“Full House” ran for eight seasons on ABC, from September 22, 1987, to May 23, 1995. That is 192 episodes of a show that was never a critical success.
Trailer, via SoulMediaDenmark.
Danny Tanner’s San Francisco House
Jeff Franklin created the sitcom for ABC. The premise: after the death of his wife Pam, sports anchor Danny Tanner recruits his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and his childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his three daughters in San Francisco. The girls are D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle.
Bob Saget played Danny. John Stamos played Jesse. Dave Coulier played Joey. Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen played the daughters.
The producers’ first choice for Danny was Saget, but he was committed to CBS’ The Morning Program. John Posey played Danny in the unaired pilot instead.
Jesse Cochran Becomes Jesse Katsopolis
Stamos reportedly wanted his character to reflect his Greek heritage, so producers changed the surname from Cochran to Katsopolis starting in season two. In this paper’s view, that is a small fix that says a lot about how the show handled problems.
Lori Loughlin was hired in 1988 for a six-episode romance with Jesse. She stayed until the end.
The Brady Bunch of the 1990s
Producer Dennis Rinsler called “Full House” “The Brady Bunch of the 1990s.” Coulier called it a “G-rated dysfunctional family.” Both descriptions are accurate, and neither is a compliment.
The show was never a critical success. It was consistently in the Nielsen Top 30 from season two onward, and it still runs in syndication and internationally. In our judgment, popularity and quality are separate things, and this show is the proof.
Ranking what actually holds up:
- The Olsen twins were jointly credited as “Mary Kate Ashley Olsen” in seasons two through seven because producers did not want audiences to know Michelle was played by twins.
- Loughlin’s six-episode hire became a permanent cast member.
- The show’s reputation rests on reruns, not on the original reviews.
What the Reruns Prove
The sequel, “Fuller House,” premiered on Netflix in February 2016 and ran five seasons, ending in June 2020. The source does not say how many viewers followed it there.
Our conclusion: “Full House” worked as comfort, not as comedy. Its craft was thin. Its hold was real. Those are separate facts, and the second one is the reason it lasted.
KEY FACTS
– Network: ABC
– First aired: September 22, 1987
– Last aired: May 23, 1995
– Seasons: 8
– Episodes: 192
– Metacritic: 31/100
– Our score: 3.1/10
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