If there’s one thing which recent history has taught us it’s that original ideas are for jerks. Especially when it comes to TV, where coming up with stupid new concepts is nowhere near as easy as going “Hey, people remember Roseanne/Full House/Will & Grace/Twin Peaks, right? How’s about we do that some more?”
And so we’re getting ALF.
Yes, ALF. The sitcom about the alien that eats cats.
That one.
The weird thing about an ALF remake is that it would potentially kinda make sense. Sort of.
The irritatingly zany original series is legendary for ending in 1990 on an inappropriately bleak cliffhanger which was never resolved but strongly implied that the adorable alien – who was just about to leave his Earthly family and return to the safety of his homeworld of Melmac – was about to be imprisoned and presumably vivisected by the authorities.
So the idea of kicking off with the titular Alf newly released from decades of experiments in an undisclosed location would actually make sense. Assuming that a series wanted to mine the comedic possibilities of a traumatised captive adjusting to life in the United States – a place which isn’t exactly super cool with supporting former detainees right at the moment, especially if they’re from somewhere else.
So if nothing else, it would offer up stories RIPPED STRAIGHT FROM THE HEADLINES! Isn’t that right, imprisoned Mexican children?
So, Alf as a gritty exploration of the immigrant experience with a sideline of PTSD? Sounds like a laugh riot! Yo, Willy!
