Aliens in the Family
Aliens in the Family is an American science fantasy sitcom that aired on ABC from March 15 to August 31, 1996, conceived as part of its TGIF lineup.
| Aliens in the Family | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom Science fantasy |
| Created by | Andy Borowitz Susan Borowitz |
| Written by | Susan Borowitz Andy Borowitz Patricia Marx Charlie Rubin |
| Directed by | Tom Trbovich |
| Starring | John Bedford Lloyd Margaret Trigg |
| Theme music composer | Todd Rundgren |
| Composer(s) | Joe Carroll Peter Thom |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Borowitz Susan Borowitz Brian Henson |
| Producer(s) | Ritamarie Peruggi |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Jim Henson Productions The Stuffed Dog Company |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Audio format | Dolby Surround |
| Original release | March 15 – August 31, 1996 |
Premise
The show was about single dad Doug Brody (John Bedford Lloyd), who is abducted by single alien mom Cookie (Margaret Trigg). The two fall in love, get married, and try to live a normal life on Earth as a mixed family. Much of the series humor was derived from gags involving the assimilation of the alien family into everyday life—despite being pink and having massive heads (all of the aliens were puppets designed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop), everyone on Earth seems to accept their presence, and in spite of possessing technology far superior to that of Earth, the aliens all go about their everyday lives in the same fashion as all the humans.
Although not the focus of the show, the character to receive the most attention in episodes was Bobut, Cookie's infant son. Baby Bobut could talk, had a genius-level IQ, and was perpetually plotting a grisly fate for those around him though the series position as a family show meant that Bobut's plans were always family-friendly: for example, wreaking havoc on the city by causing a frog to grow ten times its size. However the frog did grow so large that it ate a jetliner mid-flight, implying all passengers, and crew were eaten alive.
Cast
- John Bedford Lloyd as Doug Brody
- Margaret Trigg as Cookie Brody
- Paige Tiffany as Heather Brody
- Chris Marquette as Adam Brody
- Julie Dretzin as Sally Hagen
Puppeteers
- Alice Dinnean as Snizzy (face and voice)
- Michael Gilden as Snizzy (body)
- John Kennedy as Bobut (face)
- Bruce Lanoil as Spit (face)
- Peter Linz as Varch, Elder of the Nertron Galactic Federation (in "Respect Your Elders"), Red Yukkle (in "Dissected and Neglected")
- Joey Mazzarino as Spit (voice), Green and Yellow Yukkles (in "Dissected and Neglected")
- David Rudman as Bobut (body and voice), Orange and Purple Yukkles (in "Dissected and Neglected")
- Michelan Sisti as Spit (body)
Production
The series was created, written and executive produced by Andy and Susan Borowitz. Brian Henson, son of Jim Henson, also served as co-executive producer. The series theme song was written and performed by Todd Rundgren. The series was shot in its entirety at Lifetime Studios in New York City.[1]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Meet the Brodys" | Tom Trbovich | Andy Borowitz & Susan Borowitz | March 15, 1996 |
| 2 | "Bobut Conquers All" | Tom Trbovich | Susan Borowitz & Andy Borowitz | March 22, 1996 |
| 3 | "Cookie Makes Some Dough" | Tom Trbovich | Susan Borowitz & Andy Borowitz | July 27, 1996 |
| 4 | "You Don't Have a Pet to Be Popular" | Tom Trbovich | Susan Borowitz & Andy Borowitz | August 3, 1996 |
| 5 | "Too Good to Be True" | Tom Trbovich | Patricia Marx | August 10, 1996 |
| 6 | "Respect Your Elders" | Tom Trbovich | Susan Borowitz & Andy Borowitz | August 17, 1996 |
| 7 | "Dissected and Neglected" | Tom Trbovich | Charlie Rubin | August 24, 1996 |
| 8 | "A Very Brody Tweeznax" | Tom Trbovich | Susan Borowitz & Andy Borowitz | August 31, 1996 |
Cancellation
The show premiered on March 15, 1996; ABC pulled the series from its TGIF lineup after two weeks, replacing the show's scheduled third airing with re-runs of other TGIF programs. The show did not return for over four months and aired the rest of its episodes on Saturday mornings in the summer of 1996.
Jaleel White, who starred as Steve Urkel on another TGIF program (Family Matters), was a vocal critic of TGIF adding Jim Henson programs onto the TGIF block (Aliens in the Family debuted the same year as Muppets Tonight) and speculated that their addition ruined the block's credibility by changing its target demographic from whole families to children.[2]
References
- "Aliens in the Family: Cast and crew". tv.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- Hal Boedeker (July 18, 1997). "He's A Goober But CBS Has A Lot Riding On Urkel TV". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 18, 2012.