Perfect Strangers

After moving to Chicago, Larry Appleton gets an unexpected new roommate in his distant cousin, Balki Bartokomous, who comes from the small Mediterranean island of Mypos.

Larry tries to further his prospective photographer career by capturing a picture of Dolly Parton having an affair for a local tabloid.

Larry attempts to teach Balki the finer points of dating American women.

Balki learns to drive, which causes much stress for Larry.

Larry pushes Balki to open a checking account without explaining the basic principles of how it works.

Larry finally sold a photo to a newspaper on his birthday. Balki and his friends are preparing a surprise party for Larry, but things do not go as planned.

Larry worries that Balki will become a compulsive gambler when the two win a trip to Las Vegas. However, while Balki enjoys a winning streak, it is Larry who develops a weakness for gambling. When Larry's luck proves to be more of the bad sort than the good, Balki must administer a reality check.

Conflict arises between the guys when they invite the gals over for a "casual dinner".

Larry's sister Elaine comes to visit and Larry's not to thrilled about it.

Balki and Jennifer are trying to surprise Larry by buying him a new typewriter, but due to unforeseen circumstances Larry misunderstands them one night and believed they are having an affair.

After getting a beating by a bully while taking out Jennifer and Marry Anne to dinner, Balki and Larry start taking karate lessons.

Jennifer says she plans to move to L.A., but Larry doesn't do anything to stop her. Later he has a dream of what his life would have been without her.

Jennifer and Mary Ann have to go on the line to Paris to work and as Larry to call the plumber while they're gone in order to install the new shower. Larry decides to do the work himself in order to try and impress Jennifer. Naturally, it all goes awry.

Balki claims to have met Carl Lewis at a convenience store and had to lend him money because he forgot his wallet buy Larry is convinced that someone took advantage of his cousin once again.

Balki's identical cousin Bartok comes up with a get-rich scheme. Unlike Balki, who has had a difficult time adjusting to American ways, Bartok has adapted easily to the seedier side of our country. He is a slick, fast-talking con man who gets on Larry's nerves even more than naive Balki.

Larry becomes a hospital volunteer to interview an injured football star.

Balki convinces Larry to become a volunteer fireman but after the fire chief wore him out, Larry refuses to go back to the fire station until he discovers that Jennifer gets really turned on by firemen. However, the only fire they get to fight is in the fire station.

Balki and Mary Anne expect Larry and Jennifer to set a wedding date but they're too scared. To help them, Balki gives them an official marriage test to see if they're right for each other but things don't go as expected. In the end they set the wedding for September regardless of what the test says.

As the best man at Larry's upcoming wedding, Balki is tricked by Mr. Gorpley into throwing a bachelor party and when Mr. Gorpley show up at the party, he spikes the punch and hires a stripper and Jennifer finds out.

Larry and Balki are driving to Lake Whitefish where Larry and Jennifer are getting married and they are pulled over for going too slow, but they are arrested when Larry backs into the patrol car, then they are picked out of a line-up when Larry is identified as a robber. Larry and Jennifer end up getting married in jail until the real robber confessed.

After losing their new apartment, Larry and Jennifer move into a luxurious Victorian house but can't afford to pay for food and heat. So after trying to break the lease without success, They ask Balki and Mary Anne to board with them to help them out.

Larry and Balki get part time jobs to earn extra money. Balki tries stuffing teddy bears, but Larry asks for his help with door to door selling cleaning products. However, Larry is determined to go to a mansion and sell lots of products instead of going door to door with disastrous results.

King Ferdinand of Mypos comes to visit America and dies in Larry's arms - which means that Larry is the new king according to Myposian custom. But convinced that Larry would make a terrible king, they must pretend that he's alive and drop him into the arms of the King's advisor - The Speaker of the Hut.

When Balki finds out that there is a ghost in their house, Larry refuses to believe it. Jennifer and Mary Anne are convinced when Balki shows them a book about it. So they go up to Balki's room (where the ghost lives) and wait for him to come out. Even when miraculous things start to happen, Larry still doesn't believe it until he's attacked.

Larry and Balki are building a new gazebo in their back yard and as they struggle to build it, it reminds Jennifer and Mary Anne of Laurel and Hardy as we see them in a parody of Laurel and Hardy trying to build a gazebo.

Balki has passed his Citizenship test and is about to be sworn in as an American Citizen. So Larry arranges for Balki's mama (Bronson Pinchot in a dual role) to come to America to witness him being sworn in. When Balki's mama discovers that he will not come back to Mypos to live, she is angry and Balki has to go back to Mypos.

Larry travels to Mypos to try and persuade Balki's mama to let him come back to America. But before he can talk to her, Larry settles happily into the relaxed life style of Mypos and wants to stay. Eventually, he gets fed up and talks to Balki's mama who realizes that it would really make him happy to let him come back to America where is finally sworn in as an American Citizen.

