More than 35 years since Full House premiered, it's currently among the best shows streaming on Max for all ages to enjoy. Even though the series isn’t perfect by any means, regarding some confusing retcons and plot holes in its eight seasons, Full House is still squeaky-clean fun. However, stars Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber got real about one Tanner family-related detail they wish the show handled better, and I have a solid (if untimely) suggestion for how it could have happened.
The Stephanie Tanner and Kimmy Gibbler actresses host their own Full House rewatch podcast, How Rude, Tanneritos!, where they digest episodes, reveal BTS secrets, and reassess their own opinions about the show (such as their thoughts on a disturbing DJ episode) For a recent Minisode, the duo discussed unpopular Full House opinions, taking to Reddit to see what fans had to say. Upon seeing one fan's despire for the show to have featured more references to Pam, Danny’s dead wife and the girls’ mother, Barber was completely on board. In her words:
100,000 percent. . . . She's talked about a little bit in Season 1. We see a flashback, or not the flashback, but we see the VHS tape.
As Barber said, Pamela was mentioned a handful of times in the first season as the show was building its universe. The most classic moment involves everyone watching a home video taken the day Pam and Danny brought home infant Michelle, which was the only time that viewers see what Pam looks and sounds like.
She’s occasionally brought up throughout the remainder of the show, but only for storylines that reflect on sad memories — the origins of Mr. Bear and convos about drunk driving — or situations that would be better for daughter to experience with a mom, such as a slumber parties, But other than that, Pam wasn't namechecked very often, and and Sweetin would have loved to have more stories about her under-credit TV mom that didn't necessarily skew mournful, saying:
It doesn't need to be morbid or down. It would naturally [be like], over time, when you can tell stories about somebody that are funny. I would have loved to have heard more stories about Pam with the kids or something she did with Danny, because that's kind of what you do when someone passes. That's what you keep them alive with, the stories, and I feel like Pam just really got, sort of — It was like, you’re dead, bye. You know? … I guess you can't get too dark in a sitcom. But I think maybe as time went on, you could do it differently, and it would no longer be sad.
Obviously, there is the likelihood that Pam was mentioned countless times off-screen, but I definitely would have loved it if she was brought up more often on-screen, even if it’s just a brief mention rather than just a few times when it comes to a big storyline, as Barber said:
Yeah. It doesn't have to be sappy with the violins and crying. Like, no. You could just have a casual mention in these later seasons.
That being said, it’s not so surprising that Full House only mentioned Pam on several occasions. It is a sitcom, after all, and while Full House could definitely take the tone in a different direction, there are only so many dark and heavy storylines a sitcom can do. Of course, they could have found a way, but even Sweetin thinks the fear was too much to handle:
I definitely agree with this one. They should’ve talked about Pam more, and I think it was just probably fear of having it turn too dark and then seeming disrespectful by then going to a joke.
There is one way that the show could have handled bringing up Pam more that doesn’t necessarily have to turn dark.
How Full House Could Have Naturally Referenced Pam More In A Fun Way
Given the fact that Jesse is Pam’s brother, I think he could have set up up some kind tribute concert in Pam's memory, even if it wasn't necessarily an annual experience. He and the Rippers would have a chance to show off their skills, and it would have been another easy spot for Full House to bring in musical cameos, as it often did.
The Beach Boys always seemed ready, willing, and locally available to pop up and perform a song or two with the Tanners, who even mixed it up with New Kids on the Block. I can only imagine the kinds of other '80s and '90s acts that might have been invited as well. They could have even found ways to bring the actress back for other "old" home video footage.
Alas, there are only so many storylines that a show can do in a single episode, and even with nearly 200 episodes, there still weren’t enough to properly touch on every single aspect. Regardless, Full House is still one of my favorite shows, and nothing will change that or the retro TV theme that still slaps. But it doesn’t mean you can’t still think about what could have been.
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