The BEST episodes of Perfect Strangers season 4

Every episode of Perfect Strangers season 4, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Perfect Strangers season 4!

The series chronicles the rocky coexistence of Larry Appleton and his distant cousin Balki Bartokomous. A Wisconsin native, Larry, who comes from a large family with numerous brothers and sisters, has just moved into a new apartment in Chicago, and is experiencing his first joys of newfound privacy when Balki, a hitherto unknown cousin from a Greek-like island in the Mediterranean called Mypos, drops by to live with him. Balki, a shepherd by trade, interprets what little he knows about the United States by relying on his own recollections of American pop culture, which are often out-of-context. After initially gently rebuffing his cousin's request to stay at his apartment, Larry, an aspiring photographer, decides to take Balki under his wing and teach him about American life...

Last Updated: 3/17/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
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Up a Lazy River (2)
star
7.89
18 votes

#1 - Up a Lazy River (2)

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/25/1988

After the river takes them on a wild ride, The four end up lost in the woods. Hoping that Larry can regain Jennifer's respect, he talks Balki into letting him lead them back to the camp site but they end up walking for five hours in a circle. Later, Larry and Balki almost drown in quicksand and in the evening, they get attacked by a bear.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Lottery
star
7.82
22 votes

#2 - The Lottery

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/14/1988

Balki insists on buying a lottery ticket but Larry thinks that it is just a waste of money for something that can't possibly win. But during the draws, Larry realizes that Balki picked the right numbers and won 28 million dollars but Balki can't remember where he hid the ticket.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Up a Lazy River (1)
star
7.70
20 votes

#3 - Up a Lazy River (1)

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/18/1988

The Chicago Chronicle is having a camping trip. Larry hates camping but knows that Jennifer loves it, so he arranges a trip. Jennifer insists she won't go alone with Larry (remembering the skiing incident), so Larry elects Balki as the camping leader thinking that Jennifer would feel safe and Mary Anne decides to go along.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Just a Gigolo
star
7.69
16 votes

#4 - Just a Gigolo

Season 4 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/31/1989

Lydia is miserable when her boyfriend dumped her so Balki uses his match-making skills to fix Lydia up with a man who turns out to be a gigolo who married wealthy women, takes their money and leaves them.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Wedding Belle Blues
star
7.65
17 votes

#5 - Wedding Belle Blues

Season 4 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/5/1989

On Balki's 25th birthday, his mama has a pre-arranged marriage that Balki must go through with, even though he is in love with Mary Anne. So Larry and Jennifer try and find a way to save Balki from being unhappy.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Writer: Robert Blair
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Piano Movers
star
7.62
21 votes

#6 - Piano Movers

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/4/1988

When Lydia wants her piano moved up ten flights of stairs so she can sing for a record producer she is dating, Balki volunteers himself and Larry but Larry's bad back may be a strain on this whole thing.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Seven Card Studs
star
7.62
13 votes

#7 - Seven Card Studs

Season 4 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/14/1989

Balki loses $100 at Mr. Gorpley's poker game so Larry insists on playing at his next game to win back Balki's money and then some. Larry tells Balki that he is a great poker player but he loses every hand to Mr. Gorpley.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
High Society
star
7.52
21 votes

#8 - High Society

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/11/1988

Larry has an excellent idea to present to the owners of the Chronicle but has trouble getting into the party that they're holding. And mistakenly believing that Balki is that Crown Prince of Mypos, he gets invited with Larry.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Come Fly with Me
star
7.50
14 votes

#9 - Come Fly with Me

Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/10/1989

Larry and Balki are flying to Hawaii with Jennifer and Mary Anne serving along the way. But after eating a Myposian snack the wrong way, Jennifer and Mary Anne get sick. So Larry and Balki decide to cover for them but didn't know they weren't suppose to serve through turbulence.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Car Wars
star
7.43
14 votes

#10 - Car Wars

Season 4 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/17/1989

Balki finally has enough money to buy a car and thinks it will be fun. But Larry insists on using his father's ""used car rating system"" to buy him one and ends up buying him a lemon.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Gift of the Mypiot
star
7.42
19 votes

