Full House

Full House is an American television sitcom that originally ran from September 22, 1987 to May 23, 1995 on ABC. The series was created by Jeff Franklin and produced by Lorimar Television (1987-1993), and then by Warner Brothers Television (1993-1995). Set in San Francisco, California, it chronicles a widowed father Danny Tanner who recruits his best friend Joey Gladstone and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three daughters.

Characters

• Jesse Katsopolis (played by John Stamos) Danny's brother-in-law who is an upcoming musician and eventually marries Rebecca Donaldson and has his own kids, Nicky and Alex. He is known to be obsessed with his hair and Elvis Presley, and rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. His catchphrase, usually when he kisses a woman, is "Have mercy!". According to "The Legend of Ranger Joe", his real name is Hermies.
• Daniel "Danny" Tanner (played by Bob Saget) - He is the co-host of the morning talk show Wake Up, San Francisco along with Rebecca Donaldson, who also becomes his sister-in-law. Danny is best known for his obsession with talking, hugging and cleanliness.
• Joseph "Joey" Gladstone (played by Dave Coulier) - Danny's best friend through grade school and college. He moves in to help Danny with his three girls. He makes a living primarily as a comedian. He is also known for his imitations of cartoon characters His catchphrase was "Cut..It..Out!", accompanied by hand gestures.
• D.J. Margret Tanner (played by Candace Cameron) - Oldest daughter in the Tanner household, who is a typical teenager. She has two occasional catchphrases, "Whoa, baby!" and "Oh, mylanta!".
• Stephanie Judith Tanner (played by Jodie Sweetin) - Middle daughter of the Tanner household. She is known to have an energetic and talkative personality. She also has three catchphrases: "How rude!" "well pin a rose on your nose," and "hot dog!" She was born on January 14, 1982.
• Michelle Elizabeth Tanner (played by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) - Youngest of the Tanner daughters. Her first word was cookie. She has a strong bond with Jesse, who refers to her with the nicknames "Shortie", "Munchkin", "Rugrat" and "Trail Mix" (camp nickname). Michelle has her own catchphrases: "You got it, dude!"; "You're in big trouble, Mister!" and "Aww nuts". She was born on November 12, 1986.
• Rebecca "Becky" Donaldson-Katsopolis (played by Lori Loughlin) - Co-hosts the morning show Wake Up, San Francisco with Danny. Introduced in the second season, Becky dates Jesse for about two years before becoming his wife, and in the fifth season she gives birth to twin sons Nicky and Alex. By the eighth season, Becky has been named as producer of Wake Up, San Francisco.
• Kimmy Gibbler (played by Andrea Barber) - D.J.'s best friend and next-door neighbor, who usually serves as a punchline while visiting the Tanners' home. She is known for her lack of a "fashionable" wardrobe. She is also known for her stinky feet and eccentric family. Kimmy also has been known to have quite a wild side at times. An interesting note is that Kimmy in season one is said to have three sisters but later on in the series she says that she only has an older brother.
• Steve Hale (played by Scott Weinger) - He was originally introduced in season five as Steve Peters. He was D.J.'s steady boyfriend for two years. He began dating D.J. during her trip to Spain. He is quite athletic, most notably as the captain of his high school wrestling team. He is also known for his immense appetite, as he is constantly eating large amounts of food in the Tanners' kitchen during his visits. He came back for the very last episode as D.J.'s date for her prom.
• Nicholas "Nicky" and Alexander "Alex" Katsopolis (played by Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit) - Identical twin sons of Jesse and Rebecca, born in the fifth season. With Jesse and Rebecca already living in the Tanners' apartment-sized attic, the boys are also raised there, and bringing the household head-count to 9 people. They were born on Michelle's 5th birthday, thus cutting her party short. They are very mischievous and are well known for laughing at Joey's jokes.

