Our infamous April Fools' Day prank about a Full House sequel series (which then got picked up as a legit news story by several major news outlets) has taken on a life of its own. Such a TV show, titled Fuller House, is now actually in the making over at Netflix, with Full House creator Jeff Franklin serving as the creative architect again - much like Boy Meets World co-creators Michael Jacob and April Kelly are running that popular 1990s sitcom's followup series, Girl Meets World.
Netflix has now officially picked up 13 episodes of Fuller House from Warner Horizon Television, with a debut tentatively planned for next year. Full House cast alum Andrea Barber, Candace Cameron-Bure, and Jodie Sweetin are confirmed to return as series regulars in the sequel TV show, while John Stamos is producing and will guest-star as "Uncle Jesse". Talks are underway for other Full House stars (including Bob Saget and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) to also make guest appearances.
Here is the official synopsis for the Full House sequel TV show:
In Fuller House, the adventures that began in 1987 on Full House continue, with veterinarian D.J. Tanner-Fuller (Cameron-Bure) pregnant and recently widowed, living in San Francisco. D.J.’s younger sister/aspiring musician Stephanie Tanner (Sweetin) and D.J.’s lifelong best friend/fellow single mother Kimmy Gibbler (Barber), along with Kimmy’s feisty teenage daughter Ramona, all move in to help take care of D.J.’s two boys — the rebellious 12-year-old J.D. and neurotic 7-year-old Max — and her soon-to-arrive baby.
It sounds as though Fuller House is using a formula similar to that utilized by Girl Meets World, complete with special appearances by fan-favorite cast members from its predecessor (partly for nostalgic purposes) and a setup that recalls that on the original Full House - albeit, with change-ups in terms of the contemporary setting and genders of which character plays what role in the comedy proceedings. However, whereas Girl Meets World is aimed squarely at the Disney Channel's young teenager demographic (not necessarily a bad thing, mind you), it sounds like Fuller House aims to appeal to a broader demographic.
Fuller House (like Full House before it) will be a multi-camera comedy, which makes it a curious selection to join the Netflix show family. Whereas successful (both critically and with regard to viewership) original Netflix programs such as Orange is the New Black and Daredevil take advantage of the greater creative freedom that's afforded by the streaming service (allowing for the inclusion of more diverse subject matter and better craftsmanship), Fuller House will likely fall closer to a network sitcom in terms of tone and aesthetics.
Similarly, while a revived program like Arrested Development has managed to use the Netflix binge-watching model to better service its narrative structure (with season four, anyway), it's hard to see how Fuller House will manage as much. The short of it: Fuller House doesn't really sound like a series that will benefit greatly from being on Netflix - something that may affect its chances of living beyond the initial 13-episode order, unless it proves to be a better-than-expected work of storytelling.
That being said, the Full House sequel TV show will have the power of nostalgia and a built-in multi-generational fanbase on its side - as noted in the joint statement by the series' executive producers (see below) - so there's certainly a chance it will prove to be yet another hit for Netflix (even if it's nothing that special).
“The continued support of Full House fans of all ages for the last 28 years has been astounding. It is an honor and a thrill to catch up with these beloved characters and explore their lives today. The love you saw on the show was real. The cast has remained a loving family off screen all these years. We are as excited as our fans to finally bring Full House back to life.”
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Fuller House is due to premiere on Netflix in 2016.
Source: Netflix