No matter how beloved the iconic 1980s-90s sitcom Full House may be, the warm and cozy series has always had its detractors from the very beginning. But it’s impossible to ignore that the series has had serious staying power, reaching new audiences year after year through reruns, streaming, and eventually the Netflix spinoff series, Fuller House.
But for all the complaints and criticisms leveled at the original series, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that it’s really Fuller House that is guilty of quite a few television mistakes. From less than stellar acting to unbelievable storylines, Fuller House is nowhere near the comfort food television that the original series was and still is.
Disappointing Story Resolutions
A five-season run with a planned ending date gives a series plenty of time to wrap up storylines in desperate need of closure – especially ones that linger from the original series.
Yet Fuller House really missed the mark in a few areas, most notably with the magical reveal of Stephanie’s implausible pregnancy in the series’ final moments, and the unthinkable choice to not have Danny and Vicky reunite after all these years after going through the trouble of having her appear in the finale.
No Michelle
It’s a sore spot for the series throughout its entire run that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen had no interest in participating in the revival, and for good reason, too.
No matter how much the series tries to joke about it, often breaking the fourth wall to do so, it’s obvious that something is missing in Fuller House – and that something is so very clearly Michelle and her relationship with her family members.
Forced Love Triangle
Viewers could see it coming a mile away, but it didn’t make it any easier to handle when the series immediately thrust leading lady (and recent widow) D.J. Tanner into a long, drawn-out love triangle.
The back and forth between D.J. and her coworker, Matt Harmon, and her first love, Steve Hale, is arguably one of the series’ weakest elements. It’s too soapy and played out, and something the original Full House never would have done.
Imbalance Of Child & Adult Plots
When Full House began, and throughout its first season, it was clear that the show was originally meant to be more about the three men raising three children. Yet over time, the series realized the true success was in balancing both worlds, allowing the adults and children equal narrative screentime.
Fuller House fails to ever find such a balance, heavily leaning into the drama of the adult women’s lives and those three now older men, while scarcely taking time to develop the kids who aren’t named Ramona or Max.
More Annoying Characters
Full House had its nuisance characters, like Mrs. Carruthers and even occasionally the beloved Kimmy Gibbler, but Fuller House seems to possess an endless stream of annoyances, adding one irritating character after another to the series.
Matt is arguably one of the series’ most irritating and inconsistent characters. Rocki is just as much of a brat as her mother, Gia, and Joey’s entire family is perhaps the dictionary definition of annoying, and an absolute storytelling mistake.
Outlandish Storylines That Make No Sense
Sure, Full House occasionally had celebrity stunt cameo episodes, travel episodes, or even episodes with both. But Fuller House seems to live and (attempt to) thrive in the extreme, featuring one bizarrely unconvincing storyline after another.
Stephanie’s short-lived yet apparently successful DJ career is laughable, and was clearly only included for the joke of her being “DJ Tanner.” The girls’ Dancing with the Stars interlude, as well, is one that is still impossible to wrap one’s head around.
Fan Service Of The Wrong Kind
While there were many areas in the original series that needed expanding upon in the revival, Fuller House stubbornly seemed to prioritize the absolute worst kind of fan service instead.
Time and again, the series would bring back characters as irritating and undeveloped as the truly awful Gia Mahan and Viper, while overlooking important questions to answer
Crasser Humor
Full House was, at its very core, a family show. Though the series treaded the territory of the dating world and suggestive humor, particularly with bad boy Jesse’s dating life, the series always managed to be family-friendly and, as a result, timeless.
Fuller House leans into the world of adult humor, perhaps due to being on Netflix, and as a result, involves many a joke that would leave child viewers confused and parent viewers mortified.
D.J. Is Uninteresting As A Lead Character
Whatever happened to the D.J. Tanner of the original series? After five seasons, it’s still not quite clear how the responsible but still fun-loving eldest Tanner girl turned into the total “golly gee” control freak that Candace Cameron Bure portrays in Fuller House.
Danny Tanner may have been a clean freak and a nerd, but he was still a nuanced character, and Bob Saget’s portrayal was consistently enjoyable and engrossing. D.J., and Bure by extension, never are
Cringey Humor & Attempts At Being “Hip”
Danny and Joey, in particular, have plenty of moments in the original series where they try to appear cooler and younger than they are in order to impress the girls and their friends, but never once do their attempts feel as outright cringe-worthy and unwatchable as many of the things that the girls, particularly D.J. and Kimmy, attempt.
Whether it’s D.J.’s nonsensical foray into the world of gaming, or basically anything Kimmy does whenever she wants to spend time with Ramona, the series never strikes the right note in depicting the young mothers trying to bond with their children.
