Perfect Strangers: The Complete Series collects the 150 episodes that aired over eight seasons on ABC from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993 on 17 discs. It is a buddy comedy in the mold of shows like Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy, which were previous hits for producers Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett. The odd couple at the center of the show are Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker) and his new-to-America cousin Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot) from the fictional Mediterranean island of Mypos. Much of the humor comes from Balki learning American customs and introducing his people’s customs to Larry and the audience, making the character a little similar to Latka from Taxi.
Buy Perfect Strangers: The Complete Series from Movie ZyngIn the first couple of seasons, they work at at a discount store for mean boss Donald Twinkacetti (Ernie Sabella). The radio Balki sells in the pilot reappears in the store. In Season 2 episode “Hunks Like Us,” they meet love interests and future wives Jennifer Lyons (Melanie Wilson) and Mary Anne Spencer (Rebeca Arthur) who live in Larry and Balki’s building.
In Season 3, the show is given neew opening credits and a soft reboot back at a time when no one was apparently concerned about continuity. The guys live in a new apartment in a new building, which is never addressed, and their girlfriends do as well. Larry gets a job as reporter at the Chicago Chronicle and he gets Balki a job in the mailroom. His supervisor is Sam Gorpley (Sam Anderson, who played a bank clerk in Season 1 episode “Check This.”) Harriette Winslow (Jo Marie Payton-France) is an elevator operator. Her husband Carl (Reginald VelJohnson) is introduced in the Season 4 episode “Crimebusters.” At the end of Season 4, Harriette would be spun off into show, Family Matters. Previously introduced as Mrs. Twinkacetti, Belita Moreno returns as advice columnist Lydia Markham later in the season.
After getting married at the start of Season 7, Larry and Jennifer get married and rent a house. Unable to fully afford it, they sublet to Balki and Mary Anne, who get married by season’s end and in the shortened Season 8, both couples are expecting.
The video has been given a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer displayed at its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Shot on film, the image looks clean and the focus is sharp, allowing for texture details to be seen. Colors come through in strong hues, and blacks look inky. The audio is available in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. Dialogue is clear. Effects are noticeable, especially the studio laughter, and limited music has good fidelity. There are no extras.
Buy Perfect Strangers: The Complete Series from AmazonPerfect Strangers is an enjoyable show and a good sitcom for the family to watch even though kids aren’t featured regularly. The best comic bits are between Larry and Balki, but they never seem as funny as the studio audience and/or laugh track make them seem. Fans should be happy to have The Complete Series in their collection and with its appearance in high definition.
