‘Fuller House’ producers address that Olsen Twins joke

Not cool, dude?

As many have heard, the first episode of Netflix’s much-squealed-about revival of “Full House” features a moment in which the reunited cast of the hit family sitcom breaks down the fourth wall and acknowledges the absence of Michelle Tanner, who was played by twin sisters Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in the original series.

Neither Olsen sister agreed to reprise the role that made them famous. To handle their obvious absence when the Tanner family reunites, viewers learn that Michelle is busy running a fashion empire in New York. (You know, art imitating life.)

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But don’t call it a diss, say producers Bob Boyett and Jeff Franklin.

“It wasn’t meant to be a dig, it was meant to be playful,” Franklin told reporters Sunday during the Netflix show’s panel at the Television Critics Assn. press tour stop in Pasadena.

Attempts to persuade the Olsen sisters to partake in the revival played out in the media soon after news broke that Netflix ordered up a sequel of sorts to the comedy that originally aired on ABC during the network’s onetime programming block pillar #TGIF.

“We tried to persuade them to come and play,” Franklin added. “They decided not to at the same time. We’re hopeful that at some time in the future they might change their minds and reprise Michelle. We only need one of them. We still love them, and the door is always open.”

The nostalgia-evoking “Fuller House” will follow D.J. Fuller (née Tanner) as she struggles to raise her three young sons after her husband’s untimely death. Taking a cue from good ol’ Uncle Joey (Dave Coulier) and Uncle Jesse’s (John Stamos) footsteps, D.J.’s sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and her best friend Kimmy (Andrea Barber) move in with the Fuller family to help out.

Of course, fans of the original are gifted with a nearly full-fledged reunion, with Stamos, Coulier, and Lori Loughlin (Aunt Becky) and Bob Saget (Danny Tanner) reprising their roles But for those reveling in all the reunion goodness, prepare yourselves. The appearances from the older original cast members become more infrequent after the first episode.

“As the show goes along, it’s great to have the guys and Aunt Becky come through now and then, because it’s family,” Franklin said. “But this is a show that’s centered around [D.J., Stephanie and Kimmy].”

The producers say the “Fuller House” pilot, which drops Feb. 26 on Netflix, to be the long-lost “Full House” series finale. “Full House” ended its eight-season run in 1995 — the series was canceled and the series finale was intended to serve as a season finale.

“I think the show came to a sort of natural end,” Boyett said. “The ultimate decision was the network’s. Our show was a family show, which was quite expensive to produce. ... For us, we felt that some of our actors were really ready to move on. We sat down and talked about it like a family. It felt like the right thing to do. We left it open-ended.”

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