The Real Reason Why Alf Was Canceled 

ALF wasn't called that because of his name. It stood for Alien Life Form. His real name was Gordon Shumway. Everyone thought his name was ALF.

This show was pure gold....80s gold

Wow, what a shame both regarding tension on set and the untimely cancellation. They needed at least one more season. Losing Alf was like having a childhood friend move away without telling you, the both of you didn’t even get to say “goodbye”.

I loved ALF and especially the interactions between a chaotic alien and the earnest Willy Tanner. There was so much humour in this constellation. Sad to hear, that the cast was so miserable and I can't believe it was only 4 seasons.

I am a massive ALF fan. The show came on while I was in the military. I was a helicopter mechanic (Huey) and Crewchief. I was stationed in Hawaii in 1988-1990 and the Crewchiefs in my section, five of us, each gave our aircraft a name. One was called "The Helicopter from Hell", another was called "Scorpion" while another named his aircraft PeeWee after Pee Wee Herman. I, of course, named my aircraft ALF. We had the names stenciled to the stinger covers on the back of the aircraft. Everyone knew when it was my aircraft flying because I had the ALF plush that talked when you pushed in the tummy D-Ringed to one of the cargo rings on the aircraft wall. Here I was flying around with ALF clearly visible in the aircraft. Onceon the ground, I would place ALF on the inside but protruding from the top of my flight helmet bag and just scooted along the flight line where everyone could see ALF. I still have that Alf plush. I also have the larger ALF plush with the talking facial features that move when you insert a cassette into it's back and yes, I still have several of those cassettes. The ALF trading cards were referenced and as soon as it came up, I said that I have those. Not so fast! Those are different! I do not have those. I do have a full set of another ALF trading card set which you did not reference. I missed one set, the video missed the other one. As far as the comics, I pretty much have every issue of the run to include issue 1,2,3 on up. Those are treasured books. My son was born in 2000, ten years after the series was cancelled. My wife never saw the show. But they were both introduced to ALF when I picked up the full series on DVD. They absolutely love the show. Shows like that are not made these days. Such a shame. I think a full theatrical ALF movie would be very welcome and make a huge amount of money for whoever produces it.

If the current cast wasn't getting along for 4 years maybe a season 5 with alf in the military base with a whole new cast would've saved the show from getting canceled, it's also like a middle finger to fascio who played alf he had a verbal agreement and they back stabbed him.

It’s always sad when a story isn’t finished. Frustrating for both the audience and the creators.

I read about what happened behind the scenes many years after the show went off the air. It was sad to learn that a show I loved as a kid had people working on it who were so misreable.

I was 12yo kid in 1986, and was a fan of ALF when it aired. I didn't learn until several years ago about the behind-the-scenes troubles and the hellish conditions on the set. After they wrapped the final episode, Max Wright reportedly walked off the set, headed to his dressing room, and drove home without so much as a goodbye.

I loved this show when I was about 5. I always wondered why it ended so abruptly. Now 33 years later I found out why.

Learning of the on-set strife in ALF is almost as bad as finding out that Ponch and John didn't like each other.

A friend of mine who worked for Comedy Central and NBC told me that it's all a power trip. He worked as a writer briefly for My Name is Earl, Conan, and The Daily Show. It is 100% politics.

They should have just let Alf go home and that would of been the end ..

I love ALF more than any other show! I believe that it should still be going today!!

I grew up as a child watching this show. Now that I am in my 40's, I still watch it. Makes me think back to my childhood

I remember when the last episode aired as a kid. The “to be continued” message hinted at a new season that I waited for that never materialized. “Project ALF” was eventually the sequel in the form of a TV movie. It at least resolved the cliff hanger and gave us the finale the fans deserved.

His name wasn't ALF, ALF is a acronym for Alien Life Form, his name was Gordon Shumway.

They should’ve given us the fans what we really wanted to see ALF going home. I wish that’s how they should’ve concluded with Season 4

I just wish the show had ended properly. If Alf successfully went home, that would have worked, but no, we got that cliffhanger.

