Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Young Sheldon episode "A Race Of Superhumans And A Letter To ALF." Read at your own risk.
Young Sheldon has had its fair share of goofy moments, but few have measured up to the wild way the show paid homage to a legend of the 80s. The most famous alien from planet Melmac made his way onto The Big Bang Theory spinoff for a cameo that played out rather unexpectedly. Here's what happened and why the Alien Life Form (or ALF) may actually exist in both of the shows' universes now.
The reference came towards the beginning of Young Sheldon, as Sheldon tried experiments to see if he could make Missy a genius. This led him to the library in search of a means to better educate his sister, but he was having trouble finding the proper book. When he consulted the librarian for assistance on a resource that would help him teach Missy, Sheldon made an offhanded remark his sister was so stupid she writes fan mail to ALF.
Some time and story would pass, and at the end of the episode, Missy was seen writing a letter to ALF. Moments later, ALF was seen sitting in a fancy office and reading Missy's letter. Impressed by what his young fan had to say, ALF requested his assistant send her a pink t-shirt with his face on it. He also requested she fetch him chicken nuggets, which Missy suggested as an alternative to the cats he's been known to enjoy.
So was this a goofy aside, or did Young Sheldon just confirm ALF exists in The Big Bang Theory universe? The scene did show that ALF received Missy's letter, and he appeared to be ALF as if he were an actual Hollywood actor and not a character who actually lives with the Tanners. The pink shirt arriving for Missy in a future episode of Young Sheldon would make his existence canon, but ALF was unable to get his assistant's attention.
It's a funny thought, but let's remember Young Sheldon is a comedy program not to be taken with the utmost seriousness. Even if it were, it's possible the whole ALF sequence was merely an event Missy was imagining, considering she's one of the select few who believe he's real. In short, don't expect ALF to get upgraded to recurring status anytime soon. That's a shame because "Ha! I kill me" could give "Bazinga!" a run for its money.
Young Sheldon is still rolling strong with Season 2 and airs on CBS Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET. 2019 is finally here, and with it comes a slew of television shows both new and returning. Keep up with all that's coming by visiting our handy midseason premiere guide.
