In 1986, a show debuted on ABC and brought Balki Bartokomous into our living rooms. Following a wide-eyed immigrant from the fictional island of Mypos, Balki moves in with his very put-upon distant cousin Larry Appleton who's just trying to make it on the mean streets of Chicago. The pilot episode premiered as the bologna in a Who's the Boss? and Moonlighting sandwich, and somehow managed to sneak under the radar for 8 seasons and helped establish ABC's Friday night TGIF dominance.
Our listeners can sample the Perfect Strangers pilot on
Hulu if you want to see what all the fuss is about.
In this podcast, Gretchen and James actually attempt to record everything live for a change. We share an
Aslin Brewing Company Master of Karate, Double New England Style IPA. Gretchen gets a little tipsy, a little sassy, and a lot aggressive as we debate the finer points of this classic television sitcom. James talks about immigrants in a way that makes Gretchen uncomfortable. We take turns debating what is the worst part of this show, and in the end we learn a little bit about friendship and family.
Is it a good episode?
Don't be ridiculous.