One doesn’t have to be totally obsessed with Full House to be a fan of star Jodie Sweetin, but it certainly helps, considering viewers watched the actress grow from tot to teen as Stephanie Tanner. Not everyone will remember, however, that another one of her earliest TV appearances happened on a commercial for the California-founded eatery Sizzler back in 1987, the same year she debuted as Bob Saget’s small-screen offspring. 36 years later, Sweetin partnered up once more with the restaurant for a new ad that recalls the original promo while also showcasing her ever-present comedy chops.
Send your eyeballs and taste buds to the ad from Sizzler below, which kicks off with Sweetin at four or five years old, wide-eyed and with her mouth too stuffed to speak, which is many people’s go-to face while dining at a buffet.
Maybe it’s weird to suddenly have the urge to watch Jodie Sweetin perform stand-up on a stage made out of serving trays, but I guess that’s what I’m feeling now. Slight chance it could be a rare form of vertigo, but I’m pretty sure it’s the first one.
Speaking of rare form, Sweetin was in just that when it comes to poking fun at herself and her enviable career. For all that she’s known for starring in one of TGIF’s most beloved sitcoms, as well as its Netflix follow-up Fuller House, the actress isn’t actually that prolific when it comes to straightforward comedy projects. These days, fans will have an easier time finding her in an upcoming Hallmark TV movie (or perhaps one on Lifetime) or an unscripted competition series such as Beyond the Edge, Worst Cooks in America and Name That Tune, all of which she appeared in during 2023.
And by all means, I hope she keeps nailing down the cozy TV flicks and embracing the competitive spirit that drives her in other shows. But can we also get Jodie Sweetin heading up her own comedy series? Whether it’s a multcam broadcast network gig like the one she learned about middle-child-hood in, or a single-cam comedy that strays completely from sets and soundstages, I feel like the world is overdue at least 5 different Sweetin-fronted comedies beyond the Tanner family hijinks. (And no, I don’t mean her popping up in a Kimmy Gibbler spinoff, either.)
There’s nothing wildly different about her standing around smiling warmly in an ill-timed manner right after boasting about her comedic timing, but it works! In a world where popularity gets actors roles far more often than genuine talent, I can think of more than a few projects that would be notably better if Sweetin was part of the cast. (Or all of the cast, but that’s probably just for this gender-swapped Nutty Professor remake I’m writing on the inside of some box.)
I’m not sure who we need to start petitioning, but I’ll send some emails to Sizzler to see if they’re game to start up a whole TV series of commercials, and then once that idea is shot down as being terrible, any other pitch I follow up with will seem genius in comparison. In the meantime, Fuller House is always there to watch with a Netflix subscription, while Full House proper requires a Max subscription for bingeing purposes.