I still cant believe they canceled alf! I never truly got over it

The puppet was used for stationary shots in seasons one and two with Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros in the suit for the moving shots. Starting in season three ALF no longer moved around because they got rid of the actor in the costume. Thus the decline began as the show just wasn't the same after that. By season four you could see how little any of the actors wanted to be there and whatever spark it once had was long gone.

I was 10 yrs old at the time and was definitely extremely angry that they canceled the show AND that there was a cliffhanger leaving the audience to believe ALF was in a bad predicament!

Alf stood for "alien lifeform". His name was gordon

The end of an era. Loved this show as a kid and i actually enjoy watching it again in HBO these days.

I find it pretty awesome that former President Reagan loved the show, seeing as how they kinda made fun of him in episode 4 of season 1. When Alf called the president, they never explicitly said that it was Reagan, but you could obviously tell the voice actor was doing an impression. With that said, I think it’s admirable for a president to not take things so personally. Something we should definitely learn from today

I recently watched an interview with the voice actor of Alf, Paul Fusco, and you'd never know that was the voice of Alf. They got the voice spot on perfect. No other voice would have worked. I was a freshman in high school when Alf went on the air. It's hard to believe that was 37 years ago!

In Brazil, during the 1980s and 1990s, it was very common for television networks to purchase TV shows from the USA or Mexico. ALF was one of those shows that was bought by a major local TV network, and a new episode would air every Sunday. I remember eating my lunch as quickly as I could to be ready to watch ALF. When the show ended, I remember that most of the audience thought the program had continued in the USA but had been canceled only here. It was much later that I discovered the show stopped airing in Brazil because it had been canceled in the USA.

I was 23-24 when ALF ended. The last episode was so grim and scary at times that it didn't feel like it fit at all. I think the best subplot was when he met the blind lady. He finally got out of the house and got close to somebody new. But of course he had to lie about who he was, which strained things. The fact that the whole thing was too hard to eventually keep making was what doomed it. That's very sad because it really worked for a while.

Hell no it wasn't a good time to cancel the show! Amazing video btw

Season 5 was necessary I also feel bad for Benji that Max Wright yellled at a 9 year old kid and put him into tears. That wasn't cool of Max to do that

Paul’s personality was exactly like Alf’s. That dry sarcasm. I worked for him in high school and also on Crown of Bogg.

Isn't it funny how acting in a hit sitcom seems like a dream come true but to a lot of them actually living it, it was a dreary, grueling job.

Alf's name was Gordon Shumway. AIf was an acronym for alien life form. Great video despite that discrepancy. Max Wright sounds a bit like Gary Burghoff, Radar from M.A.S.H., since both played sympathetic, compassionate, and patient characters yet were rough customers on set. Crazy he made the kid cry.

Alf is a show I watched when I was still in kindergarten, and I still watch it sometimes. It's a huge loss that there wasn't another season, although I read somewhere that 2 were even planned and that the scenario was almost finished.

I loved ALF. If it had lasted longer it could have had a longer run in syndication. It's a shame it didn't last

One of my acting teachers directed Max Wright, and he described how easily frustrated Max got with other actors or directions he didn't agree with... Not a bad person, just expected those around him to work like he did.

Man they really hated us kids then, that was traumatic leaving us with this ending. 😢

I think they definitely should have had a Season 5. It would have been great to see how the Military handled Alf. No way could they have taken away Alf's spirit! I would also love if they did a reboot 25 years later! To see Alf in today's world!!! Love you always Alf? 💓💯🥰🤣💓

I feel disappointed on what they did to the series plus I wish they did season 5

Well I would think that Project ALF, which came out in 1996, could have been a 5th season miniseries. It continued where the show left off, and in the end, ALF becomes Melmacian ambassador. It could have shown him returning to the Tanner family, or moving in with any of the other friends he met. I think that part of the reason ALF got cancelled, too is by Season 4, the concept of them hiding ALF from people was starting to get old. By that time, ALF had already met a number of people like Jake Ochmonek, Larry the shrink, Flaky Pete the bum, Dorotthy, Neal, and Whizzer. In Season 4, he also met four senior citizens so that was 10 people he knew who wouldn't call the Alien Task Force on him (remember that Jodi was blind and didn't know he was an alien), and they didn't say anything, so by that time, it was probably clear to people that eventually, nobody would have really said anything if ALF came into their presence. One other thing I noticed was that ALF had once met a Mexican immigrant boy named Luis. He was never seen after the episode that featured him (Border Song) and he wasn't invited when the Tanners invited everyone else who met ALF (We are Family). Also, Luis was never told by the Tanners to keep ALF's existence a secret.

