Skip to main content

‘Perfect Stranger Things’ might be the weirdest ’80s mash-up ever

If you finished the second season of Stranger Things and thought the hit Netflix series was really suffering from a lack of wacky cousins sharing an apartment, Jimmy Kimmel has apparently heard your complaints.

During an episode of his late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel introduced Perfect Stranger Things as a “spinoff series” based on Stranger Things that unites the kids from Hawkins, Indiana, with one of the ’80s television’s most popular odd-couple duos: Perfect Strangers characters Larry Appleton and Balki Bartokomous.

Recommended Videos

The skit brought back original Perfect Strangers stars Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot as Larry and Balki, respectively, and had them welcoming in a new roommate going by the name of Dem O’Gorgon — “Is he Irish?” asks Larry.

The pair then meet one of the terrifying “Demogorgon” creatures that tormented Hawkins, and a montage ensues featuring some of the wild hijinks the trio gets involved with — including a scene with the Demogorgon eating their cat, another scene in which Balki questions which roommate left a pile of slime on his toothbrush, and even a quick trip to the Upside Down dimension for Larry and Balki.

The young cast of Stranger Things — minus Millie Bobby Brown’s character, Eleven — eventually makes an appearance in the show as a quartet of trick-or-treating kids, and more zany antics occur, concluding with Dem O’Gorgon dragging Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) away once again.

“Not again,” laments Will.

Much to the nostalgic amusement of anyone who recalls Perfect Strangers, the skit ends with Larry and Balki doing the “dance of joy” with their new pal.

Kimmel also included another tease after the credits rolled on his Perfect Stranger Things mash-up. The faux sitcom ad is followed by a brief promotional clip for Fuller House of Cards featuring Full House star Bob Saget being shoved in front of a train by a mysterious stranger.

There is no official word yet on when we will get the next season of Stranger Things, but if you’ve watched the first two seasons too many times already, Kimmel’s skit is certainly a nice way to add some new Stranger Things material into your media diet.

Rick Marshall
Former Contributing Editor, Entertainment
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Erin Brockovich is the movie you need to stream on Peacock this month
A woman and man walk down the street while holding coffee.

The year 2000 was an excellent one for director Steven Soderbergh. He directed not one, but two Best Picture nominees. Plus, Soderbergh took home the Oscar for Best Director for Traffic.

The other movie he made that year is even better than Traffic. Erin Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts at the peak of her powers, follows a single mother of three children who discovers a massive coverup being perpetuated by a major energy company. Here are three reasons you should check it out while it's on Peacock:

Read more
Amazon announces Prime Day 2025 will be July 8-11
Best Prime Day Amazon Deals

Amazon officially announced two major things about Amazon Prime Day 2025 today: the exact dates of the sale and a surprise about its length. Prime Day 2025 will run from July 8 through 11, confirming our suspicions of a mid-July date and surprising us by doubling the usual runtime for the event.

Historically, Prime Day has been two days long. The dates jump around every year, but the length has stayed consistent. Amazon announced the dates with a press release and a commercial featuring Lebron James imagining his post-NBA career.

Read more
Deliver Me from Nowhere trailer: Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen could lead to Oscars
Jeremy Allen White puts his arm in the air and sings into a mic.

Jeremy Allen White grabs his guitar and rocks out as Bruce Springsteen in the official trailer forĀ Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.

Springsteen and the E Street Band were red-hot entering the '80s following a string of successful albums, including Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and The River. On the cusp of superstardom, the Boss grappled with his past and the pressures of being a rock star. Deliver Me from Nowhere picks up in the early '80s and chronicles the making of Nebraska, Springsteen's 1982 album that many consider his true masterpiece.

Read more