I've been watching the DVDs and I noticed that Balki says "don't be ridiculous" ALOT. :lol: I think he even said it 4 times in the pilot episode. There were several other episodes where he says it more than once too.

Did anyone else ever get sick of that catch phrase? I used to laugh whenever Balki said it when I watched the show during it's original run, but watching the show now, I just don't think it's funny. It's almost like the writers or producers tried very hard to make it a catch phrase by having Balki say it multiple times in an episode. If he had said it only once an episode or once every few episodes, I think it would have been fine, but 3-4 times an episode is "ridiculous". :crazy:

I don't think he said it more than two or three times in most episodes. There were times when it was funny, like when Larry and Balki were looking for Lowell Kelly's poem in the apartment. Larry reads the instruction, which ends with "please be meticulous" and Balki responds with, "Of course we will, don't be ridiculous!" Classic!

I don't think it's really overused, because after seeing the show on You Tube, I've noticed quite a few season 3 and season 4 episodes where Balki didn't say it at all. It might be more common than Urkel's 'Did I Do That' though.

That phrase caught on like wildfire -- I said it, my friends said it, my co-workers said it -- we all thought Balki was funny.

It's no more overused than ...

"Sorry about that!" (Get Smart)
"Wellll, doggies!" (The Beverly Hillbillies)
"Shazam!" (Gomer Pyle)
"To the moon!" (The Honeymooners)
"Ayyyyyyyyyyy!" (Happy Days)
"What a revoltin' development this is!" (The Life of Riley)
"Ooh! Ooh!" (Car 54, Where Are You?)
"You rang?" (The Addams Family)

In other words, catch phrases have been a staple in sitcoms for as long as
there have been sitcoms. They make the characters immediately identifiable,
and the same applies to your best-remembered cartoon characters:

"I yam what I yam!" (Popeye)
"What's up, Doc?" (Bugs Bunny)
"I'm smarter than the average bear!" (Yogi Bear)
"Yabba-Dabba-Doo!" (Fred Flintstone)

Well, you get the idea.

It was pretty overused in seasons one and two, at least. I got to say, after watching the first fourteen episodes from the DVD, I am disappointed. I remembered the show fondly from reruns, but I'm pretty sure those were the later episodes I was watching. The early ones seem like nothing more than a cheap excuse to say "Don't be ridikulous." and "Balki, you can't do that!" "Why, Cousin?" "Because This Is America!" "Cousin, you hurt Balki's feelings." "I am lower than dirt. I hate myself." "Don't hate yourself, Cousin. I forgive you." (Hug)

It definately has its moments in the first couple of seasons, but the shows can really be trimmed down from 25 minutes to about 15 and the enjoyment level would probably increase tenfold. In other words, there's too much fluff in there!

I do have to say I still laugh every time I think of phrases like "Well, paint me green and call me Gumby" and "Well, paint me gold and call me Oscar". :lol:

It's no more overused than ...

"Sorry about that!" (Get Smart)
"Wellll, doggies!" (The Beverly Hillbillies)
"Shazam!" (Gomer Pyle)
"To the moon!" (The Honeymooners)
"Ayyyyyyyyyyy!" (Happy Days)
"What a revoltin' development this is!" (The Life of Riley)
"Ooh! Ooh!" (Car 54, Where Are You?)
"You rang?" (The Addams Family)

In other words, catch phrases have been a staple in sitcoms for as long as
there have been sitcoms. They make the characters immediately identifiable,
and the same applies to your best-remembered cartoon characters:

"I yam what I yam!" (Popeye)
"What's up, Doc?" (Bugs Bunny)
"I'm smarter than the average bear!" (Yogi Bear)
"Yabba-Dabba-Doo!" (Fred Flintstone)

Well, you get the idea.

I understand that, but the problem I had with "Don't be Ridiculous" was Balki saying it several times in an episode. It just got to be annoying, rather than funny. I don't think any of those other characters said their catch phrases more than once per episode, which is fine. I noticed that Balki stopped saying it so much after the first 10-15 episodes, however, so it didn't really bother me anymore. :)

I never saw the first season. By the time I began watching Perfect
Strangers, it had been on for a year or two. So, the phrase may have been overused in the early seasons. My older sister talked me into watching it. She thought that I would like it (and she was right). Although a generation
older than I, we often liked the same TV programs. But I digress. :)

I understand that, but the problem I had with "Don't be Ridiculous" was Balki saying it several times in an episode. It just got to be annoying, rather than funny. I don't think any of those other characters said their catch phrases more than once per episode, which is fine. I noticed that Balki stopped saying it so much after the first 10-15 episodes, however, so it didn't really bother me anymore. :)

Well, I don't think he said it more than once per episode after Season 2. The only exception I can think of would be in the episode "aliens." Also, don't forget the different variations of the phrase.

"Don't Be Bogus Dude" (Because They're Cousins)
"Of Course I Do. I am Ridiculous." (Eyewitless Reports)
"Of Course You Can. Do Be Ridiculous." (Call Me Indestructble)
I also remember an episode where Balki said to Larry. "You're being ridiculous. Don't be." But I forget which one that was.

I found my old VHS tapes - the ones I used to record the final eps of PS which aired in the summer of 1993. In one of them, Larry even says to Balki, "Of course not, don't be ridiculous." It got quite a reaction from the studio audience. :lol:

Balki had a couple of other catch phrases that I liked:

"You stepped in something good this time" :lol:
"On Mypos..."(Balki would frequently relate something that happened in his homeland to the present situation)

Balki had a couple of other catch phrases that I liked:

"You stepped in something good this time" :lol:
"On Mypos..."(Balki would frequently relate something that happened in his homeland to the present situation)
Or:

"Get out of the city!"

"Wwwwwwwwwow!"

I disagree. I like "Don't be ridiculous" myself. Heck, I use it myself sometimes in conversation!

I disagree. I like "Don't be ridiculous" myself. Heck, I use it myself sometimes in conversation!
Me, too!! :lol:

Well, I don't think he said it more than once per episode after Season 2. The only exception I can think of would be in the episode "aliens." Also, don't forget the different variations of the phrase.

"Don't Be Bogus Dude" (Because They're Cousins)
"Of Course I Do. I am Ridiculous." (Eyewitless Reports)
"Of Course You Can. Do Be Ridiculous." (Call Me Indestructble)
I also remember an episode where Balki said to Larry. "You're being ridiculous. Don't be." But I forget which one that was.
Larry says it to Balki at the beginning of the season eight episode named Lethal Weapon. :) :) :)

God bless you always!!!

Holly

P.S. My favorite of Balki's catch phrases might be this one: "Well, I'll be snookered." :) :) :)