Tommy Westphall Universe
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Tommy Westphall Universe

ALF is an American science-fiction sitcom created by Paul Fusco and Tom Patchett for NBC. It ran from September 22, 1986 to March 24, 1990 for four seasons and spun off a cartoon, television film (Project ALF), and talk show.

Series summary[]

ALF (voiced by Paul Fusco) is an Alien Life Form who crash-lands on Earth after his planet is destroyed in a nuclear war. Fleeing the US government's Alien Task Force, he ends up being hidden by a suburban family, the Tanners, who must put up with his culture shock, survivor guilt, general boredom, despair, loneliness and habit of eating the neighbourhood's cats. Despite being a comedy, the show also broached some serious issues, such as the threat of nuclear war.

A 1996 television film, Project ALF, wrapped up the cliffhanger left at the end of the TV series.

Westphall connections in ALF[]

The National Inquisitor, a fictional tabloid prominently seen in The Naked Truth is seen in several episodes of this series.

Westphall connections to ALF[]

  • A signed picture of Alf can be seen among photographs of Dr. Spaceman's patients in 30 Rock "Jack Gets in the Game".

Westphall disconnection in ALF[]

In "Somewhere Over the Rerun", ALF dreams he is on Gilligan's Island.

Westphall disconnections to ALF[]

  • Jack Riley, who played Elliot Carlin on The Bob Newhart Show, appeared in "Going Out of My Head Over You" as an unnamed patient to Dr. Lawrence 'Larry' Dykstra, played by Bill Daly who played Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart Show. In the episode, The Bob Newhart Show was specifically mentioned by ALF.
  • ALF appeared in Matlock "The Network" when Ben Matlock went to Hollywood for a case. While there he met with many actors and the puppet ALF.
  • ALF appeared in a fantasy or hallucination of Elliot Alderson in Mr. Robot "eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes".

Non-Westphall connections[]

  • ALF spun off ALF: The Animated Series, a cartoon, so is not included in Westphall. It ran from 1987-1989 for twenty-six episodes.
  • ALF spun off ALF's Hit Talk Show, a live-action talk show. It is a reality series set in real world, with real guests, rather than the fictional world the Tanners inhabit, so it is not included in Westphall. It ran in 2004 for seven episodes.
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