All 13 episodes of the debut season of “Fuller House” were released on Netflix on Friday, Feb. 26, bringing back the beloved characters of the popular 90’s sitcom “Full House.”
This highly-anticipated reboot stars Candace Cameron-Bure as DJ Tanner-Fuller, Jodie Sweetin as Stephanie Tanner and Andrea Barber as Kimmy Gibbler.
The premise of this Netflix original series, created by Jeff Franklin, is more or less exactly the same as that of “Full House” with a gender swap. DJ, a widowed mother of three boys, recruits the help of her sister and best friend to move in with her and help raise her kids when life gets too overwhelming. Nostalgia, hilarity and good feelings ensue.
Nearly the entire cast of the original show returned to reprise their roles after the 21-year hiatus. Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, John Stamos and Lori Loughlin guest star frequently as Danny, Joey, Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky.
Scott Weinger also appears from time to time as DJ’s high school boyfriend, Steve, who clearly wouldn’t mind starting their romance up again. And most surprisingly, Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit, who have had next to zero acting experience since “Full House” ended in 1995, return as twin brothers Nicki and Alex.
The only main character left out of this sequel series is Michelle. Unfortunately, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who tag-teamed the role of the youngest Tanner daughter when they were children, are now too busy with their fashion careers in New York City to revisit their old TV home.
“Fuller House,” however, handles Michelle’s absence with grace and a smidgen of comedy, explaining that Michelle Tanner is also in New York working on her fashion empire before breaking the fourth wall and having the actors look straight in the camera as if to say “excuses, excuses” to the Olsen twins.
Starting with the theme song “Everywhere You Look,” beautifully remastered for “Fuller House” by Carly Rae Jepsen, every aspect of this sitcom has been completely revamped, and at the end of the day, the show comes across just as good if not better than its cherished predecessor.
Cinematography is a huge improvement from “Full House” as is editing and visual effects. The opening title sequence alone — with reflective side-by-side shots of the characters from the ‘80s and ‘90s to today — inspires awe.
Acting is yet another way “Fuller House” one-ups its original. You can’t expect child stars to be great, but Michael Campion as Jackson Fuller, Elias Harger as Max Fuller and Soni Bringas as Ramona Gibbler come pretty close. We do have a bit of flawed performances from unpracticed veteran actors Bob Saget, Dave Coulier and even the legendary John Stamos.
For the most part, though, they go away after the pilot reunion episode, leaving us with three strong leading ladies (Cameron-Bure, Sweetin and Barber) to take this spin-off series in a new and exciting direction the whole family can enjoy.