The series could have gone in a whole new direction in the upcoming episodes. Imagine if in the first few episodes the Tanner family managed to free Alf from the military installation and the series would then have looked at the Tanners' escape from the government. they would always meet new people who would have helped them so that they could have escaped at the last second. THAT would have been a fresh development.

One of the best articles I ever read on the topic was on Cracked, I believe. It described the set of Alf as, essentially, a death trap run by a puppet and his lunatic creator.

PLUS His name was Gordan but ALF was a nickname that actually meant Alien Life Form.

You could tell ALF was loaded with tension when you watched it.

Willy says in the first episode that ALF is short for Alien Life Form but ALF himself says in that same episode while he is on the radio making calls out to any other survivors that his name is Gordon

The aliens name wasn't A.L.F. it was Gordon Shumway. A.L.F. is the acronym for alien life form.

Enjoyed the video, but I'm surprised there was no mention of "Project: ALF," the TV movie that wrapped up the cliffhanger (at least as far as I remember).

Can't have a children's show where the main protagonist keeps trying to eat the family.... cat.

There was also a TV movie in 1996 called project Alf I believe that continued it

I would have liked to see a 5th season as I was a kid and loved ALF and also watched the animated series. I AM glad the TV movie PROJECT ALF was made.

I guess Fusco got the last laugh as there was an ALF movie based on that very concept of him on a base in captivity. They did find ways to get ALF out of the house, usually by him sneaking out, but I suppose it wasn't enough to save the show as the other actors were wanting to be released from their contracts, among other issues.

Thank you for the video and sharing the backstage story. I just finished watching the last part of the last episode with “to be continued” sign with my kids and we were shocked by the abrupt ending, searching all over for the second part, didn’t find it of course. Anyway, we found a movie Alf project which seems to replace the last part and we plan to watch it one of these days. I hope it will be a good closure. Anyway: filming the 5th episode 30 years later seems like a supercool idea! We would definitely love watching it ❤

Alf was cancelled because Gordon was captured by the government, taken to area 51, and dissected. The last episode showed him getting captured. That was the end. It was a depressing end. By the way, ALF was not the name of thee alien. It was Gordon. ALF was an acronym for, "Alien Life Form."

After almost forty years I STILL WANT MORE ALF

If they do reboot the series, they could just say the new episodes were “declassified”. The 5th season wasn’t aired because it was a “need to know” basis.

I hate it when shows are cancelled without a (proper) ending.

The audience spent nearly 5 years investing time into a pretty good show, they deserved to see an ending to it.

Honestly putting the show out of it's misery was the right thing to. The final two seasons were weak compared to the first two. The theme song change was not good and lacked the upbeat mood of the original arrangement. The additional characters did little to revive the show. I wasn't a fan of the Tanner's new baby which bloated an already full main cast. Season 5 being spent with ALF as a prisoner on a military based would have been a disaster. The premise of hiding ALF from the outside world is one of the things that made the show interesting. It doesn't work with the world knowing about him. A proper ending for season 4 would have been ALF leaving earth with his fellow aliens in the ship. Season 5 could have been about his new adventures with his own kind in a live action version of the ALF cartoon.

Many sitcoms during this era only run for 4 to 5 years. The writers run out of ideas. The legacy of the show will always live on

It was the right time to end it. The 80’s had given way to the 90’s. Very fitting that Fresh Prince replaced it.

So sad to learn that actors you loved in your childhood couldn't act that professionally on set. I'm ashamed of Max Wright behaviour. I thought more of him.

alf was my favorite series even today I can watch it and love it too bad a fifth season didn't come out.

