You may have heard that Full House is returning to TV, twenty one years after wrapping up its run.

Everywhere you look, there are think pieces and coverage on the Netflix sequel series, which flips the script and teams up D.J., Stephanie and Kimmy, all grown up, to take care of four children.

The Tanners and Gibblers aren’t the only ones making a comeback. Full House creator Jeff Franklin is back in the saddle, the creator and showrunner of Fuller House, and was willing to share his biggest fears and favorite desserts.

Did you have any fears of opening up the well again?

My biggest fear was that somehow I would screw this thing up. That was what I was worried about. Ever since the show went off [the air], people have been asking for a reunion nonstop since 1995. The cast and I have never had a conversation about Full House without somebody asking: when are you going to do a movie, a series, anything? We had reunions every week, but the cameras weren’t on. One of the best parts about this is we’ll never get asked that question again.

Unless Fuller House is a big hit, and then they’ll start asking when are you going to have a Fuller House reunion?

There was a lot of pressure. I really didn’t want to disappoint the fans. But I think the fans are going to be happy. I really do.

It was remarkable to me how close it is to original show. What’s your secret?

After all those years of writing Full House, that vibe is implanted in my brain. If I see that house in my mind and type the name Uncle Jessie, it just comes out. I have no choice at this point. That part was pretty easy. It came right back to me and it came right back to the actors.

I was going to ask if there were any growing pains…

Nobody went: what would Danny Tanner do in this situation? Everybody just fell right back in. It was like a crazy family reunion where everybody shows up except for that one person…or twins.

I know you’ve exhausted that topic. What’s something about the show that’s under the radar?

I don’t feel like I’ve gotten enough publicity. That’s a huge oversight. The story of Jeff Franklin coming back and doing the show again has been overlooked. Why wasn’t I on the cover of People Magazine with the cast? It’s just wrong.

No, I don’t think they’ve missed much.

Did you tell the parents of the new twins that they can expect a fashion empire in about 18 years?

I told them that there’s about a 50/50 chance that your children will become billionaires.

I really enjoyed the meta humor found in the show. How did that come about?

The first episode is going to be the one that everyone will watch. I hope everyone keeps watching and watches all 13. But for sure, a zillion people are gonna watch the first one. For me, this is really the last episode of Full House that was never produced. There was no series finale. This is everybody’s farewell to Full House combined with a set up for the new show.

It’s very rare when so many people are in on all the jokes. So I figured, let’s do it with a wink. Let’s have fun with the fact that Full House is back. As excited as people are, it’s a sitcom.

There’s a lot of dessert throughout the show.

It makes the kids really happy. I learned that with the Olsen twins. That became a primary motivator for them. Cake was in a scene; who was gonna get to do the scene? They had to trade off dessert scenes. That was a big part of what kept us going on Full House, so I thought, let’s bring desserts back.

What’s your favorite dessert?

My favorite dessert is chocolate mint chip ice cream with Reese’s peanut butter cups crumbled all over it with chocolate sauce and black jelly beans.

You’ve thought about this question.

That’s my go-to for birthdays.

What has changed the most about running a show since Full House has ended?

I took a long break from doing sitcoms. I did 20 years straight, so I needed one. What surprised me and maybe this is not true for every show, but in my experience the level of supervision has increased dramatically. The number of people looking over my shoulder and second guessing everything I do has definitely been amped up. I actually got a note about the color of a blouse that one of the girls was wearing.

I was going to give you that note.

It’s too late now. The studios and networks are far more your producing partners than they were in the past.

What were you in a past life?

I think I was sexually deprived in my last life, so I’m trying to make up for it in this one.

[Note: I laughed for approximately 13 minutes straight here]

I don’t know about past lives. I’m more worried about this life than the one before it.

What are you most worried about with Fuller House?

I think people are gonna like it. There’s a place for a show like this. It’s comfort food, and there just aren’t shows written any more geared for the whole family to watch together. That used to be such a TV thing and it’s just not anymore.

My only concern is that there’s so much hype going into this thing that people’s expectations are just sky high. I hope they’re not disappointed. I don’t want it to be like a lopsided Super Bowl where everybody’s mad. I think people are going to have a lot of fun with this. I hope so.

In addition to the dearth of family programming, why was now the time for a Full House sequel series? Were you just ready to return to sitcoms?

Honestly, I don’t think I would’ve come back and done another sitcom if it wasn’t this one. These actors have become my best friends, a second family. I left the show after five seasons and didn’t like what happened to it after I left and always regretted that. I wanted to go back and make it right for me. I wanted to work with my friends again and send a thank-you note to all the fans who made it such a hit for 30 years and provided me with a nice life.

I wanted to give Candace, Jodie and Andrea a shot at a whole new career. Candace has been working, but Jodie and Andrea really haven’t, and they’re so good. People are going to love these three women. There’s no show that’s on with three women as leads. I had a bunch of personal reasons for wanting to do it.

I’m sure many people likewise will have no shortage of personal reasons to tune in to Netflix’s Fuller House when all episodes arrive Friday, February 26.

[All images courtesy of Netflix]

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