Alf (1986-90) was one of the "I've got a secret" sitcoms of the late 1980s (others included Harry and the Hendersons, Out of This World, and My Secret Identity). It aired on Monday nights, opposite the female buddy-bonding Kate and Allie and the hunkfest MacGyver, so I rarely watched. But you couldn't miss hearing about Alf, the sarcastic, irreverent Alien Life Form who crash-lands on Earth and imposes himself upon a nuclear family: nebbish Dad Willie Tanner, Mom Kate, eye-rolling teenage daughter Lynn, lonely preteen son Brian (Benji Gregory), and outcast Cousin Jake (Josh Blake).
Some teen idol attention fell upon Josh Blake, with some shirtless and semi-nude photos in teen magazines. His character was heterosexual, too, but his awkward attempts to form emotional connections with Alf allow for some gay readings.
Alf ended on a cliffhanger, with the government discovering Alf and carting him away. Five years later, the movie Project Alf (1995) continues his story. Fans were universally livid with rage; the Tanners were absent (none of the original cast wanted to be involved) and Alf was portrayed as far more antisocial and belligerent than in the tv series. And he gets to make a homophobic crack about the army's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.
He's my neighbor in West Hollywood! I always just assumed he was gay, like you do in WeHo, but we never really talk except for "hello."
ReplyDeleteSounds like the hunky Josh Blake was the only reason to watch "Alf."
ReplyDeleteI heard he was gay also.
ReplyDeleteWow.. I remember ALF, but I turned 13 in 1986 and was beginning to outgrow this type of formulaic "family" sitcom format (the 80s were full of them and only a handful really did it well).. If I'd known they'd added a sexy brunette "cousin" I might have tried tuning in more often.
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