History

The original title of the show was House of Comics, and it was going to be about three comedians living together. However, executive producer and creator Jeff Franklin learned that ABC wanted a sitcom about a family, so it was changed to Full House when it was decided that the show was to promote family themes and values.

The show's original pilot (which was never aired) starred John Posey as the original Danny Tanner because Bob Saget was on another network (as co-host and "comic" correspondent on CBS's ill-fated Morning Program. When it was revamped, Saget was fired, and thus available for Full House).

In the first season, Jesse's last name was "Cochran". His name was changed after Season 1 to "Jesse Katsopolis". The name change was due to Stamos wanting his character to better reflect his Greek heritage. In one episode, Jesse admits his birth name was "Hermes", which actually happens to be his real-life paternal grandfather's name.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen nearly left the show after the first season because their real-life mother was concerned about them missing out on having a "normal" childhood. After a raise from the producers, she let them stay on. Their being so popular was also one of the reasons their mother let them stay.

During the show's run, only four main characters were added to the main cast. Lori Loughlin, who played the role of Rebecca Donaldson (later Katsopolis), was initially scheduled to appear in six episodes in Season 2 as Danny's co-host on Wake Up, San Francisco. However, producers decided to write her character into the show, and give her a permanent role in the third season.

According to the show's E! True Hollywood Story, during the third season, a tremendous amount of sodas were spilled backstage and even on set at tapings. Producers were forced to fire several interns and speak with the cast about how the carpets and vinyl surfaces at the studio were stainable and how hard it was to get the stains out. This lead to a great deal of turmoil behind the scenes.

Season 5 saw the debut of characters Nicky and Alex Katsopolis, who were the twin sons of Jesse and Rebecca. The characters Nicky and Alex were created to complement the popularity of the Olsen twins. However, the new characters did not achieve as much popularity as the producers had hoped. The "baby" versions were played by Daniel and Kevin Renteria until the end of Season 5. Beginning in Season 6, Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit played the roles of toddlers Nicky and Alex until the series ended.

Full House was part of the TGIF lineup from the fall of 1988 to the fall of 1991, which spanned the show's second, third, and fourth seasons. The show was moved to Tuesdays for Season 5, and remained there until its cancellation. While Season 1 was not very successful, Season 2 quickly gained popularity for the show, and from Season 3 onwards it was ranked among the Nielsen Ratings' Top 30 shows.

In 1995, ABC announced that it was cancelling the show after the eighth season due to the increasing costs to produce the show. The new WB network wanted to pick up the show for a ninth season, but John Stamos announced that the eighth season would be his last (he was mainly upset about Full House defecting from one of the "Big Four" networks to a netlet which had not yet received full national distribution). Eventually, the other actors announced they were also ready to move on to other projects, thus ending the show's eight-year run. The one-hour finale was watched by 24.3 million viewers (25 percent of all Americans watching television at the time).

Production

Although the series was set in San Francisco, and the opening credits were filmed there, the sitcom itself was taped at Warner Brothers Studios in Los Angeles. The only episode to have actually been taped in San Francisco was Comet's Excellent Adventure, the first episode of Season 8. There were also a few episodes where the cast would shoot in other locations, most notably Hawaii in the third season premiere "Tanner's Island", and at Walt Disney World for the episodes "The House Meets the Mouse" (Parts 1 & 2) at the end of Season 6.

Full House was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions & Miller-Boyett Productions in association with Lorimar-Telepictures (1st season only), then Lorimar Television (later to become Warner Bros. Television).

The theme song "Everywhere You Look" was performed by Jesse Frederick, which he co-wrote with John Stamos. The song was almost always truncated to the chorus for broadcast. Season one was the only season that used the full song; after that it kept getting shorter, until it was down to about 30 seconds in season 8. On the seasons 1, 2, 4 and 5 DVD sets and 6 episodes of the third season, the full version of the theme song is heard, and the fast forward button is disabled. On the seasons 3, 6 and 7 DVD sets the opening was a little shorter, cutting about 14 seconds out of the theme song. In the 8th season DVD set, the entire opening is the 30 second intro with just the title card and the cast members.

