Television Review: Full House
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that some of this series' humor may not
be appropriate for the youngest viewers. Sometimes the girls
seem too eager to grow up too quickly, and issues like weight
gain and envy are discussed by the preteen cast members. The
family arrangement is non-traditional but, in typical sitcom
fashion, there's still no problem the three guys can't solve in
about 30 minutes.
Families can talk about the issues raised in each episode. Are
the situations that come up on the show still relevant to
today's kids? Also, what do kids think it would be like to grow
up in a family like the Tanners? What other types of
non-traditional families are your kids familiar with? Are there
any advantages or disadvantages to having a less-typical family
unit?
The premise of FULL HOUSE is cutesy enough: Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) is a widowed dad raising his three girls -- D.J. (Candace Cameron), Stephanie ( Jodie Sweetin), and Michelle ( Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) -- with the help of two guys, uncles Jesse (John Stamos) and Joey (Dave Coulier). You'll see the Olsen twins take their first steps into superstardom, watch Stamos charm the ladies, laugh at Coulier's slapstick antics and (possibly) chuckle at Saget's deadpan jokes.
Although Full House ran from 1987-1995, it maintains a distinctly 1980s feel. The male stars sport mullets, the girls wear make-up, and the humor is zany in that un-ironic '80s way. Yes, it's cheesy, and yes, it's amazing that it was on the air for eight years -- but it shouldn't be too surprising that it's back in syndication. After all, it's quickly paced, and the jokes are usually expertly executed. To top it off, beautiful shots of San Francisco are flashed like so much eye candy. And then there are those Olsen twins -- weren't they cute? My, how time flies. ...
Parents may want to watch a few episodes with their kids to make certain that the jokes are age-appropriate. But overall, with its canned laughter and silly antics, Full House is a rather benign trip into a more innocent era when Saget was considered the funniest guy on television. It's not fantastic television, but in retrospect, it wasn't that bad either.
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