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Once you get seriously into gaming, you will quickly notice there are two types of characters.

Playable characters, usually the central protagonist and or a group of friends the protagonists interact with that you occasionally control.

You’re bound to run into some memorable enemies along the way, with their Shakespearean monologues and super laser weapon systems.

(Chris Reardon/Epix)

Most of the characters you see will be “Non-playable characters” who have no real personalities but just sort of limp along with you to advance the plot.

It turns out that these NPCs are all over television, too.

Some of these NPCs are obvious.

They’re not quite at the level of “characters overstaying their welcome,” but they do seem to elicit a ho-hum from most of the audience.

Here are 13 NPCs or characters with “Non-Playable Character Energy” who feel like they’re on autopilot, just waiting for the main...

Benji Gregory, the former child actor who starred in the 1980s sitcom Alf, passed away at 46.

His sister, Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, confirmed to the New York Times that Gregory and his service dog were found dead in his car on June 13 in a bank parking lot in Peoria, Arizona.

The family suspects he died from vehicular heatstroke, although the official cause of death is still pending an investigation.

Hertzberg-Pfaffinger described Gregory as a wonderful son, brother, and uncle in a heartfelt Facebook post on Wednesday.

“He was fun to be around and made us laugh quite often. Still, going through his things, I find myself laughing at little videos or notes of his, in between crying,” she wrote.

Arizona was experiencing a severe heatwave at the time of his death, with temperatures reaching 108 degrees on June 12 and 111 degrees on June 13.

Benji Gregory struggled with mental health issues

Rebecca also shared with...

Benji Gregory, the former child star known for his role on the 1980s sitcom Alf, has died. He was 46.

Gregory’s sister, Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, told The New York Times that the actor and his service dog, Hans, were both found dead in his car on June 13 in a parking lot in Peoria, Arizona. Though the cause of death is pending, Hertzberg-Pfaffinger wrote in a Facebook post she believes her brother fell asleep in the car and died of heatstroke.

Alf, which ran for four seasons from 1986-90, saw Gregory as one of two children in the Tanner family who became best friends with Alf, an Alien Life Form who crash-landed through their garage. Max Wright and Anne Schedeen played the boy’s parents, and Andrea Elson was his sister.

Benjamin Gregory Hertzberg was born in Encino on May 26, 1978. Per IMDb, his father, uncle and sister were all actors, and his grandmother was his agent.

Benji Gregory, the former child actor who starred as Brian Tanner in Eighties sitcom Alf, has died at the age of 46.

The actor died on June 13, according to Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office records, TMZ reported. His cause of death is pending.

The former child star was found dead in his car at a parking lot outside of a bank in Peoria, Arizona, his sister Rebecca told the outlet. His sister said that he had suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, and a sleep disorder. She added that Benji was with his service dog,...

Alf is coming back to life. Ryan Reynolds has revived the ‘80s sitcom character for his Maximum Effort Channel, an offshoot of his advertising and marketing agency. Past episodes of the NBC sitcom will stream on the new channel and viewers will see new sponsored segments, called Maximum Moments, featuring the furry alien during the episodes.

Starring Paul Fusco, Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson, and Benji Gregory, the 1986-90 series follows an alien life form (aka Alf) from Melmac who crash lands on Earth and lives with a suburban family. Following the cancellation, the outspoken cat-chasing alien (brought to life by puppeteer Fusco) has returned in a TV movie, a TV Land talk show, and various cameos.

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Hide your cats and prepare for snarky observations about the human race because Alf is back, baby! Thanks to Fubo, Canadian darling Ryan Reynolds is reviving the classic comedy series for his Maximum Effort channel! The Alf Marathon begins this Saturday, July 29, via the channel’s inaugural series of “Maximum Moments.” Alf creator Paul Fusco and Shout! Studios are along for the wild ride, with sponsored content coming from Mint Mobile, Fubo, Hims, Mntn, and Ring featuring the wise-cracking, feline-terrifying alien himself, Alf!

“At Maximum Effort, we love taking risks and blurring the lines between shows and sponsorship because we believe both can be equally entertaining,” said Reynolds, Maximum Effort co-founder. “Besides my irrational love of Alf growing up, one of the reasons we licensed this show was precisely because Paul, Shout! Studios and our intrepid brand partners wanted to plot with us to bring Alf back to life. Tune in this Caturday!

Alf is making a comeback. Ryan Reynolds is reviving the classic TV show that ran from 1986-1990 through sponsored segments as part of a deal with Fubo and his Maximum Effort. It will premiere on Maximum Effort this Saturday, July 29 in the channel’s first series of “Maximum Moments” with Alf creator Paul Fusco and Shout! Studios, along with sponsored content for Mint Mobile, Fubo, Hims, Mntn, and Ring featuring Alf himself.

“At Maximum Effort, we love taking risks and blurring the lines between shows and sponsorship because we believe both can be equally entertaining,” said Reynolds, Maximum Effort co-founder. “Besides my irrational love of Alf growing up, one of the reasons we licensed this show was precisely because Paul, Shout! Studios and our intrepid brand partners wanted to plot with us to bring Alf back to life. Tune in this Caturday!”

The marathon will feature episodes of Alf, whose...

In a week where TV remakes are the latest trend comes another from Warner Bros. The studio has begun development on bringing back the beloved 80’s alien Alf.

They are currently looking for a writer to get the show off the ground, but it is said the reboot will likely focus on Alf returning to Earth, with a new family and characters.

The original sitcom aired between 1986 and 1990 focused on Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed Alf (an acronym for Alien Life Form), who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class Tanner family.

