Perfect Strangers
1986 - 1993
Aspiring photographer Larry Appleton's life is turned upside-down when Balki Bartokomous, his distant cousin from the fictional Mediterranean island country of Mypos, shows up at his Chicago apartment and announces that he's moving in with him.
- Stars: Mark Linn-Baker, Bronson Pinchot, Melanie Wilson, Rebeca Arthur
- Created by: Dale McRaven
- Tags: roommates
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Episode Tropes
Season 1
- Unwanted Surprise Party: Episode 6, "Happy Birthday, Baby" (1986). It's Larry's birthday, and he's depressed because his "master plan" isn't going as scheduled, and the last thing he wants is a party. Unbeknownst to him, Balki has planned a surprise party with all of Larry's friends, and he now has to keep Larry from finding out.
Season 2
- Labor Drill: Episode 1, "Hello Baby" (1986). Balki invites Gina, a pregnant friend from his citizenship class, to stay with him and Larry for a few days while her trucker husband is on the road. When Larry finds out Gina's baby is two weeks late, he insists on running drills with her and Balki all night to make sure they're prepared for the baby's birth.
- Surprise Delivery: Episode 1, "Hello Baby" (1986). When Balki's pregnant friend, Gina, goes into labor, he and Larry rush to get her to the hospital, but they don't make it in time, and Balki ends up delivering the baby in the backseat of Larry's car.
- Play Ball: Episode 3, "The Unnatural" (1986). Mr. Twinkacetti is sponsoring a softball team with Larry as the manager and Balki as the water boy, scorekeeper, and head cheerleader. When the team's star player can't make the championship game, Balki begs Larry to let him play; Larry agrees, but at the last minute, Mr. Twinkacetti gets a skilled player to join the team, so Larry tries to keep Balki on the bench for the whole game.
- What Happens in Vegas...: Episode 5, "Babes in Babylon" (1986). Larry and Balki win a trip to Las Vegas, and Larry is determined to keep himself and Balki away from the casinos so they don't become gambling addicts like their Uncle Pete.
- Magic Fingers: Episode 5, "Babes in Babylon" (1986). Larry and Balki's hotel room in Las Vegas comes complete with Magic Fingers for only 25 cents.
- Baby Swap: Episode 8, "Two Men and a Cradle" (1986). Balki offers to babysit his friend Gina's baby, Frankie, for a weekend. When he and Larry take Frankie to the park, they take home someone else's baby by mistake.
- See You in Court: Episode 9, "Can I Get a Witness?" (1986). Balki accidentally takes a job delivering packages for a mob boss named Vince, and he and Larry both get arrested. To avoid charges, they give up Vince to the police and testify against him at his trial.
- Reluctant Witness: Episode 9, "Can I Get a Witness?" (1986). When Larry and Balki enter the courtroom to testify against Vince, the mob boss, the prosecutor tells them that all of his other witness either suddenly got amnesia or disappeared, so Larry decides not to testify, and he tries to stop Balki from testifying too, but when the judge is about to dismiss the case for lack of evidence, Larry changes his mind.
- Landlord from Hell: Episode 10, "The Rent Strike" (1986). Mr. Twincetti is letting the apartment building fall into disrepair, and Larry is fed up, so he gets all other tenants together to demand that Twinkacetti make repairs. When he refuses, Larry calls for a rent strike, and Twinkacetti responds by turning off the heat, water, and electricity, but he finally gives in when he racks up a hefty gambling debt and needs money fast.
- I Won't Be Home for Christmas: Episode 11, "A Christmas Story" (1986). Larry is depressed when blizzard prevents him and Balki from going to Wisconsin to spend Christmas with his family.
- Pathetic Christmas Tree: Episode 11, "A Christmas Story" (1986). A Christmas Eve blizzard prevents Larry and Balki from going to Madison to spend Christmas with the Appletons, so Balki, who is determined to have a nice Christmas in Chicago, tries to buy a Christmas tree, but all the salesman has left is a dead-looking pile of twigs in the dumpster, which he lets Balki have for free.
- Dog Gone Blues: Episode 12, "Dog Gone Blues" (1987). Balki rescues a dog from the "dog prison," but Mr. Twinkacetti doesn't allow pets in their building, so they devise an elaborate plan to keep him from finding out about it. Unfortunately, their plan doesn't work, so Larry finds a home for the dog with a nice family who live in the country.
- Home Sweet Office: Episode 13, "Since I Lost My Baby" (1987). Mr. Twinkacetti sleeps in his office when his wife kicks him out for forgetting their anniversary for 16 years in a row.
- Cyrano de Bergerac: Episode 13, "Since I Lost My Baby" (1987). Larry and Balki want to get Mr. Twinkacetti out of their apartment, so they set up a date between him and Mrs. Twinkacetti, and they go with him and covertly tell him what to say to her to win her back. Unfortunately, Mrs. Twinkacetti catches them in the act.
- Insomnia: Episode 15, "Beautiful Dreamer" (1987). Balki is having trouble sleeping, and when he does sleep, he has terrible nightmares, so Larry tries to help him figure out what's causing them.
- Ski Trip from Hell: Episodes 18-19, "Snow Way to Treat a Lady" (1987). Balki arranges a ski trip for him, Larry, Jennifer, and Mary Anne. Larry, who can't ski, plans to fake an injury so he can spend the weekend "getting sympathy from Jennifer," but he foolishly skis down an unmarked hill, takes a real fall, and sprains his ankle. The others try to rescue him, and they all get lost in the woods.
- Stranded: Episodes 18-19, "Snow Way to Treat a Lady" (1987). While the gang is lost in the woods, they find an empty cabin, bunk down for the night, and plan to head out in the morning, but an avalanche traps them all inside with no firewood or food and a roof that's about to cave in.
- Dead Wrong: Episode 19, "Snow Way to Treat a Lady: Part 2" (1987). While Balki is digging a tunnel through the snow from the avalanche, Larry, Jennifer, and Mary Anne are asleep inside the cabin. When they wake up, the tunnel is buried and Balki is nowhere to be found, so they all assume the tunnel collapsed on top of him and killed him, but he actually made it outside to the roof.
- Get a Raise: Episode 20, "Get a Job" (1987). Larry and Balki demand a raise from Mr. Twinkacetti, and he not only refuses but also says he hired someone else, and he's docking their salaries to pay him. Larry quits, and Balki follows suit, and they have to take jobs working at a greasy spoon for a randy woman who can't keep her hands to herself.
- Up on the Roof: Episode 22, "Up on the Roof" (1987). Larry and Balki climb onto the roof of Mr. Twinkacetti's house so Larry can get a photo of the top of a church for a photo contest. Mr. Twinkacetti catches them and accidentally knocks down their ladder, leaving the three of them trapped on the roof in a thunderstorm. When they're rescued by a fireman, another photographer gets a shot of them that wins first place in the contest, while Larry's photo of "Mr. Twinkacetti Framed by Lightning" wins 10th place.
Character Tropes
- Fish Out of Water: Balki Bartokomous - Played by Bronson Pinchot.