Every season of Acropolis Now ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of Acropolis Now!

Kostas leaves Cafe neo acropolis in his son Jim's hands and heads home to Greece after 23 years in Australia for a well deserved holiday.Kostas asks Jim's friend Rick to look after the finances.When Kostas leaves Jim changes the quiet cafe to a happening place for young people.On opening day, Manolis the cook gets drunk & passes out, so Jim has to find a replacement cook fast. In walks Gavin 'skippy ' Thorpe fresh from the North Queensland canefields where he was a cook for the cane cutters.   Jim hires him  When Manolis awakes,he finds a new cook in his kitchen & chases him around the cafe.   Jim also hires Liz, as a waitress.

Old Bar, New Bar

Manolis the chef doesn't like the new chef Gavin 'Skippy ' Farrell. Memo is still being rude to the customers,& Jim is spending all the profits.   Jim gets a call from his Mum to tell him that he's getting married & sends his proxy to meet him.Jim's not keen on getting married until he sees the proxy. Stella & Jim go out Jim has arranged for Skippy to get the suits for the wedding already.   Liz speaks to Stella & asks her what she thinks about arranged marriages. Stella tells her she didn't come here to marry Jim,she came to visit her cousin & have a holiday.   She shows Liz a picture of Elvis & asks where she can find Memo.   (her cousin) Jim is relieved sort of when he finds out. Later Stella goes home to Greece.

The Proxy Blues

Rick puts a stop to Jim's 'freebies'. He's giving away too much free coffee and the business is suffering.

The Martinez Inquiry

It's the day of the prestigiuos Waiters' Race, the one day of the year Memo has been looking forward to. In the past he's come third, second, BUT never first, always losing out to Alexander the Great, the feared Macedonian waiter. But this year's going to be different. This year Memo is going to win!

The Trouble With Mothers

Jim tries to arrange a double date with Ricky, but he's not interested, Jim thinks Uni has ruined Ricky.   A lady customer walks in & Jim & Memo try to chat her up. Ricky recognises her & yells at her to leave. It seems she is an old girlfriend of Ricks who broke his heart.    Sarah comes back into the cafe & wants to talk to Rick, they kiss & make up & then Ricky says that he & Sarah are making a move to Queensland.    Liz recognises Sarah as her teacher from Uni & tells the boys that she doesn't think she is going to Queensland because she is taking another course at Uni that Liz is enrolled in.    Rick is upset again & Jim tells him that they need him at the Acropolis,so he stays.

It's Academic

Jim books famous Greek heart throb Con Jones to perform at the cafe.Memo recalls the time when there were 2 singing waiters at the cafe neo acropolis & he was one of them. He could have been the next (Greek)Elvis, if he hadn't come down with food poisoning.Memo always suspected Con (his partner)who performed solo that night & went off to Greece to fame & fortune.    The cafe is full of adoring fans,but where's Con.? Memo locked him in the toilet as payback.   Jim lets him out & while Con's singing Memo tries to interupt his performance.Later Con apologises to Memo & they perform together once more.

It's Not Unusual

Liz is going to a Fabien society meeting & Jim wants to come because he's a big fan of Fabian.   After embarasing Liz at the meeting,they return to the cafe to get something and Jim locks his keys outside.    Liz starts to panic & confesses to being a little claustrophobic. They ring Memo,Rick & Skippy but they're not home.!  Jim suggests they try to get some sleep when a noise at the back door startles Liz. A crook is trying to break in & Jim asks him to go around the front to let them out! The crook thinks it's a trick, so Liz & Jim have to spend the night locked in.!

The Key to Her Heart

Easter is coming up & the time of fasting is upon them.That means no meat, cheese, alcohol,sex. Memo is finding it difficult   to abstain from all these things. Manolis is betting on the horses and losing. Jim has been saving Manolis' money & not putting his bets on.    Effie wants Rick & Jim to take Sophie & herself to church.   Jim gets a tip from a bookie but Liz won't let him place the bet.The horse comes second,so Jim tells Manolis & gives him his money.    After church Memo is so hungry he rushes to the cafe for the feast with his candle, but the flame goes out so he has to go back to the church to re-light it. Then everyone arrives & Effie has a plan to get a kiss from Rick, they tap eggs & Effie wins, but then drops it on Ricks foot.

