Fuller House: Full of Disappointment

On Feb. 25, 2016, Fuller House, the much-anticipated Full House sequel premiered. Released on Netflix, the series comprises of 13 episodes that are about 25 minutes long. Full House stars Candace Cameron, Jodie Sweeten and Andrea Barber revive their roles as DJ Tanner, Stephanie Tanner and Kimmy Gibbler and serve as the show’s main focus. Original Full House stars John Stamos, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier and Lori Laughlin also make guest appearances throughout the series. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, who both played Michelle Tanner, were the only main actors from Full House who did not return.

The rebooted series once again documents the residents of the Tanner household. After DJ’s husband passed away, she is left alone to raise her three sons, including a newborn. Her younger sister Stephanie and best friend Kimmy decide to move in with her in order to help. DJ finds herself caught in a love triangle between her high school sweetheart Steve Hale and co-worker Matt Harmon. DJ struggles to decide which suitor she should choose while trying to balance taking care of her sons.

Kimmy brings her daughter Ramona with her to live in the Tanner household. Ramona may fill the role as the most annoying character on the show. Her disrespect towards adults and Disney-channel acting capabilities made any scene with her hard to watch. The two actors who play DJ’s oldest sons are not much better. The youngest one, Max, sounds like he is always yelling and consumed too much sugar before filming. Jackson, the oldest son, referred to himself as “J-Money” so many times it felt like the writers were trying to lose viewers.

Stephanie’s fledging music career and care-free attitude are supposed to be reminiscent of Uncle Jesse, played by John Stamos. This major deviation from her aspiring attitude on the original show makes her character growth hard to believe. The most unbelievable character in the series however is Kimmy’s ex-husband, Fernando. Juan Pablo Di Pace tries to tackle the role but fails, leaving nothing but an over-emphasized Spanish accent and a stereotypical hispanic portrayal.

After I finished watching the first episode, I promised myself I would not watch another. The dialogue felt forced, the set appeared unrealistic, and the new characters felt out of place. What the show really lacked was a sense of direction. With humor too inappropriate for younger children, but characters that cannot entertain adult audiences, the end result was a sense of confusion at who the show is marketed to. The writers should have decided on a target audience and sculpted the show toward them. Instead of having older generations try and force pop culture references in the show, someone who can actually relate to what teenagers are interested in should have helped with the script.

The best part of the series were whenever someone made a reference to the original series. The cast singing “Forever,” the song Jesse and Becky get married to; and the scene where the original residents of the Tanner house sings DJ’s newborn to sleep make me remember why I love Full House and why I faithfully watched every single episode.