MovieChat Forums > ALF (1986) Discussion > Worst series finale ever.

Worst series finale ever.

posted 3 years ago by GreenGoblinsOck8 (7969)
13 replies | jump to latest

I know the show was supposed to continue but still, it seems like they should have suspected the actor who played Willie was going to quit and just change the episode a bit so that the Alien Task force wasn't in it and Alf just goes off with his friends and lives happily ever after. I was rather shocked when I first watched it on DVD from Netflix and got to that last episode of the show.

I was like, "What!? That's how they ended it. It really was a horrible way to end it. The fact this didn't show up in a video I watched about the worst series finales of TV shows kind of appalled me. I'd argue it's worse than the Seinfeld series finale.

[–] Furienna (3375) 3 years ago

I agree with you so much, that I never even watched that episode after hearing about it.
Yes, we know that they planned a continuation without the Tanners in a new setting.
That still won't make this episode any less awful.
And I can't see why anybody would want to watch a show about Alf in captivity.
Besides, they didn't make "Project: Alf" until years later anyway.
So I guess that the interest in making that continuation wasn't that big even at the time.

And really, I too think that Alf should have gone into space with his friends instead.
Perhaps they could have had the Alien Task Force almost catch them.
But I feel that a happier ending would have been more popular with the viewers.
And it would have been more suitable for a show, that was a light-hearted family sitcom otherwise.
But I guess that someone in charge had a different idea... 😟

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7969) 2 years ago

I just watched Project Alf. It at least had a happy ending for Alf. Even if it's implied the Tanners were forced against their will to leave their home and to abandon ALF.

[–] Furienna (3375) 2 years ago

Okay, but I never saw "Project: Alf" and can't say anything about it.

[–] ebhaynz (3754) 2 years ago

Yes , Max Wright was miserable but the actress(Anne Shedeen) that played the wife was a huge negative force as well. Remember in the 1st couple of years the show was a huge hit. The producers had asked her to go on Johnny Carson and promote the show but she refused..not a smart thing to do.

The show then started to fizzle out come on mainly because they couldn't come up with good plot lines. With the ratings suffering and the cast not cooperative they decided to kill the show. That's why they didn't put any real effort to the series finale

[–] Clapstick (151) 2 years ago

Blows my mind that two actors who were probably paid well and on national TV would complain about their jobs like that. I can’t imagine an easier job acting with a damn puppet. Watch any episode and the jokes are lame setups non-stop. But for the actors, that sounds like an easy paycheck.

[–] DarthAckbar (2308) 2 years ago

to be fair, most people hate their jobs

actors are no different

[–] emori (3674) 2 years ago

Yes. Its so funny to read all those stories how one-hit-winders actors were miserable doing their hit show and were throwing tantrums and wanted to quit. Only to see later that that show was the only thing that was good in their career and its the only thing people remember them from.

Anne Shedeen simply disappeared after ALF ended. Max Wright went to playing forgettable small supporting roles there and there. None of them came even close to the success they had with ALF.

Something just happens in the brain of actors once they get lucky to get into famous show and suddenly they become stars overnight. And they all start thinking it will last forever and behave like spoiled children. Only to see it all vanishing the moment show ends and no one cared about them anymore and money stop coming and they have to fight for small supporting roles in forgettable things.

[–] Burgershmurger (1462) 10 months ago

There's not a single interview with Max Wright out there. I did see recent interviews with Anne and Andrea and Benji has a youtube channel. But Max has always been very obscure. You would expect to see some promo TV appearances from the 80s for Alf. But there's nothing.

[–] Zarkoff (2392) 5 months ago

They started moving the show to different time slots, too, which rarely helps.

According to a documentary I watched, it was a difficult show to shoot and they'd sometimes have to put in twenty hour days. Keep going till you get it right.

[–] Furienna (3375) a month ago

Indeed, it is not really fair to judge the actors for complaining about such conditions.

[–] emori (3674) 2 years ago

That was underwhelming and just weird. ALF should have had a happy ending and return to his planet or whatever. After all it was all the motive.

If writers wanted to have show without Tunners then they could always make ALF come back to earth again for some made up reason. Tunners and ALF all should have had a happy ending.

[–] Satan2016 (26177) 10 months ago

Should have ended with a black helicopter taking ALF to Area 51.

[–] Burgershmurger (1462) 10 months ago

They intended to make a season 5 but plans were scrapped. I doubt season 5 would have been any good. So that finale wasn't intended as a real finale. Otherwise they would have let Alf fly into the orbit with his friends.