In its debut season, Fuller House attempted to balance nostalgia with new storytelling. Here’s what worked, what didn’t, and what went really wrong.
The concept of a Full House revival may have started out as a joke, but Netflix brought the Tanner family back to the forefront of pop culture with the sequel series Fuller House. Most of the cast of Full House signed on to return for the Netflix series, but throughout the show’s production rumors circulated about the involvement of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen – who shared the role of youngest Tanner daughter Michelle – though it was eventually confirmed they wouldn’t appear. Still, the majority of the Tanner-Gibbler-Donaldson-Katsopolis-Gladstone clan returned for the family-oriented Netflix show.
Fuller House revolves around the eldest Tanner daughter, D.J. (Candace Cameron-Bure), a recently widowed veterinarian who is left taking care of her three sons: 13-year-old Jackson (Michael Campion), 7-year-old Max (Elias Harger), and baby Tommy Jr. (Dashiell & Fox Messitt). With her father, aunt, and uncles gone from her childhood home, D.J. is joined by her sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and her best friend Kimmy (Andrea Barber) who has a daughter of her own, Ramona (Soni Nichole Bringas).
Popping in and out of the Tanner’s famous family home during the season – after their official sendoff in the series premiere, ‘Our Very First Show, Again’ – are Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos), Rebecca Donaldson-Katsopolis (Lori Loughlin), and Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier). Additionally in season 1, D.J. attempts to decide whether she’s ready to move on from the loss of her husband and begin dating again, with both her high school ex-boyfriend Steve Hale (Scott Weinger) and her co-worker Dr. Matt Harmon (John Brotherton) pursuing her affections. Meanwhile, Kimmy has an on-again, off-again relationship with her husband from whom she’s separated, Fernando (Juan Pablo Di Pace), who is also Ramona’s father.
In addition to the romantic plots of D.J. and Kimmy, Steph struggles to balance her family life with the career she has built as a DJ – called DJ Tanner to D.J.’s annoyance. As for the kids, Jackson has a tough time coming to terms with living with so many women, especially Ramona, and he later develops a crush on Ramona’s friend Lola (Ashley Liao); Ramona wants for her mother and father, and subsequently her family, to be reunited; and Max adopts one of Comet Jr. Jr.’s puppies and names him Cosmo. The show brings all of these threads together in the season finale, ‘Love is in the Air’, in a way that would have felt like a decent conclusion to the series if it weren’t coming back for season 2. Here are the high and low points of Fuller House season 1 – as well as where the show went horribly wrong.
The Good
New Material
The first half of the season feels rather aimless as show attempts to establish how the characters are fitting in with each other in the new mixed family situation created in the first episode of Fuller House. However, it comes off more as the show trying to figure out what to do with its characters. The season begins to lock into place around the time of ‘Mad Max’ as it gives its characters more serious moments to tackle – such as Stephanie revealing that being an aunt has come to mean so much to her because she isn’t able to have children of her own.
The topic is, for the most part, brushed aside after Stephanie’s revelation and subsequent emotional conversation with D.J., but it gave the character her first (and possibly last) moment of serious emotional weight. Fuller House rarely broaches serious topics – with the exception of D.J.’s husband and the boys’ father’s death, which is still only briefly touched upon a handful of times – and when it does, the show stays strictly to a surface level dive into those issues. Still, the effort to attempt a serious character development for Steph through this revelation should be applauded, especially as television rarely delves into the realities that children just aren’t a possibility for some women.
Undoubtedly, Fuller House better handles its theme of family throughout season 1, between the mixed family of the Tanner-Fuller-Gibblers now living in the house and Ramona’s wish to see her smaller family reunited – even if that means leaving her new home. Although the mixed family unit isn’t necessarily a new theme to the Full House franchise, since it was a huge part of the original sitcom, the pull of Ramona and Kimmy between the Fullers and Fernando was entirely original and much more realistic to modern audiences.
Nostalgia
On the whole, the first season of Fuller House doesn’t lean into the Full House nostalgia as much as the first episode, which is almost entirely comprised of quotes and references to the original sitcom. Instead, the characters’ catch phrases and other nods to Full House are peppered in throughout the other 12 episodes in a manner that is more along the lines of an ostentatious wink than an attention-grabbing shout.
Undoubtedly, Fuller House better handles its theme of family throughout season 1, between the mixed family of the Tanner-Fuller-Gibblers now living in the house and Ramona’s wish to see her smaller family reunited – even if that means leaving her new home. Although the mixed family unit isn’t necessarily a new theme to the Full House franchise, since it was a huge part of the original sitcom, the pull of Ramona and Kimmy between the Fullers and Fernando was entirely original and much more realistic to modern audiences.
Nostalgia
On the whole, the first season of Fuller House doesn’t lean into the Full House nostalgia as much as the first episode, which is almost entirely comprised of quotes and references to the original sitcom. Instead, the characters’ catch phrases and other nods to Full House are peppered in throughout the other 12 episodes in a manner that is more along the lines of an ostentatious wink than an attention-grabbing shout.
Still, for those fans of Full House – of which there are many – these references in Fuller House are high points of the season. D.J. exclaiming “Oh my lanta!” Steph proclaiming “How rude!” and Kimmy’s use of “Tanneritos” are all sure to invoke the power of nostalgia in those watching that grew up with the Tanners in the ’80s and ’90s. Fuller House leans into its roots in Full House in a way that will surely endear itself to those viewers – and, in fact, likely already has, given the show’s season 2 renewal.
The Bad
Still, for those fans of Full House – of which there are many – these references in Fuller House are high points of the season. D.J. exclaiming “Oh my lanta!” Steph proclaiming “How rude!” and Kimmy’s use of “Tanneritos” are all sure to invoke the power of nostalgia in those watching that grew up with the Tanners in the ’80s and ’90s. Fuller House leans into its roots in Full House in a way that will surely endear itself to those viewers – and, in fact, likely already has, given the show’s season 2 renewal.
The Bad
Still, for those fans of Full House – of which there are many – these references in Fuller House are high points of the season. D.J. exclaiming “Oh my lanta!” Steph proclaiming “How rude!” and Kimmy’s use of “Tanneritos” are all sure to invoke the power of nostalgia in those watching that grew up with the Tanners in the ’80s and ’90s. Fuller House leans into its roots in Full House in a way that will surely endear itself to those viewers – and, in fact, likely already has, given the show’s season 2 renewal.
The Bad
