The Cast Showoff: Both Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker sing frequently on the show. Unfortunately it's the main reason why the DVD rights for the show were hung up for so long before the remaining six seasonsnote The first two seasons were released in a combined set in February 2008 began to finally be released in the format in 2018.
Called Balki e Larry - Due Perfetti Americani in Italy.
The Brazilian title was Primo Cruzado (literally Crossed Cousin, but also a reference to Brazilian then –mid-80's– currency Cruzado).
Corpsing: Bronson Pinchot corpses in the "You locked me in the closet!" exchange (in "Happy Birthday Baby"). He also corpses in "That Old Gang of Mine" when he and Mark Linn-Baker were trying to get off the coat rack.
Cultural Translation: The Brazilian dub took it up to eleven. Balki's nationality was changed to Brazilian – more specifically, he was turned into a caipira from the countryside of the state of Minas Gerais, with the corresponding accent, and his name was changed to Zeca (a Brazilian nickname for José or José Carlos).
Dawson Casting: In the episode "Happy Birthday Baby", Larry turns 24. Mark Linn-Baker was 32 at the time of filming. Also, in "Knock Knock, Who's There?", Balki is supposedly 22 years old. Bronson Pinchot was 27 when he first started playing him.
Mark Linn-Baker (Larry Appleton) is also best known for playing Benjy Stone in My Favorite Year. He also played Judge Don Linden in The Good Fight
David Ketchum wrote an episode. Ketchum is best known for playing Agent 13 on Get Smart.
In addition to his work on Perfect Strangers, creator, executive producer, and executive consultant Dale McRaven is also best known as co-creator, producer, and supervising producer of Mork & Mindy.
In an outtake for "Snow Way to Treat a Lady, Part 2", Mark Linn-Baker, wearing ski boots, trod on Bronson Pinchot's foot.
Bronson Pinchot got an Ear Ache after filming the episode "Up a Lazy River, Part 2", from the water and dirt he got in his ear after filming the quicksand scene.
Real-Life Relative: Nico, Mary Ann's new boyfriend in "It Had To Be You", is almost a dead ringer for Balki. He's played by Justin Pinchot, Bronson's younger brother.
Recycled Script: "The King and I," where a hypnotist unsuccessfully tries to hypnotize Larry but accidentally hypnotizes Balki into going under whenever he hears a bell ring. It's taken beat-for-beat from the story of an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Amusingly, creator and executive consultant Dale McRaven was a former Dick Van Dyke Show writer.
Another form of recycling happens in the first few minutes of "Citizenship Part 2", with shots of what is purportedly Mypos. Right before Balki is shown with his hotdoggie stand for the first time, there's a shot of a herd of sheep running through a village gate followed by three children. It's from The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima being used as Stock Footage.
Screwed by the Network: A bizarre case of this toward the end. Despite the series continuing to do well in the ratings entering the 1991-92; ABC had been reportedly trying to cancel Perfect Strangers due to rising costs and advancing age (7th season). By early 1992, ABC decided to transfer the series from its 9:30 p.m. slot on the TGIF block to an newly-created offshoot block called "I Love Saturday Night", placing it alongside aging one-time ABC hits Growing Pains and Who's the Boss? plus a new animated series called Capitol Critters. Inevitably, the series (which finished at #32note not far from its average ranking of 27th place) plummeted to #65 in the ratings, allowing ABC to shelve it, giving the producers only a Post-Script Season of 6 episodes to wrap up the show. Ironically enough, they did so by sticking reruns at its old slot during the summer of 1992 (the series would be placed on hiatus and have its final 6 episodes burned off over the summer of 1993, over a year and a half after ABC moved it to Saturday).
What Could Have Been: The show's unaired original pilot episode featured comedian Louie Anderson in the role of Balki's cousin, named Louie in this version. The producers felt Anderson didn't have chemistry with Bronson Pinchot and auditioned new actors, and the show was saved when Mark Linn-Baker showed great chemistry with Pinchot.
You Look Familiar: Belita Moreno originally played Mr. Twinkacetti's wife Edwina. When the characters were dropped in the third season Retool, the producers kept Moreno on the show and cast her as the new character of Lydia.
Sam Anderson (Mr. Gorpley) appeared once in the first season before returning for his more recognized role.
Non-Trope Trivia
Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker accidentally injured each other while filming a scene for the episode "Assertive Training" where Balki shakes Larry back and forth like a ragdoll. Linn-Baker's head hit Pinchot's front teeth inadvertently; Linn-Baker had a gash in his forehead and Pinchot's tooth was pushed upwards into his gum. The two knocked each other out and had to be carried out. Fortunately they were cleaned up in less than fifteen minutes. After the show finished, Linn-Baker had one stitch while Pinchot later needed to have a root canal.
Lucille Ball revealed she was a fan of the series shortly before her death.
from the countryside of the state of Minas Gerais, with the corresponding accent, and his name was changed to Zeca (a Brazilian nickname for José or José Carlos).