The opening line of the “Full House” theme song asks “Whatever happened to predictability?” The answer, it turns out, is its sequel, “Fuller House.”
Premiering Friday, the Netflix series plays like a time capsule in sitcom form, where everything from the set to the catchphrases to the storylines are recycled from the ABC version of the show, which ran from 1987 to 1995.
The new comedy places DJ Tanner-Fuller (Candace Cameron-Bure) into the role occupied by her father, Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), in the original series. Here, she’s a recently widowed mother of three whose sibling and best friend — this time sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and former neighbor Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) — move into the San Francisco townhouse to help out with the kids.
Under the helm of “Full House” creator Jeff Franklin (who brought back many of its original writers), the laugh-track-laden pilot plays like a greatest-hits clip reel. The actors — including Jesse (John Stamos), Danny, Joey (Dave Coulier) and Becky (Lori Louglin) — may be 20 years older, but you wouldn’t know it from the Elvis Presley references, Bullwinkle impressions and classic lines like “Have mercy” shoehorned into the dialogue.
(The Olsen twins aren’t involved in the series, but are slyly referenced.)
Episode 2 hammers it home by recreating a plot line from the original series, with DJ’s two older sons subbing in for a younger version of herself and Stephanie. After an extended reference to Cameron-Bure’s stint on “Dancing With the Stars” in Episode 3, the whole thing begins to collapse under its own self-referential weight.
For millennial viewers who grew up alongside the Tanners, there is an undeniable joy at seeing this cast reunited. The stars easily slide back into their roles (maybe because, besides Stamos, most of them haven’t done much acting since). But by the time you get over the sentimental allure, there’s not much else there. “Fuller House” is a nostalgia play better accomplished by a Jimmy Fallon sketch than a 13-episode series.
By the fourth episode, the show mostly sheds the inside jokes to focus on DJ’s veterinary practice, Steph’s withdrawal from a party-girl lifestyle and the kids at school. But the show never convinces viewers why they should care.
Part of the appeal of reboots is to answer fans’ desire to know what their beloved characters are doing today. But instead of advancing its characters, “Fuller House” relies too much on the past — Kimmy, now a single mother, inexplicably dresses like a teenage mallrat; Steve (Scott Weinger) is still hanging out in the fridge, having never outgrown his pubescent appetite or his high school sweetheart.
The grown-up DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy may take selfies and online-date, but those are merely shiny new props to help deliver the familiar cheesy jokes and family hijinks, leading up to a heartwarming ending sealed with a trademark Tanner group hug.
It turns out you can go home again — there’s just nothing new to see.