Family Favorite Returns with Reboot

Everywhere you look, everywhere you go, there’s advertising telling you to watch Netflix’s Full House spin-off: Fuller House. The show premiered on February 26. Whether you’re watching it to see the kids you once adored now tackle grown up life or to meet the new characters to whom your younger siblings are relating, Fuller House is a show for everyone.

Kicking off with an update of the classic theme song, redone by Carly Rae Jepsen, the 1st episode starts out well. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s refusal to return to the show are covered with the explanation that Michelle is absent because she is “too busy running her fashion empire.”

Though the show is relatively up beat, there is a note of tragedy in the premise. The story follows DJ Tanner’s (Candace Cameron Bure) life after the on-the-job death of her fireman husband. After seeing her financial struggles, her father gives DJ 1 of the famous Pink Ladies houses, and her sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and friend Kimmy (Andrea Barber) move in to help her out.

Seeing the Full House cast back together cracking sarcastic jokes is a fulfilling experience. However, I wish the show would have committed to bringing back even more of the old cast. Though we will see a lot of John Stamos as Uncle Jesse, as he is the producer of Fuller House, it would be great to have Danny, Becky, and Joey drop in.

Yet, each new character seems to adopt the personality of 1 of the elder predecessors. DJ has taken her father Danny’s responsible position in the household, while Stephanie steps into the free-spirited Uncle Jesse persona. Kimmy, always the lovable goofball, is almost a female version of Joey.

The only character that has no equivalent in the old show is Kimmy’s daughter, Ramona, who has moved into the Tanner household. Ramona is the daughter of Kimmy’s womanizing ex-husband. The show tries to elicit pity for her as she has to move into a house with boys and move to a new school, but instead of attempting to make friends, Ramona pretends to text on her phone in order to look cool. She tries to run away from school, which earns her street cred at the popular table among spoiled girls.

Although the show really is centered around DJ, her kids are scene stealers. In the 1st episode, her middle son Max and his grandpa Danny bond over the love of cleaning out tough stains. Max is often shown well-dressed, sometimes even inappropriately so, and Max claims he likes dressing his best –another trait he and his father share.

Like Stephanie and DJ, Max and his older brother Jackson share a love-hate relationship. Though they fight, like any other pair of siblings, it’s obvious they adore each other. This is evident when Jackson believes his brother is getting beat up by wrestlers and jumps in to help.

The return of DJ’s high school love, Steve, prompts DJ to start dating. She ends up being pushed into the arms of her coworker instead of back into her ex-boyfriend’s. Steve may never again be the cause of DJ’s affections but this certainly adds comedy to the show as he relentlessly tries to win her back.

And of course, the show wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t have a fun golden retriever! Enter Cosmos, the 21st century version of Comet. Though as playful as his predecessor, Cosmos seems to be mainly attached to Max more than others.

Fuller House is a worthy reboot of the original family favorite.