The split occurred out of a desire to do a less family-oriented, more uncensored style of improv than the "clean" variety offered by ComedySportz.
The group took its name from the local phenomenon of multitudes of dead alewife fish washing up on the shore of Lake Michigan during summers in the mid-1980s.
The Dead Alewives ceased their weekly live performances in the late 1990s, and the individual members all pursued other interests.
Voice talent was by Dead Alewives members Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab, Peter Alberts and Mondy Carter.
Misunderstandings of its fantasy settings led those glossing over the content of the game to assume that it had elements of the occult, witchcraft, and Satanism, arousing controversy.