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‘Word Up Wednesday’ is the perfect ‘Mr. Robot’ spinoff

For those watching “Mr. Robot” as it aired on USA on Wednesday (Aug. 10), they were in for quite a surprise as the series took a trip back in time to … 1998. At least, that’s the year we think Elliot’s (Rami Malek) mind went to as he found himself living out a sitcom life inside a world inspired by the short-lived series “USA Up All Night.”

The majority of the family life we’ve seen of Elliot’s is presented in either memories, hallucinations, flashbacks or photos. Aside from those sequences that show his mother and father together, there’s nothing really to go on — and that’s probably for the best.

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So here we are, smack dab in the middle of a family road trip finding Elliot and Darlene (Carly Chaikin) in the backseat while a bound Tyrell Wellick (Martin Wallstrom) screams from the trunk. And what better way to get gobsmacked by the nostalgia overload — the commercial breaks were also presented in a ’90s flavor — than to present the perfect guest star to encapsulate the bizarre decade. Everyone, say hello to Alf.

On the air for four seasons — from 1986 to 1990 — “Alf” was one of those odd programs that felt like it shouldn’t have worked. But, it did. After-all, people love their smart-mouthed puppets and this alien was equally fun, weird and hungry for cats.

If ever there was a unique way to bring Elliot’s back-story to life, dare we say “Word Up Wednesday” would be it? Not only does Alf deserve another go at stardom, but the twist would give us a vastly different take on Elliot’s father (Christian Slater).

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Plus, anything has to be better than Elliot’s current situation … right?