Full House was a family sitcom that originally aired on ABC. It starred Bob Saget as Danny Tanner, John Stamos as Jesse Katsopolis, Dave Coulier as Joey Gladstone, Candice Cameron as D.J. Tanner, Jodie Sweetin as Stephanie Tanner, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as Michelle Tanner. The series was created by Jeff Franklin.
The show follows a family in San Francisco whose mother recently passed on. The father invites his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and best friend Joey Gladstone to move in and help raise his three girls.
Most sitcoms these days only aim to entertain and have very few moral lessons. Full House was, in my opinion, one of the last ones to have moral lessons at the forefront. For example in the first few episodes, “Uncle Jesse” appears as an immature rockstar wannabe who tries to avoid responsibility at most costs. He even abandons the family because he was too overwhelmed by the situation. However, they convince him to grow up and mature. Jesse comes back and accepts the huge responsibility.
Another example is when Stephanie accidentally backs the car into the back of the house. She runs away because she fears the possible consequences of what she did. Eventually, Jesse tracks her down and convinces her to come home, as she is not in any trouble because it was an accident.
Despite all the drama in the series, it isn’t without its many funny moments. When I think of the humor I saw in the show, my first thought is of Joey Gladstone. He is basically child trapped in a grown man’s body. He loves cartoons and has been known to wear Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pajamas. Some of his many cartoon impressions include Bullwinkle and Popeye. In fact, when I first heard his impression of Popeye, I thought that he was actually the real voice in the cartoon which, of course, he wasn’t. Joey has a great sense of humor and is very kind-hearted, making him one of the most likeable characters on Full House.
To wrap, Full House was one of the last sitcoms that regularly depicted real life lessons and was one of the greatest family sitcoms of the last 30 years.