As time passes, people seem even more obsessed with the 1980s, and that nostalgia heavily influences today’s pop culture. Netflix’s biggest hits often pay tribute to the decade, and many of the reboots Hollywood keeps producing are based on franchises that first became popular in the ’80s. This summer will bring new versions of classics like Masters of the Universe and Street Fighter, and enduring favorites like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, and Barbie are still incredibly popular.
Gordon Shumway, better known as ALF, is a truly iconic character from the 1980s. When the sitcom ALF premiered in 1987, it was a huge success, quickly spawning two animated spin-off shows. However, the live-action series ended in a surprisingly sad and unresolved way. The final episode, which aired 36 years ago today on March 24, 1990, left fans with a heartbreaking cliffhanger that remained unanswered for years.
Alf’s Season 4 Finale Ends on Devastating Cliffhanger
The fourth season finale of ALF begins normally, with Alf messing around with the radio. While trying to get sports scores from Australia – he’s discovered it’s already tomorrow there – Alf receives a message from fellow aliens, Skip and Rhonda. They’ve found a new planet for aliens to live on and invite him to join them. The rest of the episode is bittersweet, as the Tanner family realizes Alf is leaving and they share emotional goodbyes.
Throughout the episode, a secondary storyline develops: the Alien Task Force is monitoring the messages sent to and from Alf. They discover when and where Alf plans to meet other aliens for his rescue. This sets up the final scene of the series, where Alf waits in an empty field for a UFO. Just as the ship is about to arrive, the military shows up. The last shot is of Alf surrounded by generals, his alien friends gone, and the Tanner family unable to intervene.
When this episode first aired, it wasn’t meant to be the last one for Alf. The final scene showed Alf being taken into custody with the words “To Be Continued…” displayed on the screen. NBC initially said they would renew the show for a fifth season, but they changed their minds after the episode aired and cancelled it. This unexpectedly turned the season finale into the series finale, leaving fans shocked and unsatisfied with the abrupt ending – especially with Alf in jail and no clear resolution.
Six Years Later, Project ALF Finally Completed the Story
Paul Fusco, the creator and voice of Alf, shared that NBC considered making a TV movie after the show ended, hoping to provide some closure despite the unsatisfying finale. However, a change in network leadership meant this never happened, leaving fans disappointed and Alf’s story unresolved.
Six years after the original series concluded, fans finally got some closure. ABC created a TV movie sequel that resolved the show’s biggest cliffhanger. Premiering on February 17, 1996, Project: ALF acknowledged the time that had passed and the serious consequences of the final episode. The movie confirmed that Alf had indeed been held by the US military all those years, but surprisingly, he’d been doing well and wasn’t mistreated, contrary to what many feared after the ominous ending. Despite a villainous general (played by Martin Sheen) planning to execute Alf, he managed to outsmart them and win over the military with his charm.
The TV movie that explained what happened to Alf after the original series ended was made without any of the other actors from the show. The Tanner family was written out of the story, explained away as being in witness protection in Iceland. While Project: ALF did offer a conclusion, it feels strange within the overall story of the series. Ultimately, not all TV shows resolve their cliffhangers, and this Alf movie stands out in television history because of it. Interestingly, more people likely saw the original, suspenseful ending than watched the resolution six years later, meaning that frightening final image is what many still remember. This raises the question of whether cliffhangers really need to be answered, especially after a long time and when the show’s popularity has faded.
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2026-03-25 01:11