In the beginning, the six original characters were shown either at home or in various shots in San Francisco. Beginning in season 4, the opening credits for the adults were also filmed in San Francisco as well as the last shot of the opening credits of the show, which features the cast having a picnic in Alamo Square in front of the row of Painted Ladies in the Western Addition neighborhood of San Francisco. Contrary to popular belief, the red-doored Victorian where the Tanners live is not one of these houses. The address of the Tanner house was mentioned in Blast from the Past as being located at 1882 Girard Street in San Francisco, CA. The actual location of the house is at 1709 Broderick St., San Francisco, CA. Beginning in Season 6, the font of the credits was changed to be bolder, and the color was changed from white to yellow. It was not until season 8 that the opening credits were changed to feature the entire cast in various locations around San Francisco.

The role of Michelle was credited as being played by "Mary-Kate Ashley Olsen" from seasons 2-7 (the duo was only credited in the closing credits in season 1, as "Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen") because the show's director did not want audiences to know that Michelle was played by twins. Ashley's name was made to appear as Mary-Kate's middle name in the titles. (The role of Michelle was played by two children because California state law regulated the number of work hours for a young child). In season 8, with the entire opening credit shots revamped for the last time, the Olsen twins were now given special billing in response to the popularity they earned as separate performers over the years. Appearing last in the credits, they were credited as "and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as Michelle". Fittingly, Mary-Kate is the twin appearing in the shot, but the girl in the painting is Ashley. It was not until season 5 that Andrea Barber (who played Kimmy Gibbler) was added to the opening credits, despite her recurring role on the show since the first season. The long opening was cut when the show started regular rotation upon the end of first-run airing.

Broadcasting history

• ABC (1987-1995)
• Syndication (1991-present)
• TBS (1998-2002)
• Nick @ Nite (2003-present)
• ABC Family (2004-present)
• CTS (2008-Present)

Ratings

Full House ranked among other programs in the top 30 from the third season through the final season:

Season	Year	Ranking
_1987-1988	1987-1988	N/A
_1988-1989	1988-1989	N/A
_1989-1990	1989-1990	#22
_1990-1991	1990-1991	#14
_1991-1992	1991-1992	#7
_1992-1993	1992-1993	#10
_1993-1994	1993-1994	#16
_1994-1995	1994-1995	#25

Syndication history

Since its 1995 finale, the sitcom has continued in syndication while gaining even more popularity among newer generations of family audiences. Full House was initially syndicated on various local stations nationwide. For a brief period of time in the early 1990s, reruns of the early seasons began airing in a daily daytime strip on NBC. In the late 1990s, TBS Superstation and WGN aired the show every day until 2003, when the show was dropped from the daily schedule on both networks. Later that year, Nick at Nite acquired the show, as well as ABC Family in 2004. Several episodes on ABC Family feature the original extended version of the theme song. As of 2008, the show still airs daily on ABC Family and still airs at 6:00 am on Nick at Nite. The show also airs on CTS (Crossroads Television System) in Canada.

Episodes

Season	Episodes	First airdate	Last airdate
_1987-1988	22	september 22, 1987	May 6, 1988
_1988-1989	22	October 14, 1988	May 5, 1989
Season 3	24	September 22, 1989	May 4, 1990
Season 4	26	September 24, 1990	May 3, 1991
Season 5	26	September 17, 1991	May 12, 1992
_1992-1993	24	September 22, 1992	May 18, 1993
_1993-1994	24	September 14, 1993	May 17, 1994
Season 8	24	September 27, 1994	May 23, 1995

