Fuller House, Mentally Draining

I can’t believe I am saying this, but I watched the first episode of “Fuller House.”

Where to start?

First of all: Are you for real, Netflix? This is the most heavy-handed thing I have seen since… well, probably since Full House.

TV has changed over the past 29 years. Audiences are used to a higher quality of storytelling now than we were then. And I’m not even talking quality dramas like The Good Wife or Orange Is The New Black. Even the comedies today have a higher standard. That means that, even if you’re doing a reboot, you have to update your storytelling.

Instead, Fuller House has done the clumsiest series intro possible, from over-the-top references to the old series to the over-acting. And then there’s the over-explaining every little thing to the audience:

“Let’s not forget about my new job. I’m moving to L.A. because…”
“This is my daughter, Ramona…”

Please. Stahp. There are more elegant ways to introduce characters’ backstories.

Then there’s that lovely moment where they all break the fourth wall to stare at the camera and make a ha-ha joke about the Michelle (aka the Olson twins) being too busy with her (their) fashion empire to join them.

But references are not enough for Fuller House. Nuh uh. Instead of just alluding to a scene from the old show, they show us the scene from Full House side-by-side with the new scene. After all, the audience might not have gotten the hint otherwise.