On Thanksgiving, Larry goes into the turkey selling business with over 100 turkeys roaming their backyard and one of the turkeys may have eaten Jennifer's wedding ring.

Mr. Wainwright promotes Balki as the editor of the Sunday Children's page where he draws a comic trip of a sheep named Dimitri and Larry is assigned to fill in the dialogue ""bubbles."" But Larry and Balki can't agree on the sheep's sensibility.

Larry buys a new car radio that gets stolen. So he puts an alarm in the car that keeps going off all night. So they try to catch the thief red-handed by hiding in the trunk and get taken on an unexpected ride.

Balki gets his and Larry's names drawn for jury duty which starts the day before Jennifer has a pre-paid, non-refundable vacation to Bermuda booked for her and Larry. Balki holds out for not guilty endangering Larry's plans.

After Dimitri is kidnapped, Balki has a mental block that prevents him from drawing it in the paper. so Larry and Balki try to catch the kidnapper in the basement of the Chronicle.

Larry goes to an auction to cover a story and brings Balki with him and Larry demonstrates the bidding procedure at an auction and they wind up buying a very expensive bottle of wine for $21,000. They now must hide it from Jennifer until they can go back to the auction and resell it.

When Balki shows Larry that Jennifer has been knitting booties, The possibility that Jennifer is pregnant causes Larry to imagine Larry and Balki's future sons becoming best friends in the nursery trying to escape.

Balki wins an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas but is sad when they can't get any tickets to see Wayne Newton. Jennifer attempts to call up an old boyfriend who can get her tickets, But a jealous Larry calls up Wayne's people and tells them that Balki is going deaf and manages to get tickets. After the concert, Wayne wants to meet Balki personally but Larry is afraid the truth will come out.

Larry decides to impress Mr. Wainwright by enlisting himself and Balki to move his brand new oversized couch up the elevator to his office while the elevator is under repair.

When Balki takes Larry's ""Wheat"" play-script to Lydia's theater, Larry goes down to see the cast. But when the director tries to change the lines, Larry won't let him, so they all quit. But Larry insists that they keep the show by casting him with Balki, Lydia, Jennifer, and Mary Anne, but they've never acted before and make a mess of it.

Mr. Wainwright has chosen Larry and Balki to team up for a stress evaluation test that could get them fired if they fail, which isn't easy for Larry ho is high strung.

Mary Anne has been hinting at Balki to propose to her and he has failed one too many times so she threatens to move out. Larry talks to Balki and tries to get him to realize but do to mis-communication, Balki thinks that Jennifer's in love with him and Mary Anne is going to die. But in all the confusion, Mary Anne move out.

Balki hasn't gone out since he broke up with Mary Anne. So Larry convinces Balki to go out and meet new people and takes him to a singles bar. Balki brings home a woman to watch a Woody Woodpecker marathon but her friend comes with her who is drunk and falls asleep in Larry's bed around the time that Jennifer comes home.

Balki has been having so many dates in the past two weeks and Jennifer thinks he still misses Mary Anne but Larry refuses to believe it. Later on, Balki meets the woman of his dreams who is identical to Mary Anne, and they later discover that Mary Anne is dating a man identical to Balki. Balki and Mary Anne don't seem to realize what's going on for a while, but when they do, they end up getting engaged.

According to a sacred Myposian custom, Balki and Mary Anne must be married within 24 hours and they get everything ready. Larry feels left out of the duties so Balki makes him his best man and the guardian of his Myposian marriage necklace which he must have during the ceremony, but Larry accidentally throws it out. So Larry and Balki search the dump for it and eventually find it and Balki and Mary Anne finally get married.

Jennifer is seven months pregnant; Balki and Mary Anne have been on their honeymoon for five months in Mypos and their about to come home. When they arrive, they have a surprise, Mary Anne is also pregnant but isn't going through any bad symptoms like Jennifer is. Balki brought a root back from Mypos that could help Jennifer but when Larry and Balki eat it, they start acting very hyper and ruin the baby shower.

Larry wants to put some sparks back in his marriage, and after he fails with Balki's secret treasures, he goes shopping with Balki and accidentally gets locked in the store after hours with a mad dog on the loose.

When all of Balki's ants on his farm die, he discovers that he has the "exterminiki curse" and everything he touches will instantly die. So he must wear an oven-mitt suit but can't do his job and drives Jennifer and Mary Anne away until the curse is over.

Balki applies to the ""Baby Quiz"" TV game show for both couples. As it happens, Only Larry and Jennifer are accepted until a last minute drop out of the other contestants, in which Balki and Mary Anne take their places. The prize is a college scholarship for the baby.

Trapped on board a runaway hot air balloon, Larry and Balki must find a way to get back to Earth as Jennifer goes into labor.