Funny Business
While it’s hard to imagine the show as anything but the wholesome family sitcom it was, Full House creator Jeff Franklin originally intended for there to be more stand-up comics in the mix than just Dave Coulier’s Joey Gladstone.
His original concept was for House of Comics, a comedy about three comedians living under one roof. When it became clear that ABC was looking for something more in line with Family Ties and The Cosby Show, he changed course a bit.
Bizarro Danny
Though late comedian Bob Saget was Franklin’s first choice for widowed father-of-three Danny Tanner, he was stuck in a contract as an on-air contributor over at CBS’ The Morning Program. So, when the original pilot filmed, John Posey assumed the role.
Once Saget got fired from his gig, however, Franklin let Posey go and brought him aboard. Posey would go on to appear on shows like Seinfeld, ER, NCIS and, more recently, Teen Wolf and How to Get Away With Murder.
Meet Uncle…Adam Cochran?!
In the original pilot script, Danny’s brother-in-law was named Adam Cochran. But John Stamos didn’t like the name, so it was changed to Jesse Cochran. After season one, he exerted even more influence and had the last name changed to Kastopolis to bring his own Greek heritage to the character. The sudden surname switcheroo was explained away as Jesse using a stage name to make himself sound more rock-and-roll. Because, sure, nothing is cooler than Cochran.
Twin Temperment
Of the dozens of sets of twin babies who “auditioned” for the role of Michelle Tanner, what earned Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen the role that would turn them into icons for the rest of their lives was the fact that they were the only ones who didn’t cry once. After all, you need to make sure that fussy babies aren’t going to ruin your takes while filming.
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