“Fuller House” is awful. It is super cheesy, the laugh track can be too much and guess what? I have loved (almost) every second of it.
The show succeeds because it knows exactly what it is and what it wants to be, at moments. It feels like the show was pulled directly from the 90’s and put onto our television screens.
“Fuller House” revolves around D.J. Tanner, now D.J. Fuller, as she deals with living alone with her three young sons after the death of her husband. After it is made clear that taking care of three kids alone is too much to tackle, D.J.’s family decides it is best to clear out their own busy schedules and help her.
What is so impressive about the show is that the creators got virtually every cast member back to reprise their roles from the original “Full House,” minus Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as Michelle Tanner (which the writers not so subtly make light of in the first episode).
Candace Cameron-Bure is back as D.J. Fuller, acting as the Danny Tanner-type character in Fuller House. D.J. has turned into the very responsible, “boring” character of the show, and we get to see her open up more as the season progresses.
Jodie Sweetin returns as Stephanie Tanner. In the 20-plus gap between the end of “Full House” and “Fuller House,” Stephanie has become a world-famous D.J. known as “DJ Tanner.” She has traveled everywhere from “Ibiza, Singapore and Cleveland!” It is a weird occupation but I do not know if I ever actually wondered what Stephanie would be doing in adult life.
One of my favorite parts of the show is Andrea Barber’s return as Kimmy Gibbler. While the other characters in the show seemed to partly advanced into the modern times, Kimmy has stayed true to the 90’s with her outlandish outfits and mannerisms.
The main characters from the original show have also returned albeit in much smaller roles. Bob Saget as Danny Tanner is the only part of the show that felt somewhat forced, like Saget had a hard time not “acting” like Danny Tanner and not just being him like the original series.
John Stamos is easily the biggest character to return to the show, as Stamos has mostly been busy since the show ended in 1995. Not only did Stamos return as Jesse Katstopolis, but he is also an executive producer for the show. He had the most comfortable of returns for the old main characters. He still felt exactly as I remembered Uncle Jesse.
Dave Coulier is also back as goofy Joey Gladstone. Coulier also did not lose one step as the goofball of the group, though the return of Mr. Woodchuck is not as funny as I remembered as a kid, maybe a tiny bit creepier.
The new kids on the show are serviceable. Sometimes they may be a tad annoying but it is nice to watch a show with kid actors that are not completely unwatchable. Elias Harger is actually a highlight of the show, playing D.J Fuller’s middle son, Max.
The only episode to feel off is the first episode, as the writers seemed to have wanted to inject as much nostalgia as they could in one episode. After this, “Fuller House” turns into its own show, and not a terrible one, at that.
“Fuller House” is not a show for everyone. If someone was not a fan of the original “Full House,” “Fuller House” will not change their stance. It is a show made for the die-hard fans of the original and it was never made to be anything different.
“Fuller House” is a 90’s show through and through, it just so happens to have been made in 2016. If seen through that viewpoint, “Fuller House” is a rousing success.