DVD releases

Warner Home Video has released all eight seasons of Full House on DVD in Region 1. The first,second and third seasons were also released on DVD in Region 2. A complete series set containing all 192 episodes was released on November 6, 2007.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release Date
The Complete First Season	22	February 8, 2005
The Complete Second Season	22	December 6, 2005
The Complete Third Season	24	April 4, 2006
The Complete Fourth Season	26	August 15, 2006
The Complete Fifth Season	26	December 12, 2006
The Complete Sixth Season	24	March 27, 2007
The Complete Seventh Season	24	August 7, 2007
The Complete Eighth Season	24	November 6, 2007
The Complete Series	192	November 6, 2007

Full House books

Books based on 'Full House are geared toward children primarily ages 8-14. However, many are considered enjoyable by fans of the sitcom, especially of the characters Stephanie Tanner and Michelle Tanner, who are the main focuses. Warner Brothers, the owners of "Full House", would not permit others to use their characters, and selected who could write books based on the TV series. Such strict control by the owners of "Full House" means they may be considered more than fan fiction, and in fact represent a parallel universe known to many fans as the Book Universe. Differences in the universes are noted below.

The series include the following:

Full House Stephanie: These 33 books were written from the point of view of the Tanners' middle daughter, Stephanie Tanner. They take place with Stephanie in a different middle school, likely because of a slightly different redistricting plan compared to the one mentioned in season 7's Fast Friends. She has different best friends Allie Taylor and Darcy Powell, as well.

Though these are book creations, she has known Allie since kindergarten, and there are several places in the first five seasons of "Full House" where fans think an unnamed extra could be Allie. The first ten of these books overlap with seasons 7 and 8 of the TV series, though the school is not the only difference; there are a number of differences in the Tanners from the series, as noted below.

This series begins with Stephanie being pressured to join a clique called the Flamingoes, by completing a series of dares. She almost does the last one, though she's not sure if she wants to, before D.J. catches her trying to steal Danny's phone card. Stephanie explains tearfully what was happening, and D.J. helps her to understand what the Flamingoes were really up to: they wanted the phone card to use to call boyfriends. Stephanie and the Flamingoes become fierce rivals, though not all books surround this rivalry or even show the Flamingoes.

Two stories were translated and published in Japan in February 2007.

Full House Michelle: These 41 stories are told from Michelle's point of view. The first 27 feature more of her - and the other Tanners' - home life than others, though some focus on events at school, whereas the last 14, the "Michelle and Friends" series, focuses mostly on Michelle and her classmates. Unlike Stephanie, Michelle goes to the same elementary school, but is in a different class. The first four books in the Michelle series overlap with season 8 of "Full House", though these, too, take place in this Book Universe. Two stories were translated and published in Japan in February 2007.

Full House Sisters: These 14 books focus on Michelle and Stephanie's friendship and comical situations that occur between them. The sisters often alternate points of view in the story.

Full House: Club Stephanie: This is a series of 15 books in 5 trilogies focusing on Stephanie and her friends and their battles with the Flamingoes. Some have argued that this part of the Book Universe is similar to the Sweet Valley High books, though books not dealing with the Flamingoes are clearly "Full House" stories.

Full House: Dear Michelle: These 4 books were published several years after the others stopped being produced. They take place with Michelle third grade, where she writes an advice column for her class paper. It is a different third grade class from either the first four books or the TV universe, though the class contains several of the same friends as in the other books.

Differences between book and TV characters

Michelle is in a different class in third grade. This is quite plausible, because there are three fourth grade classes in the episode Spellbound and in the book If I Were President. So, it is not implausible that there would be three different classes for each grade level in her school. Stephanie is in a different school.

Each of the younger girls is more mature, and not as rebellious in general in the books as on TV. Some books have the girls closer to the TV Universe characters, however, leading some to speculate that 1-2 Michelle books could arguably be better suited for the TV and not the Book Universe. For instance, in "The Wish I Wish I Never Wished", Michelle is reading Stephanie's diary and has a big argument with her, and Stephanie moves out of the room they share for a few days. This type of snooping is more akin to the TV Universe sisters, as they are never seen to be reading each others diaries in the books. Also, in earlier seasons Stephanie read D.J's diary. Their reconciling seems like the end of one of the TV episodes as Stephanie moves back in.

