The Tanners; An Average Family

[ALFsince86]

One aspect of the "ALF" series that really impresses me is the Tanner family. They were average people. Yes, Willie had his ham radio and his telescope, but that was merely a hobby in a life that was otherwise filled with routine activity.

Willie and Kate were married and had two kids: Lynn; who was a typical high school girl. REAL typical. She was a good student (not a great one) and she was a nice looking girl (not drop-dead beautiful). Their son was an average six-year-old who watched "Sesame Street" and compared ALF to the only other alien he knew about, E. T.

This typical family, who was neither rich nor poor, was a perfect foil for ALF. As average people they didn't see ALF as a creature, they accepted him as a person (in the sense that he had a personality). If ALF had landed in the home of a chemist or a rocket scientist, things would have been very different. Likewise, living with a middle class family made ALF's appetite an inconvience, but imagine if he had lived with folks who only had $155 in Food Stamps per month--we are talking about a crisis that would hardly make for good comedy.

On the other side of the coin, what made the series "ALF" a winner was that, turns out, ALF is an average alien coming from a planet of average aliens. He has no special powers, no useful technology, in fact, his people died in a nuclear holocaust (OK, that was somewhat of a heavy-handed moral, but it showed that the power to destroy isn't safe in ANYONE's hands).

So what's the point? Maybe it's that ALF was the first blue collar comedy. Although that might have been "Laverne & Shirely".

[QueenofMelmac]

haha its true. I did fall in love with the tanners. Even though willie's voice became obnoxious and Brian was annoying. All in all they were rather normal. UNlike family shows of this day and age like 7th heaven which was absolutely ridiculous and Gilmore Girls--cmon, no one talks that fast and is full of that much wit..its overbearing! The Tanners were a decent realistic family. And Alf blended in like one of them. Sometimes i would forget that he was an alien at all.

[Admin]

Wow, that really puts the show into perspective - thanks for sharing!!!

[ALFanatic]

As with the Nelsons ("the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet") and the Cleavers ("Leave It To Beaver") of the 1950's - 1960's, the Tanners ("ALF") of the 1980's were an "idealized" average family, and not a "real" average family. Most successful sitcoms would be more drama than comedy if they atttempted to deal with the ongoing, actual conflicts experienced by "real" average families.

Mike

[ALFsince86]

I agree that they were "idealized", to some degree, but they were far from glitzy people. I know what you mean, though. Most people wouldn't have been able to handle an alien that well (I know from first hand experience) (...just kidding).

[MR. Littwack]

As I said in another post a while back, I'd still like to see what life would have been like if ALF had crash landed into the garage of the Bundys of Married with Children.

Whether people want to admit it or not, that, so far anyway, has been the most realistic family on TV. They were exagerated of course, but come on, they are pretty true representatives of an american family. They weren't rich, and even though they always said they were so poor, they had what appeared to be a good size house. They obviously weren't starving. So I say its fair to say they weren't that poor.

I love the Tanners. And while in many aspects they were very real, I'd say there were just as many that made them unreal.

-Did we ever see an episode where Brian and Lynn were fighting or picking on each other? Most brothers and sisters do.

-Kate and Willie rarely even had an argument themselves. Most healthy couples have to once in a while.

-Is there really an american family that sits together at a dinner table these days?

These are just a couple of things that come to mind. As I said, I love the Tanners and I agree in many ways they were very realistic. But they are also very idealistic.

Since I brought up the topic, what other sitcoms might have been interesting for ALF to show up on? Any ideas?

[ALF]

As I said in another post a while back, I'd still like to see what life would have been like if ALF had crash landed into the garage of the Bundys of Married with Children.

Whether people want to admit it or not, that, so far anyway, has been the most realistic family on TV. They were exagerated of course, but come on, they are pretty true representatives of an american family. They weren't rich, and even though they always said they were so poor, they had what appeared to be a good size house. They obviously weren't starving. So I say its fair to say they weren't that poor.

I love the Tanners. And while in many aspects they were very real, I'd say there were just as many that made them unreal.

