With 2023 just over the horizon, bringing a smorgasbord of new and returning shows along with it, the chances of the Tanner family returning to the small screen aren’t overwhelmingly high. Between the tragic death of Bob Saget, co-star Candace Cameron Bure’s current duties at GAF (controversial as they may be), John Stamos’ various TV gigs and more, there just doesn’t seem to be the time or availability to make anything happen in the near future. But Jodie Sweetin has a pretty stellar idea for how to eventually bring the Tanners back to the small screen, and the late comedy queen Betty White would probably offer a giggly seal of approval for it.
Speaking with E! News about the TV role that turned her into a household name through the decades that followed, Sweetin offered her proposal for how she’d want to return as Stephanie Tanner in the future, though possibly a bit deeper into the future than fans would expect. She’d like to catch up with the San Fran fam again when they’re in their golden years. In her words:
I still think the Golden Girls version of Fullest House could happen. I could see myself in a muumuu on a lanai in Miami. I feel that already. I already try and channel Bea Arthur as much as I can.
Jodie Sweetin would probably need to grow another few inches, while also pitching her voice deeper, in order to truly embrace her inner Bea Arthur. But it’s not like a second Full House continuation series would actually be a parody of Golden Girls or anything. Although I could actually see Andrea Barber’s Kimmy Gibbler slotting into the Sophia role, even if the age differences wouldn’t match up. Pretty sure we would need one or both of the Olsen twins to return as Michelle Tanner to make the female quartet whole, but that’s probably the least likely element to work out.
While that particular idea is more of a random shot in the dark at how a return could work for these characters, Sweetin doesn’t actually know if such an idea is feasible. But while nothing is currently in the works, she reflected on how unlikely a Full House follow-up seemed in the years immediately following its conclusion, saying:
Who knows what can happen, I'm not opposed to it. If you would have asked us 20 some years ago if we would do a reboot of Full House we would have been like, ‘No, probably not.' So give it another 20 years, we'll see what happens.
Jodie Sweetin will be 60 years old in another 20 years, which is slightly younger than three of the Golden Girls stars were when that show debuted. (Rue McClanahan was around 12 years younger than her co-stars.) So maybe don't set your 2042 calendars for the next Full House iteration just yet, but don't be wholly surprised if the Tanner family returns in some form.
Of course, that would probably mean the current backlash against Candace Cameron Bure over her GAF holiday movie comments regarding content focusing on "traditional marriages," which many have inferred as being a slight against the LGBTQ+ community, considering Bure left Hallmark Channel as it started becoming more inclusive with its programming. Sweetin herself has aligned with those speaking out against Bure, such as Holly Robinson Peete and JoJo Siwa, which reportedly led to Bure unfollowing Sweetin on social media. Will that be water under the bridge 20 years from now?
All five seasons of Fuller House are available to stream with a Netflix subscription, while Full House’s eight-season run can be streamed in full with an HBO Max subscription. (Hulu is where the Golden Girls remain lively and thriving these days.)