As for individual character traits, Michelle is more compassionate and sensitive, and slightly more emotional, or at least more willing to show her emotions. One scene in the book "Here Comes the Brand New Me" shows Stephanie reading a school newspaper article about school lunches, written from the meatloaf's point of view, concerning the abuse students heap on it, and Michelle cries thinking of how the meatloaf must feel, a sign not only of her increased sensitivity but also of Stephanie's writing skills in describing this unique point of view, skills not explored on TV.

Stephanie not only is on the school paper, she babysits quite often at times, unlike on the TV series. She has her own babysitting business with her friends in numerous books, and in fact is mature enough that she can use Danny's credit card for very limited purchases at the age of 12, in the book "Here Comes the Brand New Me." Her actions revolve around trying to accomplish things and getting in over her head much more in books, a sign of her overexcitability from the TV series. For instance, she tries to run a catering business all by herself in "Sugar and Spice Advice."

Other characters: The girls' dad, Danny Tanner, has a home office/study/den, with Joey Gladstone living in the basement apartment yet, whereas he lives on the second floor in later years on TV, replacing the girls' Uncle Jesse Katsopolis. It is implied that this office has always been in the Tanners' fourth bedroom, with Jesse possibly always in the attic.

This may have occurred because the writers felt it more likely that only actual family members would normally room on the floor with the dad and the girls. However, many fans also feel that this room placement logically explains the different personalities. The girls' uncle is the mother figure to Michelle in the TV series, and has quite a bit of influence on Stephanie, as well, after the girls' mother dies. With an office in the fourth bedroom, it is presumed that the girls' oldest sister D.J. filled that role early in their lives, and was able to mold them into being more mature than the sometimes rebellious Jesse.

Though she is willing to take a motherly role on screen when needed, such as when she stops Stephanie from joyriding in the episode "Stephanie's Wild Ride", D.J. could easily have been much more proactive in the books. Michelle seems more worried about how D.J. will react when some friends take D.J.'s tennis racket to pan for gold in the Tanners' backyard ("There's Gold In My backyard") than she would be if D.J. were just her sister; she worries as she might if D.J. were her mother figure. While that could also simply be an example of her increased compassion, there are other examples. For instance, when Stephanie teases Michelle in "I've Got Bunny Business", in which a classmate had their finger chomped off by an animal, it's D.J. who quickly assures Michelle that Stephanie was just teasing. Michelle goes to D.J. in one of the earliest books ("Hip Hop Till You Drop") to ask a question such as "do birds yawn?" at 2 am once. Each shows that Michelle likely bonded with her a bit more than one would a mere older sister. And, in a couple others, D.J. actively scolds as a mother would: when Michelle tries to forge a note to get out of school to get a celebrity autograph ("My Secret Secret Admirer") and when Stephanie sneaks into D.J.'s college campus to see a boy. ("The Story on Older Boys"). Both times, the younger girls listen as though they have respect for what she says.

This change in family history is an example of what some call a retcon. Other evidence includes the fact that Jesse never uses his pet names for Michelle in the books, such as "munchkin", "rugrat", or "shorty."

Still, as noted above, some books could be considered TV canon, as things which happened after the series finale, and some of the later ones may be too out of character to be considered either by many fans. A Chronology was produced over the Internet by a series of fans to explain this, and to put the TV and Book series into a timeline.

Time frame

The books, most of which published between 1993 and in 2001, along with the 2004 "Dear Michelle" series, span from Stephanie's sixth grade year (season 7 on TV) to her ninth grade year. No book has been written to date to show her in high school, nor Michelle starting middle school. The Flamingoes are featured less and less in Stephanie books, and the last "Club Stephanie" trilogy, shows Stephanie and her friends becoming friends with the Flamingoes by the end.

References