ALF is an American television sit-com which aired on NBC from 1987 to 1989 spanning four seasons and a total of 101 episodes. The series was created by Paul Fusco and Tom Patchett]and centered on the life of the Tanner family as well as a wise-cracking alien from the planet Melmac nicknamed ALF. ALF, whose real name is Gordon Shumway, crash-lands in the garage of the Tanner family's California home and is discovered by family patriarch Willie Tanner. Recognizing the three-foot tall Melmacian as an A.L.F. (alien life form), he begrudingly lets him stay in his home to keep him safe from the outside world. Many of the show's plot points involved ALF getting into trouble, risking exposure, and the Tanners ongoing efforts to keep his existence safe from the outside world.