Easter Greek Style

Liz bets Jim $10 he can't 'pick up' a girl in the cafe. Jim tries the first girl he sees & starts to 'chat her up'. When she stands up though, she's heavily pregnant.! Liz wins the bet.!   Memo starts talking to the girl (Margot) who tells him she's looking for Gavin'skippy'Farrell.!    Skippy introduces Margot to the staff & tells them that he & Margot are going to be married.!    Skippy & Margot have to save money for the wedding & the baby so Liz asks Jim to give Margot a job in the cafe.    Liz later finds out that, Skippy & Margot haven't seen each other for 5 years so Skippy can't be the father, but he's going to marry her anyway.    Andy (skippy's brother) arrives & Skip confronts him.(he's the dad.) Margot sees him & goes into Labour.   Ricky calls an ambulance & Memo helps deliver the baby.   Later Andy decides to accept his responsibility.

Three Skips and a Joey

Jim has to organise a buck's night for his cousin but has never done it before. He doesn't recognise him when he & his fiance Gina arrive at the cafe.While he's organising the bucks night, Liz decides to have a Hens night for Gina.   Effie arranges a stripper for all the girls,but Liz wants to play boring games like 'Ethical pursuit'and I spy.!   Gina spies Carlos the stripper & he starts dirty dancing with her when Bill & the boys return.!    The wedding is off ! Bill thought Gina was shy,but she's a rager.! Liz arranges for the couple to patch up their differences and they kiss and make up.

Bucklovers

Jim gets his picture in Vibrations Discos magazine & Liz wants to go there to see what it's like.   Epsilon walks in to the cafe & Sophie & Effie swoon. Liz has a look & falls head over heels for him.    After talking to Epsilon for a while, Liz learns he's a famous greek poet. Jim knows all about him too, they went to school together but then Epsilon was known as Themmy Parkyakarkas.   Memo wants E's opinion on a poem he's written & Jim is ready to take Liz to Vibrations,But now Liz wants to go with Epsilon.   Next day Jim learns E has asked Liz to go to Greece with as his personal assistant. Jim tries to tell Liz that E's a fake & is interested in more than work.Memo is listening to the radio & hears Epsilon reading his poem & claims he wrote it.!   When E comes to get Liz for their trip top Greece she sends him away.

Writers Block

Rick takes a week off for a quick holiday to the Whitsunday Islands. He comes back to find things are not as he left them.   Jim had an accident with the cappuchino machine, the cash register is not working & neither is the phone.! Rick's stressed out all over again!    Memo asks Rick about his trip, did he meet any nice girls while he was away?

Rick says he did meet a lady he'd like to get to know better & is surprised when she walks into the cafe.    Memo convinces Rick to 'hit on her' and Rick is embarrased to discover she is the new bank manager come to discuss the loan for the new coffee machine. Also she's married to ""The Strangulator"" Jim's Wrestling Hero.

Cappuchino Catastrophe

Effie bets Liz $10 she won't go out with Jim. Liz asks Jim if he wants to go out with her & he thinks his luck has changed!    They go to see a movie at the Drive-In & Jim makes a move on Liz. Liz tells him she wants to watch the picture & Jim falls asleep.    Memo wants to get into the "Guinea pigs book of records" by holding more than thirty coffee cups & saucers in his arms.    Liz wins her bet & wants to collect her $10, but Effie says she bet Rick $10 that Liz wouldn't ask Jim,so he should pay the money.

Double Or Nothing

Liz goes away for the weekend & Ula a Koori girl stands in for her. Memo thinks Koori is an island somewhere & tries to find it on a map of the world.    Jim thinks Ula is African/American & dresses like a 'brother from the 'hood'to make her feel at home.    Rick tells Jim Ula is a Koori Aboriginal Australian.   Jim invites Ula to Vibrations nightclub & when Liz returns & finds out about this,she's worried for Ula's sake.    Liz has nothing to worry about, Jim didn't make a move on Ula & they parted friends.

Black Ain't Black

Jim gets a chain-letter in the mail & rips it up when Liz & Rick tell him they are rubbish & should be ignored.    Shortly after, Jim's father rings from Greece to tell Jim he has to sell the cafe because there's an olive glut on the common market & he needs to raise some capital.    Jim tapes the letter back together so nothing else bad can happen. Then he remembers  his father's friend Mr Kasamedes & wants to ask him for a loan. There's just one problem, Mr Kasamedes third daughter Debbie, is single & looking for a man.    Jim has to take Debbie to a disco so her father will lend Jim's father the money.!    Luckily for Jim, Debbie meets the man of her dreams at the disco & Jim is ""off the hook.""    Jim tells Liz & Rick that the chain letters he wrote & sent out to his friends brought him good luck. Then the 'postie' arrives with mail for Liz & Rick, Jim sneaks away silently before they read the letters.!