#11 - The Gift of the Mypiot

Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/16/1988

On Christmas Eve, Larry and Balki throw a Christmas party at their apartment for all their friends. But when Balki realizes that Mr. Gorpley is lonely, he invites him who causes a lot of trouble with snide attitude and everyone wants to throw him out. But Balki insists on spreading a little Christmas cheer his way too.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Games People Play
star
7.36
14 votes

#12 - Games People Play

Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/3/1989

Larry is assigned to be on a game show called ""Risk it All"" and Balki is his partner. Balki wants to do all the stunts on the show but Larry, to avoid humiliation, insists that he just answer questions and go home. But after being offered a Caribbean Cruise, Larry won't quit.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Crimebusters
star
7.33
15 votes

#13 - Crimebusters

Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/20/1989

Larry is promoted to the investigative reporting team of Marshall & Walpole at the Chronicle and looks hard for a great story. Harriette's husband Carl is a cop who is about to make a big bust and Larry tries to take advantage of the situation to get a front-page story.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Assertive Training
star
7.30
20 votes

#14 - Assertive Training

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/21/1988

After Mr. Perkins, an employee at the Chronicle parked in Larry's parking space and Jennifer breaks a date with him at the last minute, Larry figures he has trouble being assertive. So he goes to a seminar called ""stop"" hoping it will help him become more assertive. When he returns, He tells Jennifer and Mr. Perkins off, and he instructs Balki how to get a raise after Mr. Gorpley laughed in his face when he asked for it. He finally gets Balki to demand a raise from Mr. Gorpley.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Writer: Robert Blair
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Prose and Cons
star
7.24
17 votes

#15 - Prose and Cons

Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/10/1989

Larry and Balki wind in jail after refusing to reveal a source of a commodity scandal to protect the freedom of the press. They won't stop there they are very persistent to keep their sources and take the hard time, But they later get two dangerous cell mates.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Apple TV
College Bound
star
7.21
19 votes

#16 - College Bound

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/9/1988

Larry prepares a surprise party for Balki who is taking his college entrance exams. While they are waiting for him to return, they talk about some things they've been through together such as when they first met, the first day at the Chronicle, when they tried to fix Jennifer and Mary Anne's shower, etc. Larry thinks that he has helped Balki come along way but it seems that Balki has been helping him more.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Apple TV
Maid to Order
star
7.17
18 votes

#17 - Maid to Order

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/6/1989

With Larry working late and Balki at college, their household chores are falling behind. So they decide to hire a maid. They finally select Mr. Bailey who waits on them hand and foot for practically nothing which ends up getting on Larry's nerves.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Writer: Tom Devanney
Watch Now:Apple TV
That Old Gang of Mine
star
7.11
19 votes

#18 - That Old Gang of Mine

Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/13/1989

Mary Anne was promoted and moves to London and Balki is heartbroken and miserable. So Larry suggests Balki get a hobby to take his mind off her. So he joins a motorcycle gang where the club plans a wild initiation ceremony.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Writer: Robert Blair
Watch Now:Apple TV
The King and I
star
7.08
13 votes

#19 - The King and I

Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/24/1989

Larry and Balki throw a '50's party and invite their friends. Lydia brings her date Lamont who is a hypnotist. After demonstrating hypnosis, he accidentally hypnotizes Balki into thinking he's Elvis which carries on through their tax audit the next day.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Writer: Robert Blair
Watch Now:Apple TV
Blind Alley
star
7.07
14 votes

#20 - Blind Alley

Season 4 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/17/1989

Larry's bowling team is one game away from winning the trophy that Mr. Gorpley has been waving in Larry's face for the last year. But Calvin, the star player has been sent out of town by his boss - Mr. Gorpley of course. Balki tries bowling for the first time and had an excellent score so he becomes the substitute, but his trip to the ophthalmologist before the tournament may make playing difficult.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Writer: Tom Devanney
Watch Now:Apple TV
Aliens
star
7.00
22 votes

#21 - Aliens

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/28/1988

Larry and Balki throw a Halloween party with their friends and after six hours of watching scary movies, Larry wakes up and discovers that Balki is an alien from ""Planet Mypos"" and is turning everyone into Mypiots by putting vests on them.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Teacher's Pest
star
6.80
15 votes

#22 - Teacher's Pest

Season 4 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/28/1989

Larry was chosen to teach a college course in journalism and Balki is able to take the class. But his standards are set way too high that he fails the whole class.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Writer: Tom Devanney
Watch Now:Apple TV