Created by Dale McRaven, one of the men behind “Mork & Mindy,” “Perfect Strangers” found him returning to the fish-out-of-water concept. This time, instead of Mork from Ork, we have Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot), a simple sheep herder from the fictional Mediterranean island of Mypos, arriving on the Chicago doorstep of his distant cousin, Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker). Balki is initially upset but understanding when Cousin Larry doesn’t welcome him with open arms. Naturally, Larry quickly has a change of heart and welcomes his new roommate.
From the first episode, to the last of it’s eight seasons in 1993, “Perfect Strangers” stuck to a tried and true formula. Each week, Balkii would find himself in trouble, usually caused by a lack of understanding how things worked in America. Larry would lose his temper with Balki, but ultimately the duo would settle their differences and learn from each other.
When “Perfect Strangers” began, Balki and Larry lived above and worked together at Ritz Discount Store for the penny-pinching Donald Twinkacetti (Ernie Sabella), who treats them with little respect. While Balki is happily wide eyed as he learns new things about America, Larry dreams of becoming a photojournalist, and spends time with his camera, chasing down celebrities and politicians with hopes of selling a picture to the newspaper. The cast also includes Larry’s platonic pal and next-door neighbor Susan Campbell (Lise Cutter), with whom Balki is instantly smitten, but she is phased out early in the second season. Susan’s departure made way for the arrival of the guys’ love interests flight attendants Jennifer Lyons (Melanie Wilson) and Mary Anne Spencer (Rebecca Arthur). Mary Anne is particularly funny as the ditzy blonde, mixing well with Balki’s goofball antics.
By the third season, Mr. Twinkacetti is gone and Larry has a job running errands for the city editor of the Chicago Chronicle, Harry Burns (Eugene Roche), and Balki has a job in the mailroom, but his boss Sam Gorpley (Sam Anderson) is continually looking for any excuse to fire him. Larry later has a job as a reporter, working under ornery publisher Mr. Wainwright (F.J. O’Neill). This brings with it some new characters including elevator operator Harriette Winslow (Jo Marie Payton-France), who leaves the series after the fourth season for the spin-off “Family Matters.”
While “Perfect Strangers” isn’t reinventing the comedy genre, it works because of the chemistry between Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot. They both have wonderful comedic timing, combing the kind of humor with slapstick done by comedy duos in the early days of film. It’s no wonder Pinchot became the breakout star; his excellent portrayal of child-like innocence makes Linn-Baker’s utter exasperation at the simplest of things funnier.
“Perfect Strangers” was canceled in 1993, after eight seasons, and 150 episodes. Warner Brothers’ recent Blu-ray release of the complete series is spread across 17 discs. Presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, the HD restoration from the original camera negative marks an obvious improvement from the previous DVD releases. The overall softness is gone. Replaced with a detailed image that shows off the garish 1980’s fashions. While a bit of DNR may have been used, overall, the image is clean, free of any scratches or other anomalies.
It also appears that the series original music is intact—the scenes where Balki is singing various pop songs of the era have not been replaced or removed.
English SDH subtitles are included.
Unfortunately, there are no extras.
