Remember Sunday mornings, snuggled up with a cup of hot cocoa and cozy pajamas, watching your old-school TV playing a rerun of “Full House” with a content smile painted on your face?
“Full House,” a 192-episode phenomenon, gave kids a feeling of nostalgia and sentimentality that would be nearly impossible to recapture.
However, Netflix produced a failed attempt to bring back the concept of the original with their release of “Fuller House,” a “Full House” reunion show on February 26th. With its dry and cheesy humor, as well as its failure to bring any creativity to the plot, the first season of “Fuller House” proves that some TV shows should stay in the past.
“Fuller House” is a sequel to the popular ABC Family ‘90s television show “Full House,” with a similar cast to the original. However, the lack of the return of the Olsen twins for the reunion, who both played the comical character Michelle Tanner in the original TV show, was a complete let-down for returning viewers.
The first season of “Fuller House” has too similar of a plot to the original show, as it follows the love life of DJ Fuller [Cameron Candace Bure], whom the season revolves around.
In the original, the oldest sister, DJ, went by DJ Tanner. In this series, Fuller has grown into a similar Atticus Finch-type character, as her dad was in “Full House,” through her affectionate traits. However, everyone knows there is only one Atticus Finch in every family.
The main character, DJ Fuller, plays the stereotypical female character of many American TV shows. Fuller is baffled in choosing between two bachelors towards the end of the season, similar to many romance-based cliche female roles.
The reunion show begins with DJ Fuller and her family of three moving into her childhood home, which is the same San Francisco home that “Full House” was filmed in.
In addition to the return of DJ’s character, her quirky best friend Kimmy Gibbler [Andrea Barber] and her daughter move into the home as well. Stephanie Tanner [Jodie Sweetin], also from the original “Full House,” also decides to return to her childhood home with Gibbler and Fuller in order to help care for her sister, DJ’s, kids.
Similar to her character in “Full House,” who was known for overstaying her welcome at the Tanner home, Gibbler invites herself to move in with the sisters.
Although the show lacks a humorous script, the characters do embody their original personality traits, giving fans a familiar glimpse of their childhood favorites.
The show’s plot is missing depth as it fails to continue each episode’s storyline long enough to involve the viewers in the characters’ lives. In addition, the season includes distracting comments referring to the actors’ real lives which sidetrack the viewer from being captured by the show.
Throughout the season there are several references to actress Candace Cameron Bure, [DJ Fuller] , that address her appearance in the television show “Dancing with the Stars” in 2014.
The cast of “Fuller House” openly shared their irritation with the Olsen Twins for declining to take part in “Fuller House” due to their careers in the fashion industry. At one point the airy character Kimmy Gibbler picks up her daughter’s Olsen Twin dress and says, “At these prices, it’s no wonder they don’t need to act.” She continues with a stare towards the camera, sarcastically referencing the Olsen Twins’ choice in career.
In addition to referencing the actors’ personal lives in the show, the “Fuller House” cast also makes futile attempts at being humorous by mocking themselves. At one point, Gibbler mentions how sad it is when shows drag out an old cast for “some lame reunion show.”
Although “Fuller House” is tacky with its fake laugh tracks, it gives those sentimental fans who still long for that homey feeling a chance to take a walk down memory lane and binge watch that corny TV show we all enjoyed as a kid. It’s one of those guilty pleasures that we hate yet secretly love at the same time.
