the worst player in the entire league. It turns out the owner wanted Gordon solely to wreck the team's chances so they he could bet against them and clean up.
- Canon Foreigner: The cartoon gives us ALF's immediate family: Bob, Flo, Curtis, and Augie.
- Co-Dragons: Larson Petty is consistently backed up by Sloop and Eggbert (often to his own frustration).
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Sergeant Staff, ALF's superior officer in the Orbit Guard.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The first couple of episodes give ALF the gruffer voice he had in the early part of the sitcom. The theme song also pronounces "Melmacian" as three syllables, instead of the four that would become the standard.
- Easy Amnesia: "Captain Bobaroo" has an accident give Bob Identity Amnesia.
- Eccentric A.I.: In "Pismo and the Orbit Gyro", the titular robot Pismo controls a gyro that keeps Melmac from drifting out of Orbit. When ALF accidentally knocks a screw loose out of him, Pismo goes loopy and starts acting erratically.
- Hellhole Prison: Melmacians found guilty of driving violations are sent to Driving School, which on the planet is a cruel prison with harsh punishments. In "20,000 Years in Driving School", ALF is sent there for speeding and has to pass a driving test to be released.
- Hidden Depths: The famed Phantom Pilot constantly outdoing the Orbital Guard is actually Rhonda. She drops hints about it to ALF, but he completely misses them.
- Identity Amnesia: In "Captain Bobaroo", thanks to an accident, Bob Shumway begins to think he is the titular Captain Bobaroo, a kooky kids show host that annoys his family.
- Medium Blending: Episodes are bookended by short live-action skits of ALF as a puppet, giving details about his memoirs of his life on Melmac or reading fan mail.
- Mythology Gag: "Flodust Memories" reveals the most popular show on Melmac is about a lone human living with a family of Melmacians. The main character looks and sounds like Willie.
- Only Sane by Comparison: Gordon retains a lot of snarky humor and penchant for wacky schemes, but he remains far more subdued than his extraverted friends, family, and civilization.
- Pantsless Males, Fully-Dressed Females: Most of the male Melmacians go without pants and shoes, while female Melmacians are fully dressed.
- Shout-Out: In "Captain Bobaroo", Bob's kiddie show host persona is an obvious reference to Captain Kangaroo. The kids show Augie watches on the beginning stars an alien resembling Pee-Wee Herman.
- Standard '50s Father: Bob Chumway is a classic example of this.
- You Mean "Xmas": On Melmac, they celebrate the Christmas-like Goomer Day, where the eponymous individual delivers gifts made of foam in one night to all the good boys and girls.