After eager anticipation, Fuller House‘s first season has finally arrived on Netflix.
As seen in the trailer, the show will focus on D.J. Tanner (Candace Cameron Bure), younger sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and once annoying neighbor Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) moving in together after D.J.’s husband’s death as they help each other raise their respective kids (The deceased husband’s last name? Fuller. GET IT?) The premise clearly mirrors that of the original Full House, where Joey (David Coulier) and Jesse (John Stamos) moved in with Tanner Sr. Danny (Bob Saget) after his wife’s passing. Speaking of which, these three along with Jesse’s wife Becky (Lori Loughlin) and even their twins (Blake and Dylan Tuomy- Wilhoit) are all set to appear in the new show. While this aspect was advertised, what was less emphasized was that they’d only be appearing in two to four episodes each out of the whole 13 episode season, keeping the girls as our protagonists. Full House creator Jeff Franklin also serves as head writer for this iteration.
Of course not everyone is back for Fuller House. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen who together played Michelle back when the proverbial house was less full opted out of the new show. “They seemed very into it. They just were afraid of acting. They don’t consider themselves actresses,” Stamos (who also co-produces Fuller House) told Howard Stern.
Without giving away any spoilers, this is something the pilot very deliberately references. In fact there are a lot of deliberate references to the old guard in the first episode. The old theme is (briefly) played and paid homage to, there are direct recreations of old scenes, there’s even a studio audience that classically applauds at each old character’s re-entry. “The audiences were going crazy,” Bure told The Huffington Post. “It’s exceeded all of our expectations.”
Fuller House is one of many projects marking the new post modern trend of television reboots/ reunions/ specials, where shows “end” but perhaps are never really over. i.e. The X- Files miniseries just had its finale this week, but creator Chris Carter already suggested to Entertainment Weekly that it isn’t the last we’ll see of Scully and Mulder. Our lord and savior Netflix will also be home to another television reunion in the form of four- 90 minute installments of Gilmore Girls, Entertainment Weekly also reports.
Netflix hasn’t announced anything about another season yet, but given that Fuller House‘s premiere may be the most 2016 thing possible combining 90’s nostalgia, reboots, and binge watching, it’s all but guaranteed to do well.