Olives Ain't Olives

Memo becomes a Greek Orthodox priest after attending a Greek religious festival. While on his Priest 'P plates' he has to abstain from sex, drink & losing his temper for 40 days & 40 nights. In the cafe watching the soccer replay, Memo argues with a soccer referee who 'red cards' him & wants to settle the argument outside. What Memo doesn't know is that the soccer ref is Liz's uncle. Later Memo has given up his idea of being a priest & Liz phones her uncle to tell him the plan worked.

St. Memo's Fire

When good looking girls start coming into the cafe & asking for Jim, Memo wants to know what's going on. Jim's organising a beauty contest to bring customers into the cafe. When Effie hears about this she wants to enter. Liz thinks it's degrading to women & wants Jim to call it off.    Memo tells Effie she can enter the contest & gives her a neck to knee bathing suit while the other girls have one piece swimsuits on.    Liz is one of the judges & asks Effie one question, then declares Effie the winner. Jim's prize of a date with a celebrity was a not true & Effie & the other girls chase Jim until he arranges a date for Effie with Ricky & Memo as chaperone.

Ms Acropolis

Rick,Jim & Memo are going to a soccer game when Rick's friend Rosetta visits & asks Rick if he can do her a favour. She needs a babysitter for her daughter Carmen. Rick has to stay and look after the baby while Jim & Memo go to the game.   Liz arrives & helps Rick with the baby. Later, Memo & Jim return but Rosetta doesn't.    Next morning Rosetta arrives with her new boyfriend who doesn't know she has a baby. He leaves, Liz goes after him & Rosetta and Eric re-unite.

Carmen, I'm Too Bizet

Jim asks Rick for his opinion about a ring, it's his Grandmother's & he wants to sell it to buy a new muffler for the monaro.  Rick tells him to ask Liz. Jim gives Liz the ring and tells her to think about a question he wants to ask her when he returns. Liz thinks Jim has just proposed.!    Jim & Effie return from their cousin's wedding, Rick & Memo tell Effie about the ring. Effie tells Liz to let Jim down easy,in fact she'll do it for her. Effie tells Jim that Liz thinks he wants to marry her. Jim asks Effie to help him out of this situation. Liz & Jim remain friends, Liz writes Effie a proposal for Ricky but he turns her down with a kiss on the cheek. How embarassment.!

Ring Of Confidence

Effie & Sophie ask Jim for a job at the cafe, Rick tells them they can't afford to hire more staff just now. Liz & Rick suggest they try the employment agency.   Jim tells Effie if she can get a job,Memo & he will be her slave for a week.!    Effie & Sophie get a job at Macarthurs, but lose it the same day. Next day they get a job at the bank & Jim & Memo lose the bet.

Jobs For The Girls

Liz takes Jim to see a Shakespeare play. Jim liked it so much he wants to stage shakespeare in the cafe.   Romeo & Juliet will never be the same again.!   Jim pays a theatre critic (John Hindle) to come see the show & write a good review. Next day Effie has a 'swelled head' because of the reviews.

Shakespeare Was A Greek

Memo's looking for a husband for his sister Aphroula,a lady customer writes Memo a note & he asks her for a date.(she doesn't speak much english though.)   Jim phones his friend Harry (the bouncer at Vibrations)to take Aphroula out, but Memo wants to interview him first.!    Harry arrives & sees Memo's date ,thinks she's Aphroula & they leave together.    Jim has to take Aphroula to the disco & Memo tells him, No funny business.!

Next day, Liz gives Aphroula a makeover & then all the boys are interested.

My Sister Aphroula

The Tax Office wants to audit the cafe's books & Rick has to check to see if everything is in order.   The tax man is threatening big trouble & Jim gets a date with a good looking girl.   When the books go missing & Rick can't present them to the tax man, he searches high & low. He finds them & the tax man backs off.

The Taxman Cometh

Rick is faced with a dilemma to stay at the cafe or join a jazz band. An old friend of Rick's (Jack) arrives at the cafe and invites him to tour with his band to Europe, Rick says he could never leave the cafe, they need him to mind the books.   Jack gives him some time to think it over & The others show Ricky they can run the place without him. Jack returns for Rick's decision & he leaves the cafe to tour Europe with Jacks band.

