As romantic as it was seeing DJ (Candace Cameron-Bure) marrying Steve (Scott Weinger), it also highlights the main reason why Fuller House ultimately failed. Debuting in 2016, Netflix's Full House spin-off ran for five seasons before it wrapped up in 2020. It brought back the core cast of the original ABC sitcom except for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who had alternately played Michelle. The focus was on the younger characters, however, particularly the oldest Tanner daughter.
In this day and age of reboots and revivals of classic shows, there was initial excitement over the news that Full House's story would continue, but it quickly died down after its first year. While Netflix is notoriously secretive about their audience rating, it was believed that Fuller House suffered a massive viewership drop after season 1. This was reflected in the show's poor reviews, particularly in its first few years. Fuller House did get considerably better over the years, with its final season arguably the strongest. That said, it was immediately clear that it will never have the same success and acclaim that Full House got.
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In hindsight, the reason for this is clearly represented by their decision to partner up DJ and Steve. The pair started dating when they were in high school and Full House made their love story an integral part of the show. Weinger became an official recurring cast member, making him the only second actor to join the show through a love storyline following Lori Loughlin's Becky, who married Jesse (John Stamos). After a brief break-up in the latter seasons of the show, the pair got back together when the original sitcom ended, only for Fuller House to reveal that they once again went their separate ways — with DJ marrying Tommy Fuller Sr., hence, the show's title. When they finally got back together for good, the spin-off further glamorized their love story, sending off the message that they were always meant to be — despite both of them marrying other people and subsequently dating others after those marriages ended.
Insisting on having DJ and Steve end up with each other after everything that happened between them highlights Fuller House's biggest issue and ultimately the reason why it never took off the same way as Full House — it leaned too much on nostalgia instead of crafting its own story. Prior to Steve actively seeking DJ again, she was on the verge of starting a relationship with Matt (John Brotherton). They worked together as veterinarians and have great chemistry with each other, but with her history with Steve haunting her, she started second-guessing herself.
Fuller House sold the notion that DJ was better off with Steve by regularly referencing their old days as high school sweethearts, never once mentioning their issues, and most importantly, the reason why they broke up and ended up marrying other people. It felt like the only reason why they got back together was because of their history, and they wanted to relive that fluttering feeling of first love. While it didn't seem like they had anything in common as adults, they were content living in the past — just like Fuller House as a whole.
What's interesting with Fuller House's scheme to piggyback on the success of the classic sitcom is that it adapted the wrong things from it. The sequel directly lifted its premise from Full House, with DJ dealing with the same situation as her dad three decades ago. The Netflix series also significantly changed its core characters to mirror their predecessors. Unfortunately, it failed to put a focus on its young cast which the original show did a great job in doing. There was barely any narrative solely revolving around the kids, instead, the love lives of the adult cast members were given more attention.
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