‘The Unauthorized Full House Story’: 11 Things We Learned About The ‘Full House’ Cast From The Lifetime Movie

Think you know the Tanner family? Kids that grew up in the 90s might know everything about their favorite characters from “Full House,” but Lifetime revealed the “real life” story behind the hit comedy during their original movie, “The Unauthorized Full House Story.”

Check out some of the behind-the-scenes things that fans learned about the “Full House” cast from the Lifetime movie:

1. Bob Saget, Dave Coulier And John Stamos

Two years prior to “Full House” hitting the air in 1987, Bob Saget (Garrett Brawith) was working the stand-up comedy scene. While other comedian’s careers were taking off, his was at a standstill, telling tampon jokes late at night. One of his fellow comedian friends who caught a big break was none other than Dave Coulier (Justin Mader). A couple years prior, Dave had been crashing on Bob’s couch. However in 1985 Dave landed a spot on “Saturday Night Live.” Unfortunately, the gig didn’t work out though.

Meanwhile, John Stamos (Justin Gaston) was working at his dad’s diner after quitting “General Hospital” and landing roles on two failed series. Although popular with the ladies, John was worried that he would never make it in Hollywood.

2. “House of Comics”

When creator Jeff Franklin (Matthew Kevin Anderson) first pitched the show it was called “House of Comics.” The plot was about three comedians looking for their first big break while living in an apartment together. However, after the success of “The Cosby Show,” the network was looking for another family comedy. That’s when Jeff changed his pitch – the show would be about a single dad getting by with the help of his two good friends.

3. The Casting Process

When “Full House” started casting, Bob was working on a CBS morning show and wasn’t interested in leaving the gig for the family sitcom – even though he hated his job. The show hired actor John Posey to play Danny Tanner instead.

Candace Cameron (Shelby Armstrong) ultimately landed the role of D.J. Tanner, but she initially didn’t impress casting. She re-auditioned and blew them away.

Jeff was very interested in having John join the cast, but as “Uncle Adam.” John pitched that they change the name to Uncle Jesse after Elvis Presley’s twin brother who died at childbirth.

The real jaw dropper was that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen didn’t actually audition for the role of Michelle Tanner. They were waiting for friends to audition when Jeff spotted them in the room.

4. Bringing Bob On Board

Bob ended up losing his job on the morning show and his wife encouraged him to give the “Full House” producers a call. Unfortunately by that point it was too late. They had already shot the pilot with John Posey, and the network had ordered the show to series. However, Jeff felt like Bob truly was “Danny Tanner.” They decided to bring him on board and reshoot the pilot.

5. A Rough Start

“Full House” initially got bad reviews and ratings. On top of that, Bob was absolutely miserable. He didn’t think the show was interesting or funny. Bob’s wife encouraged him to bond with Dave and John, and his two co-stars were the ones that pushed him to stay with the show when he felt like quitting.

6. John Stamos And Lori Loughlin’s History

“Full House” eventually introduced Becky as a love interest for Uncle Jesse. John hoped that the actress they cast would be cute … and he got his wish when Lori Loughlin (Stephanie Bennett) landed the role. Turns out that the two knew each other prior to the show. They dated years ago, with each claiming that the opposite ended the relationship. The chemistry between them was undeniable, but Lori was married.

7. John Stamos and Paula Abdul

John Stamos was dating Paula Abdul and thought that she “might be the one.” Their relationship didn’t last long though. John wanted to be known for more than just being that guy on a kid show and the two broke up.

8. The Rise Of The Olsen Twins

At just 3 years old, Michelle Tanner was the most recognizable female character on TV. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s parents used that news to renegotiate their contracts. By the time they hit 7 years old they were millionaires thanks to their movies, merchandise and company, Dualstar.

9. The Final Taping

In 1995 ABC canceled “Full House” after eight seasons. The cast didn’t have much time to process the news. They found out early in the week that their upcoming episode would be the last.

10. Life After “Full House”

Although the show was over, Bob’s wife asked for a divorce. Their relationship had been crumbling for some time and there was nothing they could do to save it. Meanwhile, John was just starting a family. He proposed to his model girlfriend Rebecca Romijn.

11. Dave Coulier, Matchmaker

A couple of years after “Full House” was canceled, Candace Cameron and Lori Loughlin went to a charity hockey game that Dave was at. Dave introduced Candace to hockey player Valeri Bure. The two got married in 1996.