Entertainment Weekly: Pet Project

[Phillip]

The following plug is in this week's Entertainment Weekly, issue number 665.

Apparently, it's getting easier to be green: Kermit the Frog and his Muppet buddies are looking to make a comeback in primetime television. The Jim Henson company has already begun production on NBC's A Very Muppet Christmas (featuring appearances by David Arquette, Joan Cusack, Snoop Dogg, and Michael Caine) to air this December -- its first original film in three years. Meanwhile, Fox is in the early stages of developing an up-to-date Muppet series with the Henson Co. and Team Todd, the masterminds behind the Austin Powers flicks (The Muppet Show first aired in syndication from 1976 to '81). Says Henson domestic TV president Juliet Blake, "There's a lot of interest in good family entertainment these days, post-Sept. 11. The Muppets are an evergreen brand that comes back every few years." Let's just hope nobody gets any bright ideas about reviving ALF.

 

[Luke]

Originally posted by Phillip Chapman
Let's just hope nobody gets any bright ideas about reviving ALF

Y'know wierd enough as this is, 'Entertainment Weekly' have been plugging an ALF Comeback for about the past year !

 

[grail]

you know, i started hearing rumor of a new Alf show about 6 months ago. theory was that if there was enough response to his appearances in the long distance commercials than it might happen...who knows

 

[Luke]

The contract for ALF's new show was signed last September. The channel bought out of the deal after Sept 11th thinking their finances couldn't hack any extra original production. They're about to sign a new deal with Comedy Central for the TV show - the response to the 10-10-220 appearances was good (the deal got extended to like 3 years) and they've taken on a new publicity company who've got ALF a lot of TV appearances and merchandising deals very similar to what the Muppets have got this year.

 

[grail]

i should know better than to try and out-Alf you. all that is great to hear though, i really did kinda dig the show back when it was on

 

[beaker]

ALF:

Im gonna be honest, after that abismal made for tv movie project alf in 1996, any interest in modern Alf was dessimated for me.
My favorite ALF period is 1988, but thats just me.

Ok mr. melmac expert luke...
you mentioned awhile back they had done a weird Alf talk show pilot. This possibility for a new ALF show on comedy central...
is this the same format? Im really glad the phone commercials are doing well, as its great to see him back. However, I feel itd be great to have additional puppets with him. Heck, on the old NBC show we only saw other puppets I think on the first episode.

Btw, what did you think of the Ben Stiller film Permanent Moonlight? I bet ALF fans werent happy with that portrail!

 

[Luke]

Yes its the same Talk Show project, and yup, while i thought the movie was ok, i don't particularly think ALF is suited to movies, it makes him look less edgy and more Disney and they turned all that down long ago.

The Jerry Stahl book permanent midnight and the movie didn't affect anything that much. Jerry Stahl who is the writer still performs at a club/gallery that ALF's co-creator owns.

I also liked the idea of ALF with other puppets on Melmac (which was shown in the Ep Help Me Rhonda) but they went against that and decided to do the cartoon. I guess the time for an ALF sitcom show back on Melmac with other puppets is well and truly gone so we won't be seeing that but it would have been very cool.

 

[frogboy4]

Luke

If they did anything with ALF i would hope it would be something different. I liked the first season and a half of the show, but it seemed to get into a rut after that. I would enjoy a comeback of the cartoon. But for ALF himself - he has a rocky road to make a comeback here in the US. I think a talk show or somthing irreverent for a more adult crowd (but not too far so the kids can get in on the action) would be perfect for the fuzz ball! And don't let EW get you down, Luke. They bash anything that wasn't 2 minutes ago. This- from a magazine that has put Sarah Michelle Gellar on the cover how many times? LOL

 

[grail]

i dunno, a talkshow could be cool...but they run the risk of looking likr they're copying. Space Ghost did this for a comeback a few years ago, and it was beautiful. anything that involves a non-human talk show host is automatically going to be compared to that. and i'm gonna have to admit, it'd have to be REALLY good to measure.

 

[Luke]

The idea for the ALF Talk Show is very different. He'll be talking to alien abdusctee's, wierd people, and other assorted wackos searching for their fifteen minutes of fame ..... aside from the fact they'll only be getting about four minutes each on ALF's new show so will have to find the others somewhere else.

I think it's edgy and different enough NOT to get compared to other things, but not sure if the idea is strong enough to last more than one season, but it'll certainly do better than 'Greg' i hope.