In the Philippines when ALF was aired on ABS CBN back in the 80s many Filipinos knew that ALF's real name was Gordon with his two friends. But on ALF The Animated Series was aired on RPN 9 every Monday at 7 pm when he said his complete name, Gordon Shumway. Many Filipinos know the name Gordon Shumway since many Filipinos watched ALF on ABS CBN before they moved on to RPN 9 in 1990 this is right after ALF The Animated Series was aired on RPN 9 in 1988 and the TV movie Project ALF was aired on RPN 9 in 1997

It shouldn’t have been cancelled. Every show deserves an ending. The audience deserves that as well.

The cast did a great job with their performances despite the difficulties. When I hear ALF I also hear "Willie!!" 😆. Such an iconic pair

Alf was like introduction to Al Bundy 😅 Those times when characters could tell anything and no social media existed to hate everybody. We needa rhose times back again ❤

NBC has a tendency to cancel. But a military base comedy would have been great. Today, another network might have bought the rights.

learning ALF had an album that charted was priceless, thank you

We need a Netflix sequel of sorts. The Tanners reunite with Alf after escaping the military.

I loved Alf! It was sad and disappointing to learn the process of making it wasn't bringing joy to the involved. I can't think of a great way to resolve the issues but I like the idea of Alf being in a military base and pissing people off but nothing compares to the emotional family interactions. Perhaps they indeed should have let Alf go to his people and end it there.

as a kid I thought it had its day after 4 seasons tbh. it was stifled too much, they could have made it really raw. no 'adult swim' back then.

Today, I am a 40yo Australian male. When i was a young child i would not go sleep without my ALF teddy. For years that ALF doll was my most beloved possession as child.

I remember watching every season of ALF especially the Season 4 finale where ALF was captured by the Alien Task Force but left with a To Be Continued with a possibility of a Season 5 continuation of either his adoptive family The Tanners or his family from Melmac to rescue him. I was sad to see the show cancelled but hopefully maybe they will bring it back one day even on another network. I do own a ALF puppet that was a promotion from Burger King that my mom got for me years ago and still kept it to this day in a safe place.

Alf is my favorite show of all time. So I wanted to continue

I hated Alf for the single reason that he ate cats. I was just a little girl who loved cats and watched Small Wonder, so...

NBC always had a knack for cancelling shows before it was over. Star Trek, Knight Rider and My name is Earl along with Alf are many others. I can see why the original SNL cast took comedic jabs at the network back in the 1970's

Alf was way funnier than some stupid French prince.

I wish they made a 5th season. I love this show. I wish they would reboot the series.

At least they gave it a movie to end it properly. I like ALF, but I am glad Fresh Prince was given a chance.

Alf was big in Australia and our household loved him. I would have loved to have seen the show take on at least another season maybe more. He was a great character and storyline was gold. Many fans would love more. Anybody listening. Many thanks for a great presentation.

this show should of had many more seasons. it was hilarious and had a good message to it. I miss it a lot. I did of course watch "project alf" movie and liked the tv show much more. I am now an adult but still watch it. it has always been my favorite show growing up. of all the sitcoms this was the most hilarious.

I wish there was a season 5 to complete the shows finale

I’d say Max got a lot of laughs with his own wisecracks at ALF. His delivery was spot on.

I remember being stunned when I had learned about 10 years ago what a nightmare making the show was. But soon after I also learned that before he passed away the actor who played William Tanner said (can't remember the exact words), "It doesn't matter how I felt working on it. The show brought joy to a lot of people and in the end that's what counts."

Childhood nostalgia, this was certainly one I watched as a kid in the nineties. I even had an Alf stuffed teddy bear, simply times in a way especially having my dad here & alive at the time… Thank you for this classic wholesome deep dive.

Sad the cast had such hard times. Ending with ALF caught by the Alien Task Force seems appropriate, but counter-intuitive. The show was never exclusively a comedy. It was about real life too. And real life has real tragic endings alot of the time. I give it a thumbs up.👍

but.. EVERY sitcom back then was limited to the people's house or one location generally. and this doesnt really answer the question.. if Alf was still successful at the time, why was it cancelled?

Every cancellation of a show with a "cliffhanger episode" should be required to produce the following season. SOAP is another example, and Las Vegas where the baby was in jeopardy and the funeral they were at just had the dead guy walk through the door!

