Fuller House was full of bad reviews, but I watched it anyway!

I cannot deny that I binge watched a show that may not have the best reviews, but was absolutely worth my time.

Last year we heard announcements of various promising new shows and movies for the upcoming year. One of the shows announced by Netflix as an original was Fuller House, with vows of reviving memories from the original, Full House.



Full House saw three men raising three young girls and now, 21 years later, the same girls have turned into smart, beautiful and independent women. DJ Tanner, the first born child of Danny and deceased Pamela Tanner, is now Dr DJ Tanner-Fuller, a widowed mother and veterinarian. Stephanie Tanner, the middle child, is now a well-known DJ using the alias DJ Tanner, and the youngest daughter, Michelle, is now running her own fashion empire in New York.

The absence of Michelle was definitely felt by the cast and the viewers, but the cast was able to make up for that remarkably. There were constant mentions and references to Michelle and her absence. In one of the episodes, DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy, in an intoxicated state, called Michelle in New York, just to tell her they miss her and even though the producers were not able to bring the Olsen twins on board, they were able to get the other actors repeat her catchphrases. Michelle’s absence on the show was thought to create holes in the plot but, for me, enough was constantly going on in the house at all times that her absence was soon forgotten.

Photo: Everett Collection

Fuller House brought back Stephanie’s “how rude” and DJ’s “Oh Mylanta!” opening the nostalgic flood gates. Uncle Jesse, Danny Tanner and Joey Gladstone, although main focuses of the original series, had minimal screen time. The focus has now shifted on to Danny’s elder daughters and DJ’s childhood best friend, Kimmy Gibbler. The three women are now living under one roof, raising DJ’s three sons and Kimmy’s daughter.

Photo: Giphy

On February 26, 2016, the show was uploaded on Netflix and as soon as that happened reviews began rolling in. The AV Club stated that Fuller House felt like “a porn parody without the sex,” which wasn’t a subtle way to pin point the cheesy dialogues and strange sexualisation of the characters.

I understand what the AV club along with other critics are referring to, especially in the pilot. It is somewhat incomprehensible to be fast forwarded over 20 years into the future, where even though the dialogues are still cheesy and sugar coated, the characters are no longer little girls jumping around with a sugar high after milk and cookies. Stephanie, now 34-years-old, still uses her signature catch phrase, “how rude!” whenever she gets the chance, and the studio audience, like myself, cannot help but feel our heart flutters, because in this fast paced world, such catch phrases are the ultimate throw back.

Photo: Collider

Before I pressed play on my laptop, I was told by a friend that the show had horrible reviews, but I am such a die-hard fan of Full House, nothing could stop me from watching it. The pilot definitely bored me as all the jokes became so repetitive, but then the second episode led to the third, and before I knew it, I had binge watched the entire first season, in two nights. It is impossible to not like that show. Fuller house, for me personally, does not have any relatable situations, but the concept of family is so deep rooted in the show that one has no choice but to feel compassionate for the Tanner/Fuller clan.

The critics may not have loved the show, but it was never made for them. It was made for the general public, the public that watched DJ in a relationship with Steve, Stephanie constantly be pestered by Kimmy, and Michelle singing adorable versions of rock and roll songs with Uncle Jesse. In my opinion, Fuller House serves its purpose, it makes you laugh at things like the she-wolf-pack howl and makes you cringe at Kimmy’s soon to be ex-husband turned fiancé, Fernando. It further makes you emotional while watching Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky renew their vows and tell each other what their love means to them. It helps the audience disconnect from the negativity of the world and focus, for 27 minutes, on life when there are people you love and care about standing by you.

Photo: Giphy

Not for a day will I deny that I binge watched a show that may not have the best reviews, but was absolutely worth my time. In fact, I’d love to watch it all over again and maybe even watch some Full House episodes, to really feel the nostalgia.