90’s sitcoms were known for a lot of things, but probably chief among them was that they usually tackled family values with plenty of wacky high jinks and a lack of subtly. They had a distinct flavor that we’ve naturally moved on from, but it’s still fun to look back and remember how television used to be. The folks over at Mashable have taken that flavor and applied it to Steven Spielberg’s classic film E.T. to make it a 90’s sitcom, and it’s absolutely amazing.
If that doesn’t put a smile on your face than I don’t know what will. This is perfectly edited into a 90’s sitcom. From the introduction to each character, to the final shot of E.T. hiding in the stuffed animals, this video hits the nail on the head with how sitcom openings actually looked. Kudos to the editor Benjamin Martin for doing such a great job.
Everything from the font to the music cues was perfect; all that was missing was the cast running in a field together while holding hands. The video had a real Alf feel to it, but maybe that’s because it’s the only other sitcom I can think of that starred a puppet.
I would definitely watch an E.T. sitcom, but this video actually reminded me how dark the movie really is. The main kid, Elliot, almost dies and he cries over the gray corpse of E.T. (Spoilers, but the movies been out for a while). It’s funny how, when you’re a kid, all you remember is the Reese's Pieces and flying bicycles and none of the darkness. If this were a real 90’s sitcom then you can count on there being a “Very Special Episode” about E.T. escaping from a pedophile or learning about bulimia – something that was actually done in real sitcoms.
For those of you who are curious, the theme song is actually taken from the show, Perfect Strangers. Here’s the opening so that you can compare it to Mashable’s version.
This E.T. video is actually a part of series that Mashable does, with new episodes released every Monday. They re-imagine movies into entirely different genres and the editing is just as transformative for all of them. Some of their videos include Harry Potter as the Breakfast Club, My Cousin Vinny as a courtroom thriller, The Hangover as a Hitchcock type thriller, and (my personal favorite) Lincoln as a badly dubbed Kung Fu movie. You can check out all of these over on their channel.