I think all shows that are my favorites should've gotten at least 3 more seasons; but on the other hand most of those shows, including ALF were getting worse at the end. In the case with ALF, Josh Blake as next-door-neighbor-nephew Jake Ochmonek, was dropped after Season 3 of ALF. Josh Blake's final episode was the episode when the Tanners encounter an Earthquake and ALF prepares for the worse, especially convincing Brian to hide under his bed for a long period of time. Josh Blake's final scene in that episode has ALF asking Jake incase this is the last time we see each other and Jake says forget it I'm going home, I'm not sure if Jake meant his Uncle Trevor's & Auntie Raquel's Home, or his Home Back in New York City where his Father, Cyril, is released from jail, he reconciles with is kleptomaniac mother after stealing Kate's Brooch from her's and Willie's bedroom, and reunites with both parents; or it could've been that Jake was still living at Trevor & Raquel's, but the character was not seen or heard from on camera and visited the Tanner's without being in the script.

Firstly, I'm honestly kinda surprised by the fact that the actors were so unhappy on set. However, that does explain something to me. I always wondered how some of the actors, Willy especially, could play irritation and tension in such a real manner. Based on what you said, I think I have an answer now and it's because the actors on set truly did have irritation towards each other. However, I still can't really believe that they all hated their jobs on the show, but maybe that's just my inner theater kid talking. I will say that the guy who played Willy, I thought he was plenty funny. One of my favorite moments in the show is in season three, when Alf is scared of a ghost story his friend Jake tells and runs through the house yelling, "Taxi!" Willy's reaction to that is probably one of the funniest moments. Plus, I always enjoyed the moments with Willy. He was honestly one of my favorite characters. I would've liked to have seen what they did with a season 5 and, in all technicalities, they could still do that. They kind of already did with the movie they put out in the 90s, but they could wind back and show the time before that in which it shows more of Alf's day to day life on base. I also wouldn't mind seeing what comes after the movie, his time as an ambassador on the base. Maybe even him finally integrating into society or spending more time trying to contact Skip and Rhonda.

Greed and stupidity cancels everything. It is cancelling half of the world now.

Fun fact: "Alf" was also the name of the show's music composer, Alf Clausen, who would use the show as launchpad for even bigger fame as the main composer for "The Simpsons".

This is certainly one of my top 3 favorite shows....bless you Alf for giving me so much joy ❤

From yelling at Benji Gregory to attacking the actual alf puppet to the point producers had to pull him off the puppet clearly Max Wright was the cancer on the show that ultimately ended it. I mean seriously yelling at a 9 year old child the producers should've fired him right then and there because the show could've survived without him considering nobody cared about him due to the fact that Paul Fusco/ALF was the star. And why they didn't fire him after that incident where he yelled at Benji Gregory is beyond me.

Errr, why did you not include info on the movie that came after the final episode? "Project Alf" it's called and I still have the VHS flying around somewhere.

My dad loved this show. He'd even do a great impersonation of ALF. "Hey, WILLY !"

I definitely think that they should have had a 5th season because of the cliffhanger at the end of season 4.

It would have been cool to see a fifth season with ALF captured, and ultimately, we did get to see something of that with the Project ALF movie several years later. That was better than nothing.

RIP Max Wright (Willie Tanner) 1943-2019. SIDE NOTE: 3:35 *Mentioned limiting the show to the Family's House is wrong! There are several examples of this.* 1. Meeting a blind woman named Jodie. ALF visited her apartment. 2. The family flies to a MOTEL after a Sweepstakes, about 10 minutes into the episode is when they find out ALF is there with them. 3. A Nursing Home in Season 4 when ALF wants to meet a celebrity when she was Younger, who has become a recluse. 4. Christmas Episode, with the entire family (Alf Included) renting a cabin that Willie explained he spent time at when he was a Kid. 5. ALF is not getting along with the Family, and moves in with Willie's Brother Neal, for ALMOST the entire Episode.

Robot Chicken did an Alien sketch where they had ALF instead of the xenomorph. Comedy gold.