For years, Full House brought joy to audiences on ABC thanks to its likable attitude and storylines focusing on both the kids in the family and the adults. Spurred by creator Jeff Franklin, the family-oriented comedy lasted for 8 seasons during its original run. However, Franklin wasn't involved with the show through the entirety of that original run. In fact, the series ended on a note that he was never particularly happy with. So when Netflix decided to pick up Fuller House, Jeff Franklin used the new series as an opportunity to wrap up the original comedy in a way that made sense. The real ending to Full House is very much the introduction to Fuller House, according to Jeff Franklin:
I always sort-of looked at the first episode of Fuller House as the last episode of Full House. They never really did a last episode. The show just sort-of petered out with this strange episode about an 8-year-old who had amnesia. It was an odd ending and very unsatisfactory for the fans who did stick with the show its last few years. I felt like the first season of this show was really the last episode Full House never got. That was satisfying that the series got to continue and did not end on a weak note.
CinemaBlend recently got to speak with Jeff Franklin leading into the Season 2 premiere of Fuller House. While he's excited about what is coming up, it's clear the producer has spent a lot of time thinking about how Full House ended and what he wanted to change for the Netflix rendition of the show. This is why when Fuller House premiered back in February, we got an episode that featured most of the characters from the original series reuniting and catching back up---Olsen twins excluded. It was a great way to kick off the series, and more importantly, in Franklin's mind it righted a lot of wrongs he had to sit through and watch unfold when the original series was finishing its run.
Franklin also explained to us a little bit more about what happened when he originally opted to leave the series, noting that Fuller House is his big chance to get the characters back to where they should be.
What happened back in the Full House days was I sold Hanging with Mr. Cooper and I left the show after five years. In retrospect, looking back, I do regret that I didn't stay involved with Full House for its entire run. I was a little mystified at some of the creative decisions that got made in my absence. Some of the things that I'm doing on Fuller House sort-of try to address some of the missteps that I think the show took in its last couple of years and get back to where I feel the show should be.
It's never a good feeling to regret the way a certain job or time in your life panned out, but Jeff Franklin and really the entire cast of Full House are getting a second chance to bring the characters back to life. Second chances don't happen all that often, and thus far the show has been making the most of it.
Fuller House is returning for its second season this week, and we'll soon be able to catch up with the Tanner family and even meet a brand new Gibbler on the small screen. You can catch new episodes starting on December 9 at 12:01 a.m. PT, only on Netflix. In addition, you can check out what the streaming service has coming up with our premiere schedule.
