Have mercy: I’m rewatching Full House

Watching my favorite childhood sitcom with my own children is wild 🏠

The crucial question Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang ask every guest on their podcast, Las Culturistas, is: “Growing up, what was the piece of culture that made you say, Culture is for me?”

For me, that culture was the PBS-recorded version of Into the Woods.

But coming in right behind it in second place was Full House.

Perhaps no other piece of media has had a greater impact on my brain chemistry than Full House, in all its saccharine, schmaltzy, two-camera, laugh-track sitcom glory.

If you’re unfamiliar with Full House, then you’re either very young, very old, an alien, or a monk of some sort. But if your memory is rusty, here’s a quick refresher.

Full House aired from 1987-1995 on ABC. Set in San Francisco, the show follows the Tanner family in the months after the unexpected death of their mother. Danny, the father, asks his brother-in-law, Jesse, and best friend, Joey, to “temporarily” move into their Victorian home to help raise his three daughters: Donna Jo (DJ), Stephanie, and Michelle. Then basically no one ever leaves… and, in fact, more people just keep moving in.

Full House was my favorite TV show from age five to puberty (and if we’re being totally honest, a little after puberty, too). We recorded every episode on VHS, and I watched them ad nauseam until a new one aired on Friday evening. I was deeply connected to this show for many reasons:

1. We didn’t have cable, so ABC’s Friday night lineup (TGIF) wasn’t just the best programming option—it was the programming option.

2. I saw myself in Stephanie—the precocious performer—and learned all her lines just in case ABC ever needed to recast her, like they did with Aunt Vivian in Fresh Prince. Meanwhile, DJ was the perfect fantasy big sister, and Uncle Jesse was my fantasy husband.

3. I always dreamed of having a big, bustling family (probably due to my Sound of Music obsession), and the supportive, chaotic Tanner household became my ideal surrogate fantasy family.

4. The fashion was on point. Becky Donaldson in a plaid skirt and crop top? An icon.

   

   Let’s just temporarily forget about Laurie Loughlin’s criminal record. It’s fine.

5. The show was deliciously cheesy and comfortingly predictable. As an oversensitive kid who cried during every Disney movie (even 101 Dalmatians), I craved wholesomeness. Neat, tidy endings and happily-ever-afters were my balm. Cringe was my love language—and honestly, still is.

6. It tackled big after-school-special topics in a non-threatening way. As a sheltered oldest child in a no-cable household, Full House was my introduction to things like alcohol, drugs, kissing, and parties. And it taught me that no problem—whether driving a car into the kitchen or being labeled the worst kisser in school—was too big to be solved by three heterosexual white men in 22 minutes.

   

And now, in the year of our lord 2025, my 7-year-old daughter, Abby, and I are rewatching Full House—and ohhhhh boy, is there a lot to unpack.

Things started strong in Season 1, Episode 1, when Abby asked, “Who is that laughing in the background?” And I had to explain what a “live studio audience” and a laugh track were. I felt 400 years old.

As we continue grinding our way through this endless show, a few random thoughts have popped into my mind…

Some random observations about Full House:

• This show makes it seem very easy to get your own TV or radio show. Danny Tanner casually transitions from on-air sports reporter to co-host of Wake Up, San Francisco. Joey lands his own children’s TV show (Ranger Joe) and even guest-hosts a science show (Mr. Egghead). And by Season 6, Joey and Jesse host their own radio show, The Rush Hour Renegades.

  

• Why were there so many musicians guest starring? Little Richard, Frankie Valli, Wayne Newton, The Beach Boys—this show was practically the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• In general, the cameos on this show are pretty wild and include people like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Vanna White, Suzanne Somers, and even Mickey Rooney.

• The show writers are constantly using “fog” as a reason for events and trips to be cancelled at the last minute. I’m sure that’s a legit thing in SFO but also…they are leaning on that excuse kind of a lot…

• Kathy Santoni is an A+ supporting character name. Bravo!

• How did we never meet Kimmy Gibbler’s parents!? I demand a Kimmy Gibbler spinoff.

• John Stamos is as dreamy as I remember. Was it the audience jeers reinforcing his sex-symbol status, or did my young, undeveloped brain just know? Either way—correct.

  Ok, also here is a list of all the jobs Uncle Jesse had:

  • Exterminator

  • Musician / Lead Singer of Jesse + The Rippers

  • Advertising Creative

  • Producer

  • Songwriter

  • Elvis Impersonator

  • Radio Host

  • Inventor of the Spray Guard 2001

  • Music Club Owner (The Smash Club)

And now…here is my official ranking of the best and worst episodes of Full House.

My Favorite 10 Episodes of Full House:

• DJ’s Very First Horse (Season 2, Episode 4): DJ starts spending a lot of time at the stable, learning to ride and care for horses, when she falls in love with a horse named Buttercup. She learns that Buttercup is up for sale and tries to covertly sneak the horse home with her.

• Beach Boy Bingo (Season 2, Episode 6): DJ wins a radio contest and gets 2 tickets to see the Beach Boys. She has to decide who she’ll take as her date and the Tanners all LOSE THEIR MINDS trying to prove themselves the most worthy of the extra ticket. In the end, the Beach Boys VISIT THEIR HOUSE, have a PIZZA PARTY and invite the WHOLE FAMILY TO GO UP ON STAGE. I think this is the origin story of all my life expectations being way out of whack.

  

• A Little Romance (Season 2, Episode 11): The men all agree to be in a dating auction for a charity event that Becky is hosting. She gets super jealous when a bidding war erupts for Jesse.

