Netflix’ Fuller House – Should You Watch?

January 18th, 2016

From 1987 to 1995, Full House was a TV phenomenon. The plot is about a widower who gets his brother in law and best friend to move in to help him take care of 3 very young daughters ages. For 8 seasons, millions of households tuned in, and it launched the careers of Bob Saget, John Stamos, Lori Loughlin, and the Olsen twins.

And now they’re back. Or at least most of them, as the Olsen twins aren’t fond of acting anymore. Netflix is putting up 13 episodes of Fuller House, which continues the original story.

Fuller House Facts

Here are some facts you should know:

It’s set to premiere on February 26, 2016.
Just about everyone is back except for the Olsen twins.
The story picks up with the eldest daughter played by Candace Cameron. She is now a grownup, and she goes by the name Candace Cameron Bure these days.
There’s a gender reversal in place. Now Candace’s D.J. Tanner-Fuller is a widowed veterinarian with 3 young sons, and she’s enlisted the help of her sister Stephanie (still played by Jodie Sweetin) and her best friend Kimmy.
The other cast members of the original show will do guest appearances throughout.
You’ll still get the famous catchphrases. (Was that rude of us to release that spoiler?)

Should You Watch It?

If you grew up watching it during its original run, watching it seems like such a natural thing to do. You’ll get to know what happened next to your favorite characters after the show ended in 1995.

Remember, when Full House ended it was still a very popular show. It was still among the top 25 shows on TV, and in fact the finale was viewed by more than 24 million people. Compare that to the 5^th season finale of Game of Thrones, which was seen by a little more than 8 million viewers.

Does it matter that the Netflix viewing numbers may not match the original? No, because that’s not the point. It’s like receiving a letter from a long lost friend in your home town, and now you get to find out what you’ve missed. What’s more, you get to see what they’re up to this time.

And it also helps that the cast looks good even after 21 years. John Stamos is still John Stamos, who fortunately didn’t go down the path that Mickey O’Rourke took. And Lori Loughlin looks as divine as ever.

And for those who weren’t born yet in the ‘80s, consider it a peek at a more innocent time. The setting may be today in San Francisco, but its spirit is still pure 1980s in its wholesomeness. In this day and age when cynicism and violence rule the TV and the Internet, it’s a breath of fresh air.