ALFsplaining

"Willie is chosen by the neighborhood to lead a neighborhood watch. But ALF takes control of the radio and starts to talk as if he was Willie." There's a crime spree going down and ALF is the man to fix the pus-ridden streets of Hemdale. Ben Baker and John Matthews go ahead and make his day in this unusual two-part opener which occasionally feels like a totally different sitcom allto...

"Willie's Uncle Albert visits the Tanners, and collapses from a heart attack after getting a glimpse of the alien, causing ALF to feel grief thinking he caused the death" More murder from the Melmacian mofo? Gosh! Best get an expert in the field over! Call for Paul Abbott from The Big Beatles and Sixties Sort Out for this McCartney-music monikered episode. He'll help Ben Baker and John Matthews so...

"ALF is put on trial for breaking the Ockmonecks' window." All rise for ALFsplaining….it's the court case of the century! Can Shumway, G prove his innocence to prosecutor Tanner, Wilbus in the court of Judge Kate? In the reporters box, Ben Baker and John Matthews scrawl crude things in their notebooks as they consider pivoting the whole show to a crime caper in order to improve the flagging rating...

"ALF befriends Trevor and Raquel's nephew Jake from New York." A replacement for Brian? Surely not! (we didnt kill him) Either way, wonder writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss are on scripting duties to introduce a new Ochmonek to the party so Ben and John will be coming the episode for Simpsons-style jokes. And for nits like usual. Obvs. And if you want to fix our telescope, perhaps consider joining th...

Oh boy, we finally made it to the most famous ALF episode of the lot - for good reasons, you may ask? Ha ha, no. Of course not. This is a double-length but largely joke-free misery festival full of suicidal Santas and sick kids by the pound. In the midst of it all John Matthews tries to remain positive whilst Ben Baker is already on the egged nog. Listen out for some special seasonal guests and a...

"Seeing that Kate and Willie have been arguing of late, ALF and the Tanner children plan to recreate the couple's Niagara Falls honeymoon." What an ALF Antic! An ALFtic even! The love life of Willie and Kate is addressed by the four fingered fluff machine who uses some uncanny abilities to recreate the best day of their marriage. And we dont mean the day they met him! And if you want to give us th...

"Reminiscing his younger and more carefree days when he was known as "Boxcar Willie", Willie takes ALF to the switchyard where they jump a moving freight train." ALF and train jumping - together at last! Its no exaggeration to say this is one of the great ALF episodes of all time but will it - as Ben Baker and John Matthews fear - make a lousy episode of ALFsplaining? Time - and beans - will decid...

"Dorothy is planning to marry Whizzer, but ALF's Melmacian hiccups put the wedding in jeopardy." It barely seems like two seconds since Dorothy was being appalled by her new neighbour Whizzer and now they're hitched. What a strange time to be alive...especially if you're an unpleasantly hiccuping ALF. Is there a connection between these two plot lines? Good luck if you can find it. We even brought...

"Lynn is depressed over being dumped by a boyfriend for a prettier girl, so ALF enters her in a beauty pageant to increase her self-confidence." Its an oddly familiar plot as excuse for some great gags about clog dancing. ALF is at his jerky best here but perhaps for once its well placed? Your hosts as ever are Ben Baker and John Matthews who are dressed in a crimpolence blouse with ruffs from Top...

"After watching a presidential debate, Kate has recurring dreams of running against ALF." Another election? Did we not just do that? Well, its time to strap on your best Uncle Sam hat and never wear trousers as its a politically charged episode of ALF today - so much so we've actually bumped it up the running order a little to make it super topical and relevant. I mean, as much as a sitcom about a...

"Not allowed to go trick-or-treating, ALF attends Willie's Halloween party and tries to convince his boss to give Willie an overdue promotion." Ghoul-d morning ghouls and man...ghouls? Can you tell its the Halloween episode of ALF this week? And boy is it a treat with "Gordo" finally allowed to let his freak flag fly around real human beings...but with a catch. Or, more accurately, a zipper. Dress...

"When the Tanners become part of the new Thompson Rating System, ALF rigs the ratings in order to prevent his favorite show, Polka Jamboree, from being cancelled." The Tanners go TV tonto for the second time in a month as the writing staff have a lot of fun sending up broadcasting tropes, including the actual Head of Programming at NBC who is played here by someone oddly familiar. To help us tipto...

