Perfect Strangers

Perfect Strangers follows what happens when Larry Appleton, a cautious Midwestern American trying to keep his life on track, ends up living with his distant cousin Balki Bartokomous, who arrives from an eastern Mediterranean country with bright-eyed curiosity and little understanding of American ways. Larry's tidy plans and sensible instincts clash with Balki's literal takes, cultural misunderstandings, and unfiltered optimism, and most episodes spin short, self-contained mishaps out of that mismatch. The humor leans on the pair learning to share space, money, and priorities while friends and coworkers like Jennifer Lyons, Mary Anne Spencer, and Lydia Markham pop in to complicate dating and work situations without altering the show's fundamentally lighthearted tone.

Created by Dale McRaven and first airing in 1986, the sitcom starred Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker, with Melanie Wilson, Rebeca Arthur, and Belita Moreno in supporting roles, giving it a warm ensemble presence.

Perfect Strangers secured a place in 1980s TV culture through its mismatched-roommate setup and Balki's earnest outsider perspective. It helped make Bronson Pinchot a familiar face on television and contributed a recognizable version of the fish-out-of-water comedy to network lineups, so the pairing of an uptight American and an enthusiastic foreign cousin became a shorthand for that era's sitcom humor.

Audience and critical reaction tended toward warm appreciation for its easygoing style, reflected in a user rating of 6.7/10 from 104 votes. The show repeatedly returns to themes of friendship, cultural misunderstanding, and how simple kindness and persistence can smooth over practical and emotional differences, favoring consistent laughs over dramatic breakthroughs.

The series didn't collect major industry awards, but that wasn't its primary appeal. Viewers tuned in for the chemistry between Pinchot and Linn-Baker and the steady, familiar sitcom structure, leaving a legacy of fond memories and occasional nostalgic references rather than trophy cases.