For eight seasons, Full House was routinely one of the most beloved sitcoms on television, offering a sweet and wholesome view of family life and a truly modern family long before there was a Modern Family. The series often featured Very Special Episodes and morals that needed to be learned by viewers of all ages.
But it also featured plenty of zany 1980s and 1990s sitcom antics, relationships that didn’t last and those that made it last in the long run, and tons and tons of guest stars and supporting characters. As a sitcom, it’s unrealistic to expect it to wrap up every storyline in a nice and neat manner. But some of the unresolved plots the series left hanging stand out more noticeably than others.
Joey’s love life
Maybe it’s just a thing with characters on sitcoms named Joey. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that, out of all the main adult characters on the series, Joey received the least attention in terms of his romantic relationships.
He also never had a serious, long term girlfriend. There were a few girls that came and went, including ex-girlfriend Patty Fogerty; fellow comedian Roxy; and Stacy, who drove a brief wedge between Joey and Jesse. But by the end of the series, Joey is single, with no clear signs of a romantic future.
Danny and Vicky
Speaking of the adults’ romantic relationships, while the “it couple” of the series may have been Jesse and Becky from the moment they met, there’s no denying that Danny’s long-term romance with one-time co-host Vicky Larson was one of the series’ best handled relationships.
The two were an item over the course of seasons five through seven, but when Vicky received a job offer across the country, their relationship reached a sad and untimely end. It was clear that there were still deep feelings between these two, but the show never returned to them or discussed them further.
Jesse’s parents, Nick and Irene
Out of all the adult characters, Jesse received the most development in terms of exploring his background and family relationships. His loud and affectionate parents, Nick and Irene Katsopolis, were major players in the series between seasons two through four.
But then without explanation, the characters suddenly disappeared from the series, never even being allowed to meet their new twin grandsons Nicky and Alex when they were born in the series’ fifth season.
DJ and Kimmy’s post-high school tracks
Full House includes a few references to the paths that Kimmy and DJ plan to take after they graduate from high school. There’s an episode revolving around DJ’s anxiety regarding the SATs, some fleeting discussions of Kimmy having connections at clown college, and Kimmy’s brief plans to marry her high school boyfriend, Duane.
But by the time the series ends, we have no idea what the future has in store for these two. Fuller House tells us that DJ became a veterinarian, and Kimmy became a party planner. But nothing about their characters arcs in the original series suggests these outcomes.
Jesse and Becky’s family future
Full House got some unexpected cast additions in its fifth season when Becky’s unplanned pregnancy turned out to be not one baby, but two adorable little twin boys, Nicky and Alex. The boys added to the necessary cuteness quotient on the series, supplementing Michelle’s existing role.
In a season six episode, Jesse wonders if maybe they shouldn’t have another kid, even though they clearly weren’t prepared to raise two of them. While they decide at the time not to pursue this topic further, it’s not touched on again before the series ends. Although Fuller House finds the topic coming up once more, with the older couple deciding to adopt a new baby.
The Smash Club
Neither Joey nor Jesse has a particularly consistent career storyline in the series, as they tend to change up their line of work on a season to season basis. But one of the most glaring oversights on the series’ part has to do with the storyline of the Smash Club.
For almost all of season seven, refurbishing and relaunching the night club known as the Smash Club is the focus of Jesse’s life. One the club launches successfully, it’s featured a few more times throughout the series, but it never quite becomes the major set-piece and center of activity it was clearly intended to be.
Jesse’s music career
While we’re on the subject of Jesse’s inconsistent career storylines, we’ve got another bone to pick. From day one, no matter what day job he’s been working, Jesse has been determined to make it big in the music business. He spends much of the series working toward this goal with his band, Jesse and the Rippers, and they wind up having a #1 song in Japan with their rendition of “Forever.”
But eventually, Jesse and the Rippers force Jesse out of the band, rebranding themselves to great success as Barry and the Rippers with former The Brady Bunch star Barry Williams. Meanwhile, Jesse goes on to fizzle with the not quite so successful Hot Daddy and the Monkey Puppets, and then… nothing much else happens.
Rush Hour Renegades
Sometimes, Joey’s and Jesse’s inconsistent lines of work overlap. The most prominent instance of this comes in the form of their radio show, Rush Hour Renegades, a hybrid talk and music show that aired on local radio station KFLH.
For the sixth season, this serves as a major storyline, to the point that the duo adds a radio studio in the basement of the Tanner family home. But once the seventh season comes around, this aspect of the series gradually fades from focus.
Ranger Joe Show
Yet another career that seems to vanish without a trace is one of Joey’s many attempts at landing a television gig. In the fifth season, Joey becomes the new host of a children’s series, where he takes on the persona of Ranger Joe. Along with the Ranger Joe character puppet sidekick Mr. Woodchuck.
The show-within-a-show exists for a while within the series, but it doesn’t last quite as long as Mr. Woodchuck does. It’s never the major in-universe success that Wake Up, San Francisco is.
The living arrangements in the house
Let’s be real here: the most unrealistic part of this series, which featured some truly bizarre scenarios and incredibly cutesy speeches, was the fact that all of these characters could live under one roof for as long as they did - especially given the fact that the families were expanding.
What the future holds for their living situation is never discussed, however. Where will DJ go to college? Will she commute, or live in a dorm? What about when Nicky and Alex grow bigger, and can’t share the same tiny room anymore? What if Joey finally finds someone? There are only a limited number of rooms in this house - and by the series’ end, they’re more crowded than ever before.
