Releases Reviewed:

ALF season 1 is an exercise in taking what the controlling company gives you or doing without. There isn't much decision making when it comes to what to get, you just have to decide if it's worth purchasing instead of simply streaming.

You have a single TVD option. There isn't a series box set that I've been able to find.

Season 1 is a 4 DVD set.

Video:

1.33: This is the TV standard ratio. The video is a little cleaner than I expected - not as crisp as a more modern show, but better than I remember it looking on TV. Don't get it as an example of great video quality, but if you've only seen the broadcast version you should be satisfied.

Audio:

2.0 Dolby: Again, nothing impressive by today's standards, but it's remastered and better than I remember from the broadcast. There are numerous things that I will complain about on this release, but audio/video quality is not among them.

Packaging:

I don't know if they will have redesigned the case by the time you read this, but the one I got is horrible. The case opens like any normal snap case. Inside it the DVD's are stacked on top of one another: 2 on the left, 2 on the right. To get the bottom disc out you have to first remove the top disc. If you then close the case the bottom disc will fall off it's peg and just slide around. This is quite possibly the worst case design I've ever seen.

The insert is nearly as poor in design. What design? It's just a thin sheet of paper. If you don't lay it in the case just right you'll crumple it all up. It does have a list of what episodes are on what disc with the director and writer for each one. It could have had air dates, guest cast lists, and a chapters list.

The interface is simple as far as menu options go. The episode list has thumbnails with the episode titles and some fun elements that I'll talk about below.

Extras:

-Menu hosting: Extras are slim, but you can count the menu introductions among them. You get a little exclusive ALF comedy as we see him negotiating the release of his DVD. After a few seconds you have the option of skipping it to get to the episode list, and you can return to it from the list if you want to see it again. ALF continues his monologue when the episode list comes up by explaining what the buttons on the menu do. The exclusive ALF interaction is one of the best things about this release. Each disc has a unique skit that picks up where the last one left off so you more or less get an original mini-episode.

-Summaries: I don't know if you would consider this truly an extra, but each episode has a short audio summary. If you click on the “?” by the episode video of ALF talking about it replaces the thumbnail. They are very short and not as humorous as the menu introductions.

-Unaired pilot: One of the best extras is the inclusion of the unaired pilot. Why are there 2 versions of the pilot? Nothing here gives us any clue. They aren't all that different from each other, but at least as an extra feature this one episode isn't cut in any way. I actually think some of the jokes are better in this one than the version that aired.

-Outtakes: The outtakes and gag reel are great! I laughed so hard I hurt. It's not as kid friendly as the show, though. There are a couple of perverted moments and a little strong language, but trust me, you've seen much worse on a clean Friends episode. Some of the shots cut off too quickly, but other than that no complaints.

-Trivia: There's not a great deal to the ALF trivia. It includes bits of info about the beginnings of the show, the people behind it, ALF the character, and other aspects.

-DVD credits: Just some names here.

Other Editions:

There are none.

Final Thoughts:

ALF season 1 is not a great package, but neither is it completely lacking. What I don't understand is why they would go to all the trouble to write and record such good new material for the menu hosting and then do such a poor job with the rest of the release. Why not some commentaries and such? Worst of all is the edited versions of the episodes. Someone should get their hands on the uncut versions and re-release the whole series. On the upside, if you're a longtime fan like I am you will surely appreciate the unaired pilot, the outtakes, and the menu skits. Those somewhat offset the disappointments when deciding to buy or just stream the episodes by themselves.

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Episodes:

This set lists 25 episodes. In a sense, though, you get 27 because one of them is a 2-parter, and the unaired pilot is included as an extra feature. The order doesn't match with airdate lists I've seen so I have to assume they are going by production chronology. I've seen a few people express dislike about that, but it doesn't bother me, with one exception, since neither sequence causes inconsistencies in the overall story. The exception is the flashback episode which refers to events in an episode that comes after it. We're supposed to be seeing the past, not the future!

The runtimes vary a good bit with most right at 20 minutes long to about 21 and a half, although “Wild Thing” just barely breaks 18 minutes. By comparison, the unaired, and thus uncut, pilot is right at 24 minutes. The 2-parter is double-length.

And with that I should mention the absolute worst thing about this set, the one thing that may convince more people to avoid buying it than anything else I could say. These are the versions of the episodes cut for syndication meaning that there are at least a couple of minutes missing from each one – scenes you may remember seeing when they aired that are nowhere to be found on any official DVD release. Before I knew about this dirty little secret I could tell something was wrong with the episodes; a little research revealed why.

One thing the TVD designers did right is chapter placement. Chapter 1 stops at the end of the theme song. Since I usually watch at least 2 or 3 episodes at a time I like skipping the theme after hearing it once. Chapter stops make that effortless. There is another division usually in the middle (though sometimes closer to the end) and one for the closing credits (unnecessary if you ask me, but that's OK because they get the important ones right).