"ALF, after being deeply saddened by the fact that his parents got married before his birth - which is a taboo on Melmac - runs away to a monastery." Ah that standard sitcom trope! Join Ben Baker and John Matthews in their finest fibre cassocks for some monky business exploring ALF's family tree, religious intolerance (of ALF) and Willie's darkest secret. You'll find us easil...

"Raquel's claim of seeing ALF makes her subject to ridicule and prone to depression, so ALF decides to defend her." ALF has driven another person mad with his antics although for once its merely his existance that proves to be a stumbling block. Still, you know there's a great episode in store when the Ochmoneks are central to a story! And here Raquel comes face to snout with ALF...

"After becoming addicted to reruns of Gilligan's Island, ALF dreams that he has joined the castaways." If you heard Friday's set up, you'll know that this is an episode of a sitcom all about a sitcom character becoming obsessed with a different sitcom. Confused? Dont be. Just join Ben Baker and John Matthews in the lagoon with your coconut cream pie and say "aloha"...

More ALFsplaining? So soon? Well, as Monday's episode entirely revolves around the American sitcom "Gilligan's Island" - a sitcom not especially well known in the UK - we thought it would be polite to record a little introduction to what that series was all about. And to help, we've got a real life American as a guest! Not only is he a writer and editor at the website TV Line...

"ALF has to go one week without destroying anything in the Tanners' house." Welcome wherever you are to the series by series watchalong of the American sitcom "ALF" with Ben Baker and John Matthews - and would you believe it but we've actually run out of season one! Clearly the producers felt it couldn't top the image of Racquel Ochmanek being spun around in an airp...

How have Ben Baker and John Matthews already whizzed through 26 episodes of ALF? Gams knows but they need time to process what just happened hence this look back over season one. They choose their best and worst episodes alongside some bonus nonsense they couldn't fit in elsewhere. How top was the Willie overall? And who was the series' MVP? Its all in here and we'll be back with the n...

"ALF gives The Tanners a real estate promotion for a sales pitch and Willie opposes the idea of going on vacation and leaving ALF at home when Trevor Ochmonek offers to take them on his plane..." Its a Trevorganza! And your hosts Ben Baker and John Matthews are all in for this series finale which takes in talking toasters, stinking pigs, shrimp allergies, pony rides and one of the funnie...

"A cockroach from ALF's spaceship grows to gigantic proportions." One of the most "sci fi" of the ALF plots so far, its alien vs alien to the death as scriptwriter Jerry Stahl tries to make up for the appalling "ALF fancies a teenager" script earlier in the run. Holding the bug spray are Ben Baker and John Matthews who are really only in this for the Trevor. Speci...

"Brian announces that he needs to come up with a project for the Science Carnival. On his own, Brian creates a model of the Solar System. ALF points out that there are inaccuracies and offers to help." And by 'help' he means 'be a dick when people dont know about two bonus planets that are on his much more detailed maps being a space alien and all'. Ben Baker and John Mat...

"ALF discovers the alluring world of horse racing thanks to Kate's mom who bets on them." A romp through ALF's newfound love of the geegees and gambling which apparently he had never heard of in his previous 228 years despite being a bit of a shady bum back on his home planet. Letting it ride on a photo finish are your hosts Ben Baker and John Matthews, who have only ever bet on...

"Brian must perform a song about asparagus for the school play, but is too nervous." If the above description doesnt give you the shivers, you're a braver person than Ben Baker and John Matthews who would like it to be known this episode was recorded before the tragic death of Benji Gregory. But also that there are singing children in this episode. Yeah. Want some bonus stuff? Join t...

"During a power outage, ALF believes that Raquel was murdered by Trevor when he watches them have arguments through their windows." It was a hot and steamy ALF....I mean night. But with the electric, air-con and more importantly the TV out, our furry friend has to make his own entertainment - naturally to Willie's disgust. But when it becomes a noir murder mystery, can he really comp...

"Tired of lying to keep ALF a secret to others, Willie goes to see a therapist." A really unprofessional one to boot! What will he say when he meets ALF for the first time? Other than "WHAT THE F**K IS THAT HAIRY SH*THOUSE!?!?" obvs. This is a rollercoaster of an episode and Ben and John do their best to track the Bob Newhart references and wonder how Larry stays in business. W...