-Did we ever see an episode where Brian and Lynn were fighting or picking on each other? Most brothers and sisters do.

-Kate and Willie rarely even had an argument themselves. Most healthy couples have to once in a while.

-Is there really an american family that sits together at a dinner table these days?

These are just a couple of things that come to mind. As I said, I love the Tanners and I agree in many ways they were very realistic. But they are also very idealistic.

Since I brought up the topic, what other sitcoms might have been interesting for ALF to show up on? Any ideas?

You bring up an interesting point. Even my brother and I still have our arguments and (hehe) little fights. And you're right, most couples do have arguments as well. As for the dinner table thing, I guess you're right. But may I remind you it was a long time ago... heck, what am I saying? I wasn't even born yet when the show was still on!

I also think the Huxtables (The Cosby Show) were quite typical (except for the fact that they had so many kids.

[ALFsince86]

Well, my family ate meals together in 1986 (and many years afterward; basically until we started moving out).

I guess my point was that so many families on TV seem to have boat loads of money. Even if they don't exactly live wealthy, they always seem to have everything (example: "Brady Bunch" wasn't wealthy, but they never were without anything--they could easily build a stage for a play, have EVERYTHING you could imagine needing for camping, etc.). The Tanners seem like people who aren't prepared for every twist and turn.

As far as squabbling, I see your point. Lynn and Brian seem to be at least ten years apart in age on the show (Season 1: Brian is a first grader; Lynn is a junior in high school; correct me if I'm wrong), so I think if you were THAT far apart you wouldn't get into it so much. Still, I'm sure you would have your moments.

Kate and Willie, on the other hand, had a diversion from arguing with each other: ALF. Although Gordon Shumway was befriended by Wille (and, I like to think, Kate), there was an us vs. him mentality in the household. People tend to stick together if they can ralley around a certain enemy (or, in ALF's case, lovable annoyance).

NOTE: I am basis the grades of the kids on the show; Episode 1: Kate tells ALF you don't give beer to a 6-year-old (if the show time was the same as real time, it was Sept., most kids are 6 when they start first grade); as for Lynn, Season 2 finds her checking out colleges for "next year"; so unless she repeated her senior year, she was a junior in Season 1.

[MR. Littwack]

Another thing about the Tanners. Did anyone else think that they were kind of boring? I think they really hit it on the head in the episode where ALF dreams he never came to live with them. They just seemed to uninteresting.

I'm sure this was at least some what intentional in the show in order for ALF to liven them up a bit. But still, they were kind of boring without ALF.

[ALF1986]

Mr. Littwack.
I really enjoy that episode where Bob, ALF's Guardian Angel shows what the Tanners life would be like without him. I know it was only a dream, but I believe that ALF's Guardian Angel really did come for him because the mallet really hit him hard on his head, so maybe he really was experiencing this? Also, I don't think that Tanners were boring before ALF came. My family is the same way. We really have a boring life, like the Tanners did, we do argue sometimes. Usually though, it's like them, same old routine.

[ALFicionado]

Another thing about the Tanners. Did anyone else think that they were kind of boring? I think they really hit it on the head in the episode where ALF dreams he never came to live with them. They just seemed to uninteresting.

I'm sure this was at least some what intentional in the show in order for ALF to liven them up a bit. But still, they were kind of boring without ALF.

Well, every family is boring if you have look at them with ALF, and then how they are without ALF. ALF could make the Hilton family to look like a drag if he left them.

[MR. Littwack]

Well, every family is boring if you have look at them with ALF, and then how they are without ALF. ALF could make the Hilton family to look like a drag if he left them.

LOL very true I suppose. I do think that the Tanners were played down a bit though in order to contrast ALF a bit more. Put it this way, ALF burps in front of Kate who is played by Anne, this seems out of place and rude to her. But imagine if Courtney Love played Kate. I don't care how many acting classes they gave her, I don't think she could act shocked by that. So, I guess a lot is casting too. Which in my opinion was done well as it did make ALF stand out more to the family.

[ALFsince86]

I don't know, I think ALF would look conservative compared to the Hiltons.