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Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: Alf, Max Wright, Paul Fusco, Shout! Factory, Tom Patchett
ALF Finds New Home Planet at Shout! Factory So Hide Your Cats!
ALF, one of the most beloved sitcoms of the 1980s, has found a new home with Shout! Factory. The series originally ran for four seasons on NBC from 1986 to1990. Shout! entered a partnership with Alien Productions to bring the original series created by Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco, along with its spinoff projects to digital entertainment platforms in the U.S. Lionsgate, which previously had rights, brokered a deal for the show to stream on FOX's ad-supported service Tubi, but the agreement ended last fall, according to Deadline Hollywood.
The deal was announced by Shout! founders and CEOs Bob Emmer and Garson Foos; Alien Productions partners Fusco and Brian Patchett. Gene Pao and Jeffrey Peisch, Shout's EVP of strategy and digital and SVP of programming and new business development, respectively, also took part in the deal. ALF focuses on the misadventures of Gordon Shumway, a furry, wise-cracking alien from the planet Melmac, who crash lands in a suburban neighborhood in the garage of the Tanner family.
Gordon, who was played by Michu Mesazaro physically with Fusco providing his voice, befriends the family with patriarch Willie (Max Wright) giving him his nickname ALF, short for "Alien Life Form". The series also starred Anne Schedeen Willie's spouse Kate and mother of daughter Lynn (Andrew Elson) and son Brian (Benji Gregory). The latter becomes the alien's best friend. The multi-year deal allows Shout! Factory TV to have exclusive U.S. rights spanning digital, broadcast, and home entertainment packaged media that includes all 103 episodes of the live-action series, plus 26 episodes of ALF: The Animated Series, 21 episodes of ALF Tales, and the TV movie Project: ALF. The spinoff projects do not include any of the Tanners as the original series finale had Gordon captured by the U.S. government as the family was doing everything they could to prevent throughout the entire run.
"I couldn't be more excited that Shout! Factory will be marketing and distributing ALF and working with the series' creators, Paul Fusco and Tom Patchett," Peisch said. "ALF was an instant classic when it debuted on network television over 30 years ago, and the series stands the test of time and appeals to multiple generations." Pao said the business plan will reflect Shout's experience working with properties like 'Mystery Science Theater 3000', 'The Johnny Carson Show,' and 'The Carol Burnett Show.' "This will not only give existing fans an opportunity to reengage with the show but also appeal to new viewers who missed the show's initial run on broadcast television," he said. Patchett and Fusco called Shout! Factory "the home-away-from-Melmac that ALF has been looking for. We're looking forward to bringing you ALF in a totally new way — with new content, unseen art, and restored footage not seen in 30 years. This is the moment ALF fans have been waiting for."
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