• Tanner’s Island (Season 3, Episode 1): In this Very Special Episode, the Tanners go to Hawaii to celebrate their 2-year-anniversary of “being a family.” But they mostly all bicker and argue. Jesse wants to see all the places Elvis shot Blue Hawaii. Danny brings his “Clipboard of Fun” (brb stealing this idea immediately). And they all eventually get lost at sea due to a potato chip crumb on the map. There are dolphins, hula dancers, and Becky and Jesse jump off a waterfall. 10/10

  

  Name a hotter couple. You cannot.

• The Greatest Birthday on Earth (Season 3, Episode 10): Uncle Jesse gets locked in a garage with Stephanie and Michelle and they miss Michelle’s three-year-old, circus-themed birthday party. Jesse and Stephanie get creative to have their own circus-themed celebration in the garage for Michelle. It’s silly and sad and cute. Classic Full House.

• Honey, I Broke the House (Season 3, Episode 20): Stephanie drives Joey’s new car into the kitchen. She then packs her bag (basically just big enough to hold Mr. Bear) and attempts to flee to Mexico to escape the consequences.

• The Wedding - Part 1 + 2 (Season 4, Episodes 18 + 19): FINALLY. Uncle Jesse + Aunt Becky are about to get hitched! Hooray! But not without some unexpected shenanigans along the way. Sitcom gold.

  

• Stephanie Plays the Field (Season 4, Episode 22): Boy-crazy and baseball-crazy Elyse LOVED this episode in which Stephanie pitches for her baseball team and faces a moral dilemma: let her very cute boyfriend Brett (who is playing on the opposing baseball team) get a hit or do her best to strike him out and make her team proud. There’s also a cute B Plot in which Jesse and Becky are trying to get-it-on and keep getting interrupted by Michelle. Joey tells Michelle she shouldn’t bother them because they’re “doing their taxes.”

• Gotta Dance (Season 5, Episode 8): Can you tell I’m a sucker for all the Stephanie-forward episodes? Stephanie’s dance teacher tells her she has potential to become a professional dancer, so Danny projects all of his own aspirations of fame onto her. The best part of the episode is Stephanie’s dream sequence where she imagines she’s a star on Broadway and the whole family is singing and dancing alongside her. The B plot centers around Becky throwing herself a baby shower but deciding to “surprise” Jesse since she’s afraid he won’t come otherwise and think it’s lame. Jesse bribes Michelle with an ice cream sundae to get her to blab the secret plan.

• I’m Not DJ (Season 6, Episode 10): Stephanie secretly lets Kimmy Gibbler pierce her ears and has to creatively hide them from Danny. When they get infected she’s not sure whether to tell her dad, knowing she’ll be in BIG trouble if she does…

  

And now…here are the weirdest/wildest/most unexpected episodes that I vaguely remembered. This cluster of episodes had me wondering: did I hallucinate these or make these up? No, folks, I did not.

The 8 Wildest Episodes of Full House:

• Fraternity Reunion (Season 3, Episode 23): Danny and Joey have to dress up as women and go undercover to steal back a stuffed seal/mascot of their fraternity? I dunno. I still don’t really get this one, other than clearly the writers wanted an excuse to dress up Danny and Joey as women.

  

• Greek Week (Season 4, Episode 1): Jesse’s grandparents (Gina and Papouli Katsopolis) come to visit from Greece for their 50th wedding anniversary. They also bring along a few extra guests including Sylvio who romances DJ. And one of Jesse’s ex-girlfriends, Elena. DJ and Sylvio accidentally get married after walking three laps around a table? Ok, child-bride.

• Shape Up (Season 4, Episode 8): Ah, nothing like casually picking up some eating disorder tricks on a network television show for families. This episode features DJ who is trying to lose weight in anticipation of a pool party. She makes herself “water pops” and also tapes photos of supermodels on the refrigerator. Of course the family resolves the issue in 22 minutes. Hooray! They fixed society’s ridiculous standards of women’s bodies!

• Terror in Tanner Town (Season 4, Episode 10): Danny starts dating a woman with the shittiest son ever. Rusty is an absolute nightmare…Bart Simpson without the wit or charm…who loves playing pranks on all the Tanners. The whole episode is very stressful. Seriously, what a shitty kid.

  

• The Graduates (Season 4, Episode 22): DJ graduates from junior high and Michelle graduates from preschool. But the wildest part is that Danny starts dating a 21-year-old college girl…what the fuck…

• The Volunteer (Season 5, Episode 7): DJ volunteers at a nursing home and befriends 75-year-old Eddie Johnson. The two hit it off and DJ invites Eddie to her house. He agrees even though he’s not allowed to leave without permission. While he’s at the Tanners he forgets where he is and mistakes DJ for his own daughter, Gloria. A nurse tracks Eddie down and allows him to stay for dinner, so it’s all ok even though Eddie is never going to get better? I dunno...I was unsettled by this episode

• Silence is Not Golden (Season 6, Episode 17): While it’s kind of ridiculous that a sitcom even TRIED to cover the topic of child abuse, I think they did so in probably the most respectful way possible? Stephanie befriends a boy in her class, Charles, who tells her that he’s being abused by his father but makes her swear not to tell anyone. This episode STUCK WITH ME.

• Stephanie’s Wild Ride (Season 8, Episode 9): Stephanie and her friend Gia go for a ride with some random older boys they meet in a shopping mall who casually endanger their lives. COOL!

Rewatching Full House as an adult has been… a journey. It’s nostalgic, cringeworthy, comforting, and deeply weird. Some moments hold up surprisingly well, while others feel so deeply of their time that they practically belong in a museum. But ultimately, it’s been a joy sharing this absurd little time capsule with Abby—watching her react to the same episodes that shaped my childhood (and explaining what a laugh track is along the way).

Would I want to live in the Full House universe? Maybe. Would I trust three grown men to solve all my life problems in 22 minutes? Absolutely not. But will I finish this rewatch? You got it, dude.