Perfect Strangers- The Complete Series Blu-ray Review
“Perfect Strangers” is a quintessential 80’s sitcom.
Created by Dale McRaven, “Perfect Strangers” is a 1986 sitcom that ran for 8 seasons on ABC. The comedy series revolved around two central characters- Larry and Balki. Larry left his crowded home to live life in Chicago as a bachelor. The sheep herding Balki also left his home on the Mediterranean island of Mypos. Balki shows up at his cousin Larry’s apartment with the hope of moving in with him. They may be family, but neither one has ever met. The two do wind up living together despite being polar opposites. Larry is a high strung individual while Balki tends to be a positive person who winds up causing trouble. Somehow though, the two need each other as they embark on new lives in Chicago. Larry also essentially mentors Balki as he has a lot to learn about American life, big city life, and so forth.
In addition to the duo’s frequent hijinks, the series explores the two’s growth through adulthood. Larry develops a relationship with Jennifer while Balki falls for Mary Anne. Their relationships become more serious over the series and they even settle down to have families. In terms of their jobs, Larry and Balki start out working at a discount store together before getting different jobs at a newspaper in season 3. The series is littered with supporting characters like Susan (a neighbor), Donald (a grouchy discount store boss/landlord), Sam (Balki’s boss), Mr. Wainwright (the publisher), Lydia (a columnist), and elevator operator Harriette Winslow (who would later get her own spin-off with the even more popular “Family Matters”).
At its core, “Perfect Strangers” is a fish out of water series that plays like other classic sitcoms such as “The Odd Couple” (which is paid homage to in later opening credits). It’s a pretty standard one-note formulaic sitcom that became a TGIF staple and that’s perfectly fine. Everyone has their comfort sitcom show that they watch and or grew up on. “Perfect Strangers” may lack sophistication, but you do get to see the characters of Larry and Balki grow into adulthood. It’s not just the same shenanigans week in week out.
Of course, the real reason “Perfect Strangers” was such a success was due to actor Bronson Pinchot as Balki. Without him, this could have easily been just another sitcom that time forgot. Pinchot (who is also known for his beloved Serge character in the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise) is one the most treasured 80’s sitcom characters. Pinchot had great comedic timing, he steals every moment of the show and has such a larger than life screen presence. Balki may be an oddball immigrant experiencing culture shock, but there’s real heart to the character. Yes, the character suffers from stereotypes and corny sitcom antics like his catchphrase “Don’t be ridiculous!” and the Dance of Joy, but those are the types of things that won audiences over back when the show was airing. Mark Linn-Baker is more of the straight man here dealing with Balki, but the interplay between Larry and Balki is essential to the show’s success. He is overshadowed by Pinchot for sure, but he is still invaluable.
As is the case with most sitcoms, the first few seasons are the best years before things started to feel a bit tiresome. The show does thankfully mix things up every now and then to keep it fresh (ala the job changes, the addition of new characters, and housing changes). Really though, it’s the early seasons in which Larry and Balki are getting to know one another along with the audience that are special. The physical comedy and dialogue were at their strongest in that period.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.33:1 1080p. How does it look? Fans of the series will undoubtedly be pleased by the hi-def episode transfers which feature improved picture quality and sharper colors. On top of that, this is the Blu-ray debut for the series and the first time the series has ever been collected together. A complete series DVD release has also been released for the first time ever too.
Audio Track: DTS 2.0 Mono for the first 4 seasons and DTS Stereo for seasons 5 through 8. How does it sound? Sitcoms aren’t known for their sound quality, but there is no complaints for the clean audio for this show.
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