Airing for eight seasons between 1987 and 1995, Full House was one of the most beloved sitcoms of the last era of television. Chronicling the lives of the extended Tanner family, who all lived crammed under one roof in a (very fittingly) full house, the series made itself known for its unique brand of cheesy warmth, saccharine music, and important scenes that always ended with hugs and lessons.
But beyond every Very Special Episode and moralizing message, the series was only as good as it was because of the sincerity of its central relationships. Though the series might be too cute for modern audiences in some ways, the timeless appeal of Full House is due to the loving relationships between family, friends, and significant others. But even the sweetest of series had plenty of badly thought out relationships, too.
Best: Danny and Vicky
When Full House began, newly single father Danny Tanner was a recently widowed man struggling to think about moving forward in life without his wife, Pam. It took Danny a while to even think about getting back in the dating game, but it wasn’t until Becky’s temporary replacement at Wake Up, San Francisco Vicky Larson arrived that Danny finally found the one.
Though Danny and Vicky began on rocky terms, their love-hate banter soon sparked into something more, blossoming into a truly beautiful romantic relationship. The duo eventually became engaged, but sadly, Vicky received a job in another state and moved away, bringing their relationship to an unexpected end.
Best: DJ and Steve
It’s rare that young love actually blooms into something that can last. But in the world of Full House, the impossible actually became possible with the romance between high school sweethearts DJ Tanner and Steve Hale.
The two were virtually inseparable during their high school years, serving as each other’s first real loves and the show’s first foray into exploring the depths of teenage emotion. Steve was a year older than DJ, and moved away to college earlier than she did, bringing their relationship to an end. But in the series finale, Steve came back - and years later, their romance would bloom again on Fuller House.
Worst: Danny and Claire
The later years of Full House are nowhere near as strong as the sentimental sitcom’s earliest years, and a large part of that reason is the addition of superfluous characters like Claire Mahan, the mother of Stephanie’s troublesome friend, Gia.
In particular, the relationship that briefly existed between Claire and Danny felt like a total waste of time, and something that was only written in for the sake of creating both tension and amusement from the fact that Danny was dating one of the girls’ friends’ mothers. In the end, the duo were a bad match, and thankfully, this relationship vanished without a trace.
Best: DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle
At its core, Full House is a series about family in its many forms. So it makes sense, then, that some of the series’ best relationships are the core bonds between the extended Tanner family. Arguably one of the most important, most beloved, and most lovingly depicted relationship is the one between the Tanner sisters - DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle.
Though the sisters have plenty of ups and downs throughout the series, including stereotypical sibling conflict and big sister vs. little sister tropes, these three girls love each other more than anything and are immensely protective of one another.
Best: Danny, Joey, and Jesse
It’s not just the family by blood relationships that the series emphasizes, however. The friendship, undeniable bromance, and true brotherhood that develops over the course of the series between Danny Tanner, childhood best friend Joey Gladstone, and brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis is one of the most heartwarming aspects of the series as a whole.
It’s one of the most unique relationships in sitcom history, as both Jesse and Joey moved in to help Danny raise his girls, while asking nothing in return. The love and compassion shared between these men was truly selfless, and they also made for a downright hilarious comedic trio in any moment they shared.
Worst: Stephanie and Gia
Over the course of the series, the girls had plenty of winning friendships. DJ had Kimmy Gibbler. Michelle had Teddy and Denise. Stephanie even had Harry and Walter. But perhaps one of the worst choices the show ever made was making Stephanie become friends with her bully, the rough around the edges Gia Mahan.
In its last few seasons, the show spent an unbelievable amount of time forcing this friendship to the forefront, putting Stephanie into increasingly stupid and out of character decisions and situations.
Best: Becky and Jesse
Sitcoms are basically known for creating couples worth rooting for, no matter how long they take to establish. But in some cases, sitcoms create couples who are meant to be together from the very first moment they meet. That’s exactly the case for Full House’s resident love story, Jesse Katsopolis and Rebecca Donaldson Katsopolis.
When the duo first met in season two, Becky tries to deny her interest in Jesse, claiming she thinks of him only as a friend. But in time, it quickly becomes apparent that these two are meant for each other, as they always come back to each other no matter what conflict they face. They married in the fourth season, welcomed twins in the fifth, and even adopted a new baby in Fuller House.
Worst: DJ and Nelson
After the popularity of DJ’s relationship with longtime boyfriend Steve, not to mention how beloved Steve was as a character on his own, it would have been virtually impossible for Full House to introduce a relationship worth rooting for in any similar way. Leave it to the beloved sitcom to then introduce two relationships with two guys who were total duds.
The first of them, Nelson, was a genuinely nice, albeit incredibly rich, privileged, and clueless guy who really seemed to care for DJ. But DJ never seemed to care for him, no matter how long they were together.
Best: Michelle and Jesse
Romantic love might be an incredibly important part of any sitcom, but in the world of Full House, familial love is the purest and most important of them all. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the absolutely adored relationship between Uncle Jesse and his little munchkin, Michelle.
From day one, a real bond developed between these two, and thanks to the compelling portrayals by both John Stamos and the young Olsen twins, the love between this uncle-niece duo felt so true to life and genuine in each and every scene they shared. Even after all these years, the relationship between these two remains the most important thing the series ever created - which makes it all the more disappointing that Michelle will never appear in Fuller House.
Worst: DJ and Viper
We’ve already talked about Nelson’s faults of being unbelievably boring. But even worse than Nelson’s dull personality was the character of Jesse’s dim-witted, total airhead bandmate Viper, who somehow became the apple of DJ’s eye.
Viper was truly a pointless character - a man who rivaled even Kimmy Gibbler in the lack of brains department - and brought nothing good out of DJ. DJ always seemed as though she were talking down to Viper, and she undeniably looked down on his lack of education - something the series even pointed out as a breaking point in their relationship.
