ALF Makes Cameo on ‘Young Sheldon’

Young Sheldon has delighted audiences with some pretty major doses of ’80s and ’90s nostalgia — and the newest episode is no exception.

Spoilers for tonight’s episode of Young Sheldon, “A Race of Superhumans and a Letter to ALF”, below!

As the title suggests, the episode featured a connection to another familiar sitcom character, but with a bit of a twist. The episode saw Sheldon’s sister, Missy, writing a letter to the TV character ALF as a result of Sheldon “experimenting” on her. In the episode’s final scene, everyone’s favorite Melmacian actually showed up, and could be seen behind a desk with various ALF memorabilia behind him.

The original ALF series centered on an alien named Gordon Shumway who crash landed in the Tanner family’s garage. Hailing from the planet Melmac, Alf — short for Alien Life Form — followed a radio signal to Earth after his own home planet was destroyed and quickly becomes a part of the Tanner family. The show’s adventures frequently featured the Tanners attempting to keep Alf hidden from the Alien Task Force, the nosy next door neighbors the Ochmoneks, and Alf’s struggles to not eat the family cat, Lucky.

ALF originally aired 102 episodes over the course of 4 seasons ending on a cliffhanger. While the show did get a made-for-TV movie to conclusion, it didn’t involve the original cast and is not considered canon by many fans. Despite the show’s cancellation, the character has remained popular in the decades since.

For fans of the iconic alien friend, this Young Sheldon cameo is probably a pleasant surprise, especially considering the character’s most recent entries in pop culture canon. This marks the latest slightly-surreal cameo that ALF has made on TV, with him also appearing in a ’90s-set dream sequence in Season 2 of Mr. Robot. While Warner Bros. has previously been attempting to reboot the character for television, recent indications have hinted that that isn’t becoming a reality.

What do you think of ALF popping up on Young Sheldon? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.