Fuller House might be the worst thing that carries the tag and honor of being a Netflix Original Series. The streaming service, which has given us countless gripping dramas and satirical comedies, fails with its reboot of the late 80s classic American sitcom – Full House.
With the original cast delivering unoriginal punchlines and a predictable plot, this show is just fan service. You might like it for the nostalgia, and the actors try to do their best with the mediocre script, but there isn’t much else to offer.
1. Quick Review
The show tries too hard to be its predecessor only to make it evident that it’s so clearly not. If you enjoyed the original family drama and the humor, which was mostly based on the premise ‘Kids Say The Darndest Things,’ you might enjoy Fuller House.
Much of the original cast reprise their roles or makes cameos, and it is a mediocre flashback to an era of television gone by.
2. Is It Worth Watching?
If you were an American teenager growing up between 1987 and 1995, Friday nights meant Full House. The series was an entertaining watch for the whole family and has enjoyed several rerun marathons on different networks.
The same cannot be said about Fuller House, which even the hard-core fans of the predecessor might find hard to enjoy. Fuller House is a familiar television show, but it is not great television.
I. Plot
Like the original, the series has a similar premise, but it does a gender flip on the central characters. Instead of three men, three women come together to raise a woman’s three sons after the death of her husband.
The woman is D.J. Tanner-Fuller, a veterinarian whose husband dies during the discharge of his duties as a fire-fighter. She moves back to the original Tanner home in San Francisco, which is owned by her father, Danny.
This allows for a Fuller family reunion in the pilot.
When Danny has to move away, D.J. accepts the help of her sister Stephanie and her best friend Kimmy to raise her three sons. Kimmy’s daughter Ramona also moves into the Fuller household.
II. Cast & Performances
Candace Cameron Bure shoulders the responsibility of playing the central character D.J. and tries her best to make the show work. Along with Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie) and Andrea Barber (Kimmy), D.J. struggles to raise a new bunch of wise-cracking kids delivering corny lines.
There are several cameos and recurring appearances from members of the original cast. John Stamos, Bob Saget, and Lori Laughlin are some of the old faces revising their parts of Fuller House.
III. Detailed Review
Fuller House could’ve worked had it had something original to offer. Instead of the old forced family bonding sessions, which later turns into a rom-com for D.J., maybe the writers should have cooked up an original story.
The show never lets you forget its connection to the original as old catchphrases make a comeback and strategically placed returning characters drag the show along.
Mary and Kate Olsen are the only members of the original cast that did not agree to participate in the sequel. In hindsight, this was a very good decision on their part.
This fact is brought up in the first episode in which the entire Tanner Clan reunites. Then the entire cast just looks at the camera with silent exasperated faces for several seconds. This expression will also be mirrored by you most of the time you spend watching the show.
The initial season received terrible reviews across the board. While the ratings did improve a bit in the following seasons, viewership dropped drastically.
Fuller House is like an old book that one finds lying around in the attic. While you may experience an initial sense of euphoria and indulge in some nostalgia, you’ll be reminded of the musty, dusty feel soon enough.
3. Final Thoughts
Fuller House is not a show I recommend watching in 2020, even if you were a fan of the original. You’ll be better off watching reruns of the original. The show ‘Grandfathered’ on Fox is a much better watch in this niche. It’s a show which never tried to be original and fails to do justice to the original.
4. Grade
Story: C
Cinematography/Animation: B
Acting: B
Music: C
Direction: C
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