Also in the news – HBO to tackle The Time Traveller’s Wife for TV series

The series starred Max Wright as father Willie Tanner, Anne Schedeen as mother Kate Tanner, and Andrea Elson and Benji Gregory as their children, Lynn and Brian Tanner. Alf was performed by puppeteer Paul Fusco, who co-created the show with Tom Patchett.

Is Alf returning to the small screen. Deadline reports Warner Bros. TV is in talks to reboot the NBC TV show.

The original '80s sitcom "centers on a small, furry, arrogant extraterrestrial from the planet Melmac who’s taken in by an average American family." The cast included Paul Fusco, Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson, and Benji Gregory. The show ran on for four seasons before ending in 1990.

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Alf may be making a return to TV. A reboot of the popular ’80s alien sitcom is being explored by Warner Bros TV, Deadline has learned.

The original series, created by Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco, centered on a small, furry, arrogant extraterrestrial from the planet Melmac who’s taken in by an average American family. The series ran for four seasons on NBC, from 1986-90. The project is in its early stages and a search is underway for a writer, sources tell Deadline. Warner Bros. TV declined to comment.

The series starred Max Wright as Willie Tanner, Anne Schedeen as Kate Tanner and Andrea Elson and Benji Gregory as their children, Lynn and Brian. Alf was performed by puppeteer Paul Fusco, who co-created the show with Tom Patchett.

Alf, which has remained a part of the pop culture zeitgeist, has been referenced on other TV shows and films throughout the years,...

Warner Bros. Television is in the early stages of developing a reboot of the classic sitcom “Alf,” Variety has confirmed with sources.

No writer is yet attached to the project, which would again explore the misadventures of the titular, cat-eating Alf–which stands for Alien Life Form. In the original series, Alf of the planet Melmac crash lands in the suburbs and takes up residence with the middle class Tanner family. The show aired from 1986-1990 for four seasons and over 100 episodes on NBC. The series has remained a part of the pop culture landscape long after it ended and is frequently referenced in other shows and films.

One idea that has reportedly been discussed for the reboot would involve Alf emerging from Area 51–where he has been held captive since the original series finale–and observing how much the world has changed since that time.

Warner Bros. TV declined to comment.

Alf is returning to Earth.

A reboot of the 1980s sitcom Alf is now in the works at Warner Bros. The reboot of the series, starring the friendly alien Alf (Alien Life Form) who lands in the home of a middle-class family, would reportedly focus on Alf returning to Earth, with a new family and characters. Original writers Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco are attached, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

The original series ran for four seasons on NBC. The character was performed by puppeteer Fusco, with Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson and Benji Gregory rounding out the cast. ...

Hide your cats!

Hollywood continues to mine old '80s properties for 21st century reboots, even the most all-but-forgotten franchises such as "Alf," according to Heat Vision.

"Alf" (which stands for Alien Life Form, as explained by Max Wright's Willie Tanner in the pilot episode) followed the adventures of a furry wisecracking alien who came to live with a suburban family after crash-landing into their garage.

While never anything resembling great television,"Alf" got by on the charm of puppeteer Paul Fusco, who was also the series co-creator with Tom Patchett. "The show ended up airing for four seasons from 1986-1990.

Now, Alf is going to crash-land into some other garage as the star of a live-action/CG hybrid, a la last summer's "The Smurfs." In fact, the "Alf" movie comes courtesy of producer Jordan Kerner, who helped bring the Smurfs to the big screen. Both Patchett and Fusco are involved as well,...

The 1986 alien sitcom Alf (Alien Life Form) will be coming to the big screen as a CGI animated live-action hybrid. Sony Pictures animation just acquired the rights to the property, and it will be produced by Jordan Kerner, who brought the wonderfully awful big screen adaptation of The Smurfs. Hopefully the Alf movie will be a much better film adaptation. 

The story centers on a friendly furry alien creature, who crash lands on Earth and ends up shacking up with a suburban family named the Tanners. Of course he's being tracked down by the government as well. Alf is known for being a very sarcastic individual who loves to eat cats. 

The original series creators Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco will also serve as producers on the film. Fusco was also the puppeteer and voice of Alf on the series. As of right now, there is no writer or director attached to the project.

Alf, the iconic American science fiction sitcom from the 1980's and 90's, is making the jump to the big screen with original voice actor and puppeteer Paul Fusco attached. The popular series followed Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed Alf (an acronym for Alien Life Form), who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class family in Los Angeles, California. The Tanners, consisting of of social worker Willie (Max Wright), his wife Kate (Anne Schedeen), their teenage daughter Lynn (Andrea Elson), younger son Brian (Benji Gregory), and their cat Lucky -- who Alf constantly tries to eat -- are unsure what to do so they hide Alf in their home from their friends, neighbors and the Alien Task Force (part of the U.S. Air Force) until he can repair his spacecraft. In...

One of the more memorable and unusual TV shows of the 1980s was Alf. It centers around an alien named Gordon Shumway from the doomed planet Melmac. He crash lands his spaceship into the California garage of the Tanner family, who nickname him Alf (Alien Life Form). The cast of the show includes Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson, and Benji Gregory, with John Lamotta, Liz Sheridan, Anne Meara, and Paul Dooley. The series ran on NBC for four seasons and 102 episodes.

Alf kept the Tanners quite busy as he was constantly breaking things, trying to eat their cat, and just overall being obnoxious. Filming on the show was apparently a lot to handle as well.

The production details of the series were kept relatively secret during the show's production. Once the series finished airing, many in the cast and crew have conceded that the series was a technical nightmare...