Ricky Sings The Blues

Jim's friendship with Harry, the bouncer from Vibrations, is under threat when Harry's new girlfriend prefers Jim. To fend off her persistant advances, Jim needs to find a girl who can make him appear undesirable.

Harry Who Didn't

Memo is in love with his hairdresser but can't seem to tell her. Like a love-struck idiot, he seeks advice from Jim.

The Goddess

When Jim's father loses the café in a card game in Greece, the new Italian owner puts his nephew in charge.

A Fistful of Cabana

A strike is called when Effie challenges the system and Memo is torn between the Greek Waiters Association and the café.

On the Waiter Front

Memo, desperate to marry his sister off, organises a blind date with a soccer player.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Greeks

Jim's young cousin is wagging school and when his teacher arrives at the café, she runs into Memo — an old flame from a Greek holiday. To set a good example for his cousin, Jim asks Liz to turn him into the perfect man but the truth proves more effective.

The Kid

Jim's long-time rival Vinnie has opened a new bistro and is hanging around the café trying to recruit Liz. Counting on the strength on his new cook, Jim challenges Vinnie to an arm wresling competition with the winner getting Liz.

The Best of Enemies

Memo's mother sends an uncle from Greece to encourage Memo to finally marry. In desperation, he agrees to have Effie to pose as his fiancée.

Throw Memo from a Plane

Jim is excited because he's off to the snow with Memo and Alfredo. To cover during his absense, Jim hires a replacement. Don Santo pledges his love for Liz while the boys discover their vacation isn't quite what they expected.

Snow Job, Part One

At the snow, the accommodation leaves a little to be desired making Jim's organisation look pretty awful. With an escaped lunatic on the loose, the guys' suspicions run wild.

Snow Job, Part Two

The factory down the road is polluting the environment, and Liz organises a protest that puts Jim in jail.

Midnight Expresso

Is Unkrainian exchange student Uri really just a student, or is he a KGB spy as Jim suspects? To out-spy the spy, Jim introduces Uri to Ef... Charlene, the "typical Australian woman".

Back in the USSR

Effie and Sophie, in the eternal quest for perfect hair, experiment with a new product. When things go wrong Effie takes legal action against Sophie.

Acropolis Law

Jim's hormone driven employment policy leads him to trouble again when he causes his ex-flame Suzanna - a high powered marketing executive - to lose her job. That's when Jim takes his life into his own hands - he knows the others are going to kill him, but, regardless, he offers her a job at the café as a waitress.

Oh Suzanna

Jim's rival Vinnie has agreed to buy the Acropolis Now from Jim's father but the final word rests with Jim. Memo is convinced the café is haunted by his cousin Spiro Kruegernidis.

Phantom of the Acropolis

Effie and Sophie hold their hair and fashion show at the café but when Suzanna steals the show, Effie tries to poison her with haircare products. Jim and Memo sabotage Suzanna's search for a new job.

Crimes of Fashion

Effie is determined to make Sophie's 21st a birthday she'll never forget... if only they could get past the bouncer at Vibrations.

Twenty One Today

The guys are convinced Suzanna is behind a letter printed in a magazine from a woman seeking dating advice in regards to her three co-workers. Effie is in search of advice on buying a car.

The Letter

To pay for his sister's return to Greece, Memo appears on the game show Wheel of Language. Suzanna forces Jim to get rid of his magazine collection but while going throught them one last time, he notices one of the centerfolds looks familiar...

Wheel of Shame

Jim puts Memo through training after he is drafted into the Greek army. Suzanna raids the annual party of the marketing company that fired her.

Full Metal Jerks

Jim has to wear glasses or give up driving his Monaro but when the jokes get to be too much, Suzanna takes it upon herself to transform a bespectacled Jim from dag to snag (sensitive new age guy).

Four Eyes

When Suzanna's abrasive former colleague has car trouble outside the café she sees an opportunity to get her old job back. Suzanna pretends to be engaged to Alfredo

Devil in Disguise

Memo's discovery of Elvis' reincarnated frozen head in the kitchen freezer coincides with a visit from the health inspector. Inspired by Elvis' appearance, the pair make plans to travel to the world and visit Graceland.

The King and I

Effie ends up in hospital after she falls victim to a practical joke Memo intended for Jim. Left with no memory of her previous life, Jim sees an opportunity to create a new Effie, a better Effie.

