5 things we learned about 'Fuller House' from John Stamos
What's the Tanner clan been up to since Full House signed off in 1995? We'll soon find out when the Fuller House reboot hits Netflix Feb. 26, featuring (almost) all the original stars. Yes, that includes John Stamos (aka Uncle Jesse), who stopped by USA TODAY last week to chat about new sitcom Grandfathered and dish on the 13-episode revival. Here's what we learned:
1. Fuller House could've been a very different show
Series creator Jeff Franklin first talked to Stamos about doing a spinoff while Stamos was starring on ER, although the initial idea was unlike what you'll see on Netflix.
"In the beginning, there was a lot of talk of having the girls move into an apartment and do a 'Sex and the City' kind of thing," Stamos says. "We thought of everything. Then we were like, 'No, we have to rebuild that house. The house is a character.' "
2. There's a studio audience
Once they decided to go back to the basics, they recreated everything almost exactly as it was when Full House aired on ABC in the late '80s and '90s. The sitcom returned to the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank where it was originally shot. They also rebuilt the set and used a lot of the same props.
"I had the jukebox in my house and a bunch of stuff," Stamos says. "I tried to take the couch and somehow, they were like, 'We'll give it to you later,' and I never got it. We'd be taping the shows and there's a curtain in front of the set. The curtain would go up and people, just seeing the set, would applaud."
3. You won't have to binge-watch to "get" it
When Arrested Development was revived for a fourth season on Netflix in 2013, many critics and fans complained about the series' new structure: episodes devoted to individual characters and an overarching story that didn't entirely make sense until the end. But with Fuller House, Stamos assures that it's the same "simple stories. Some of it is really silly."
"There's no re-doing in this," Stamos says. "There's no hidden messages, there's no tricks, it's 'Full House.' If you like the original, you will like this because we got the same writers, same producers, same directors, same actors. We're just older."
4. There are no hard feelings about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Of the original Full House cast, the only two not returning are Mary-Kate and Ashley, who shared the role of the Tanners' precocious youngest, Michelle. Although there was speculation in the media about behind-the-scenes drama, Stamos says he understands why the Olsens chose not to return.
"I was surprised at first, but once I talked to them, I understood their position on it," Stamos says. "Obviously, I respect it. There was a lot of misinformation about us being mad at each other."
Like co-star Bob Saget, Stamos didn't beg the Olsens to come back.
"I talked to them," Stamos adds. "I called Mary-Kate. At that time, she wasn't sure. She said, 'Thanks.' She was very sweet about it and said she'd talk to Ashley. You'd have to talk to them, but I don't think they consider themselves actresses any more. They haven't done it in a long time, so I think they just didn't want to go back to that."
5. It will definitely be better than that Lifetime movie
No matter how Fuller House turns out, fans can be confident that it won't botch their beloved characters like Lifetime'sThe Unauthorized Full House Story last summer. The TV movie — which offered a "scandalous" behind-the-scenes look at the sitcom — was largely dismissed by the original cast, Stamos included.
"I got through about 10 minutes of it," Stamos says. "It's a very hard deal. I'm friends with Lifetime and I do business with them. After it was up and going, I said, 'You should've called me, I would've told you a lot of stuff that you could've used.' I don't know why they didn't come to us, I think we could've made it better."
Although he has mild praise for Justin Gaston, who played him in the movie.
"I remember telling someone, 'That kid is way better-looking than I was,' ' Stamos says. "He was good. I think I tweeted and said he did a good job."
Yup, Fuller House sounds like a winner to us.