When a wisecracking alien from the planet Melmac crash-lands into the suburban garage of the Tanner family, they reluctantly take in the furry, sarcastic refugee and dub him ALF. Hiding their extraterrestrial houseguest from nosy neighbors and government agents, the Tanners contend with his insatiable appetite (especially for the family cat), his chaos-making schemes, and his blunt commentary on human life. A staple of 1980s sitcom television, the show mixes puppet-driven slapstick with sly satire, playing the culture clash between a cynical space castaway and a wholesome middle-class household for steady laughs.