Perfect Strangers (sitcom)
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Perfect Strangers is a sitcom television series which ran for eight seasons from 1986 through 1993 on ABC. It is about Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker), a high-strung Chicago resident, sharing his apartment with his distant cousin Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot), a shepherd from the (fictional) island nation of Mypos. Balki is naive, idealistic, and new to America; he often misunderstands the culture (with humorous results). Many episode plots involve Larry's schemes getting the better of him, causing him to subsequently need Balki's rescue. The series is rich in slapstick physical comedy.
Although Balki's home country of Mypos is discussed as an independent nation on the show, it is evident that it is based on the Greek isles. The Myposian accent Pinchot performed in the series was originally based on a Greek accent, but later into the show is morphed into more of a Russian dialect. Balki's catch phrase is, "Of course not, don't be ridiculous!" (usually said in response to having been found out for something he did). Balki and Larry occasionally celebrate good fortune by dancing the "Dance of Joy," a silly cross between a Do-Si-Do and the Hokey Pokey.
The series begins with Larry and Balki living in an apartment somewhere in Chicago (a few different addresses were mentioned — the actual building, which has since been torn down, was on the south side of downtown Los Angeles). Their apartment is above the Ritz Discount Store, where they both work for Donald Twinkacetti (Ernie Sabella). In the beginning, the show has a very 80s flavor, with Balki singing songs and making references that have become somewhat dated. Susan (Lise Cutter), Larry's original girlfriend in the series, is replaced early on by Jennifer Lyons (Melanie Wilson), who lives upstairs with her roommate and Balki's girlfriend, Mary Anne Spencer (Rebeca Arthur). After a while, Larry and Balki get jobs together in the basement of the Chicago Chronicle, a fictitious newspaper, with Larry Burns as their boss.
Around 1991, Perfect Strangers began to change. More emphasis was placed on the romantic relationships, and Larry's "plans" became more far-fetched. The show was moved around in the prime-time lineup and eventually landed on Fridays as part of TGIF. By this point, the flavor of the series had changed completely; it is considered to have jumped the shark when Larry and Balki married their girlfriends, moved into a huge castle-like house, and were promoted to the top floor at the Chronicle. The last handful of off-the-wall episodes had their impact diminished by the fact that they were aired few and far between, and it was hard to predict when they were being shown. The series ended with a two-part episode where Larry, Balki and Jennifer went up in a hot-air balloon to try to induce labor. After both families had given birth, the show ended with a heartwarming musical montage of memorable scenes from the series.
Perfect Strangers spawned the spinoff series Family Matters, also set in Chicago, which ran from 1989 to 1998. The connection is that Harriet Winslow was a co-worker of Larry and Balki at the Chicago Chronicle. Linn-Baker appeared in one of the final episodes of the show playing a completely different character (as a mean boss); oddly enough, the character of Harriet had just been replaced by a different actress, so Jo Marie Payton and Mark shared no scenes together in the final season of Family Matters.
