Full House
Full House, American television situation drama-comedy series about a widower raising his three daughters with the help of his brother-in-law and childhood best friend. Although considered mediocre by critics, Full House was a hit with viewers and ranked among the top 20 or 30 prime-time shows for most of its eight-season run (1987–95).
In the series Danny Tanner (played by Bob Saget), a sportscaster who later becomes a television host, is the father of three young girls and has recently lost his wife in a tragic car accident. His brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos), a struggling musician, and his childhood best friend Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier), a stand-up comedian, move in to help Danny with his young daughters: Donna Jo, known as D.J. (Candace Cameron Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and Michelle (played by twins Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen). The show revolves around the everyday interactions and antics of the six “full house” members, with frequent visits from D.J.’s best friend, Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber).
Some of the Tanner Girls’ Catchphrases
“Oh mylanta!” (D.J.)
“How rude!” (Stephanie)
“You got it, dude!” (Michelle)
During the first season, D.J. is a 10-year-old in fifth grade, Stephanie is a 5-year-old in kindergarten, and Michelle is a baby. The series follows the girls’ relationships with their extended family, growing pains, friendships, and experiences over its eight seasons—touching on such topics as anxiety, bullying, death, body image, drinking, smoking, and intimacy. Throughout the series, plots that focus on serious topics are balanced with humorous scenes, such as Danny blowing bubbles during a homework session, Uncle Jesse singing like Elvis for Michelle’s preschool class, and Joey performing a one-person reenactment of The Wizard of Oz.
In season four Jesse marries Rebecca (Becky) Donaldson (Lori Loughlin), whom he met in season two when she and Danny were made cohosts of the morning show Wake Up, San Francisco. In Becky the girls gain a mother figure with whom they get along and frequently go to for advice. They also gain two cousins when Jessie and Becky have twin boys, Nicky and Alex (portrayed by Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit), in season five. They all live in the house together, with Jesse, Becky, and their sons in the attic, which has been converted into an apartment.
Full House is notable for featuring three father figures who never belittle the children but instead always exhibit love and understanding as they impart wisdom; throughout the show characters offer one another sound advice, often accompanied by a hug. The show, created by producer Jeff Franklin, earned several award nominations, including for the Young Artist Award for best family television series. Its cast members were nominated for, and won, several awards as well. Cameron Bure, Sweetin, Barber, and the Olsen sisters all received Young Artist Award nominations for their performances; Sweetin, Barber, and both Olsen sisters won multiple times. Cameron Bure won the Kids’ Choice Award for favorite television actress in 1994.
In 2016 a Full House sequel titled Fuller House debuted on Netflix; it ran for five seasons, ending in 2020. The series, also created by Franklin, features all of the original cast, other than Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, as either regular cast members or in recurring guest roles. Its premise is similar to that of the original show, although now centering on an adult D.J., a working widowed mother raising her three young sons with the help of Stephanie and Kimmy who, along with Kimmy’s teenage daughter, all live together in the Tanner girls’ childhood home.