Fuller House stars on why the show is still relevant after 20 years

WITH season two of Fuller House just days away, the cast has defended Netflix’s decision to revive the sitcom, despite critics widely panning the reboot.

FULLER House fans are counting the days until another dose of the Tanner family hits Netflix this week, and according to the stars, there is plenty more where that came from.

“We’re not done, we have more stories to tell,” Jodie Sweetin, who stars as Stephanie Tanner, tells news.com.au. “We have kids now!”

Andrea Barber, who stars as Kimmy Gibbler in the beloved US sitcom, said the returning cast was thrilled with the positive response from fans who tuned into season one.

“We hoped that the reaction would be as good as it was, we knew that the fans were really excited for the return of these characters and for an entirely new show to be built up based on these characters that they loved,” she said. “But the reaction that we got was far beyond anything we could have imagined. The audience [in the live tapings] would cry, they were so emotional, they were so invested in this.”

For Barber, returning to the childhood character she played for eight years after an extensive break from acting was an enormous leap of faith, and she admits she had her doubts.

“I had a slight panic because Kimmy is very different than me,” the 40-year-old actress said. “I had taken a very long acting break of 20 years, and so I had a little panic before the first live tape. But as soon as the camera panned to me, the audience started laughing ... Kimmy Gibbler lives inside of me, she never left.”

Fuller House: "Kimmy Gibbler's antics never get old." Picture: Michael Yarish/Netflix

When Full House ended in 1995 after 192 episodes, Barber thought she was leaving showbiz for good. But she says her decision to return to her role as the sitcom’s unapologetically offbeat BFF was absolutely the right call.

“People have been invested in our characters for 30 years and they’ve watched us grow up since the age of five and 10 and now we are women, raising kids on TV. You don’t see that anywhere else,” she said.

Sweetin, who has appeared in a handful of shows since her Full House days — including America’s Dancing With the Stars this year — said the cast did feel the pressure in bringing such an iconic series back to life.

“There is a bit of pressure when you’re bringing back something that’s so beloved by so many people but I think because these characters are so ingrained in who we are ... Stephanie and Jodie are very similar people,” she said.

“I’ve never seen a cast so loving with each other and so happy to be working together, that really translates on screen,” Sweetin added.

But, as fans already know, not all of the cast reunited for season one, or two. The Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, who portrayed the adorable Michelle Tanner, left fans disappointed when they opted to turn down the spin-off.

“They don’t appear in season two, but the door is always open for them,” Sweetin said.

Fuller House: "Your favorite girls, grown up.". Picture: Netflix/Michael Yarish

When Netflix confirmed last year that Full House would be opening its doors again, there were plenty of sceptics, but both ladies defended the streaming service’s decision to revive the series.

“I think audiences over the last 20 years or so have gotten so mature and so desensitised to family television,” Sweetin said.

“But there’s a reason why Full House has never gone off the air in syndication, it’s been on since it started, almost 30 years now.

“There is a huge market for that. Families want to have a show that they can sit down and watch together with their kids that isn’t offensive, isn’t overly sexual, isn’t something that they have to explain to their kids,” she said, adding that the spin-off perfectly taps into viewer nostalgia.

“Bringing the show back gave Netflix the opportunity to fill that void that hadn’t been done in a really long time. Netflix gave us the edge and the modern feel for it to be brought back in the right way.”

She added, “The Tanner, Fuller, Gibbler families, their stories aren’t done yet.”

Seems like we can be expecting a few more seasons of Fuller House to come.

All 13 episodes of Fuller House’s new season debuts on Netflix on December 9.

Fuller House: "So many family moments shared in this room." Picture: Michael Yarish/Netflix