Desperately Seeking Effie

Jim takes advantage of his friends' generosity by pretending to have lost his hearing. When they discover the truth, Memo, Alfredo and Suzanna trick Jim into believing they are planning to kill him, but just who is being conned

Deaf Jammed

After a near-death experience, Alfredo decides it is time he embraced his faith. Meanwhile, Jim and Suzanna divert their sexual energies as they continue to deny their feelings for one another.

The Last Temptation

Jim has a horrible dream — he is married to Suzanna. They have one screaming baby, another on the way, and he has traded in his Monaro... for a station wagon! Perhaps it's not the best time for them to go away for a romantic weekend? After Effie loses her job, Suzanna encourages her to set up her own hair salon (Hair Razors) above the café. Memo's volatile air hostess ex-girlfriend returns, lawsuit in hand.

Dream Baby

Jim panics when Suzanna's parents want to meet their future son-in-law. Her parents are less than impressed by Jim and set out to show just how incompatible he and their daughter are. Effie invents a potent new shampoo. Memo gets a lawyer to fight Despina's lawsuit.

Love

A Swedish car expert and photographer, Lars Larson, falls in love with Effie while helping Jim rebuild his Monaro. Despina sends Memo a series of provocative photos from her travels.

Hair Razors

Memo has had enough of Despina's flirting with sports stars and decides to show her who's boss. Suzanna asks Jim to throw away his "little black book". Despina tries to make Memo jealous by dating other men.

The Other Man

Wrestlemania 17 fever grips Jim and Memo and nothing is going to stop them watching the show on TV. Lars gives Effie an ultimatum: admit she loves him or he'll leave. Suzanna and Despina decide the best way to get him to stay is to throw him a going-away party.

The Lars Supper

Jim hides his relationship with Suzanna when his mother returns unexpectedly from Greece. As Suzanna threatens to walk out, Effie needs to find a way for her salon customers to walk in.

Mum's the Word

There's a new girl in Jim's life, maybe even a wife! AFter watching Jim propose to another woman, Suzanna leaves for a once-in-a-lifetime job managing a resort in Cairo. Memo almost forgets Despina's birthday.

Coward's End

Memo refuses to accompany Despina to Greece and his reputation as a notorious Greek stud is ruined. To make matters worse, Despina declines his marriage proposal.

The Battle of the Sexists

Jim panics when both Suzanna and Julia accept Jim's marriage proposal. Despina agrees to accompany Memo to the Greek Waiters Picnic.

Torn Between Two Lovers

Memo asks Despina to quit her job when a fortune teller reveals a looming tragedy in her life. Jim searches for a best man for his wedding — both of them.

Stupidstition

After helping Jim keep Julia and Suzanna from meeting one another, Effie finally confesses her love for Lars. Memo receives his first fax from Despina and Lars reveals a secret about his past.

Confessions of a Hair Gel Goddess

Jim is kept busy planning two weddings but eventually must admit to Memo that he doesn't actually love Suzanna or Julia. Memo throws a disastrous buck's party.

Here Come The Brides (Part 1)

Jim fails to show up for his weddings. Lars returns and Despina announces her love for Memo.

Here Come The Brides (Part 2)

Acropolis Now was an Australian sitcom set in a Greek cafe in Melbourne of the same name that ran for 63 episodes from 1989 to 1992 on the Seven Network. It was created by Nick Giannopoulos, George Kapiniaris and Simon Palomares, who also starred in the series. They were already quite well known for their comedy stage show, Wogs out of Work. The title is a play on the film Apocalypse Now. Each episode was 30 minutes in length and filmed in front of a live audience.

Jim's father asks him to run the family business, the Acropolis café, when he suddenly leaves Australia to return to his homeland Greece. The series centres around the activities of the cafe staff. Greek Jim Stephanidis, is the immature owner and his best friend, Spaniard Ricky Martinez is the sensible manager. Memo is the traditional Greek waiter, Liz is the liberated Australian waitress. Skip is the naïve new cook from the bush and Manolis is the stubborn cook from the old cafe. 'Hilarity' prevails from the clash of cultures and beliefs.

Jim's hairdresser cousin Effie, played by Mary Coustas, became a hugely popular and enduring character during the run of the show. Coustas later reprised the role for several TV specials and series including Effie, Just Quietly, an SBS comedy / interview show, and Greeks on the Roof, a short-lived Greek-Australian version of the British talk show The Kumars at No. 42.

The Best Seasons of Acropolis Now

The Best Seasons of Acropolis Now

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5