Full House: 5 Characters Who Deserved More Screen Time (& 5 Who Deserved Less)

Full House is one of the most beloved family sitcoms of all time, even over three decades after it originally premiered. Chronicling the lives of the expanded Tanner family, who all live under one very crowded roof in San Francisco, the series is known for its feel good tone and wholesome messages.

It’s also known for its many beloved and iconic characters, including Uncle Jesse Katspolis, Michelle Tanner, and the hilariously weird Kimmy Gibbler. Over the course of Full House eight season run, there were many more characters introduced along the way, some of whom definitely deserved more screen time, but many who absolutely deserved much less. Find out who needed more screen time and who needed less of it here!

10 MORE SCREEN TIME: Duane Moffat

Kimmy Gibbler never really had a memorable love interest until the series’ final season. With the introduction of the less than talkative Duane Moffat, however, all of that changed. Kimmy claimed she only dated Duane because he reminded her of Keanu Reeves, and given Duane’s signature catchphrase of “Whatever,” it’s not hard to see why.

But Duane had a more sensitive side, too, prone to quoting Shakespeare and willing to marry Kimmy just because she asked on a whim. These two were adorable together, and we would’ve loved to see more of them.

9 LESS SCREEN TIME: Rusty

Danny Tanner’s dating life is one that is filled with plenty of highs and lows. While it would take a long time for him to finally find a great love interest, he found plenty of less than interesting ones along the way. And unfortunately, some of those love interests came with their own baggage and burdens.

But no additional character that came into the series as a result of one of Danny’s relationships was worse than the truly obnoxious Rusty, the son of Danny’s girlfriend Cindy. Rusty always caused trouble everywhere he went, and delighted in doing so. The less Rusty, the better off the series would have been.

8 MORE SCREEN TIME: Harry Takayama

Few characters in the entirety of Full House are as underrated as Stephanie’s one true faithful best friend, Harry Takayama. Though Harry is only in a handful of episodes early on in the series, none of Stephanie’s later introduced friends ever hold a candle to the adorable Harry.

From the way he calls her “chief,” to his unending belief that she’s brilliant and knows what’s best, to his willingness to marry her when she feels ignored, Harry is the kind of friend we all wish we had, and a character the series definitely should have used more.

7 LESS SCREEN TIME: Lisa Leeper

Michelle had plenty of friends during the last few seasons of the series, as she grew older and began to socialize in school more. But while there were some great ones (Teddy, in particular), there were also some truly unbearable ones, including Lisa Leeper.

Lisa was clearly introduced as a counterpoint to Michelle, a more tomboy-ish girl who was bossy and pushy and judgmental. And really, what eight year old needs a friend like that?

6 MORE SCREEN TIME: Claire Tanner

This next entry has a particular catch to it. Danny’s mother, Claire Tanner, is someone the series could definitely have used more of as it went along… but only if we’re talking about the version portrayed by Everybody Loves Raymond matriarch Doris Roberts.

Roberts entered the role through a recasting and immediately made the character of “Granny Tanny” her own. Her warmth, love, and comfort provided the series with a much-needed addition of female depth and compassion, and she fit perfectly in with the rest of the cast.

5 LESS SCREEN TIME: Viper

After D.J. and Steve break up in one of the series’ more misguided late season decisions, D.J. finds herself a single girl until she gets caught up in a love triangle. And though neither suitor is particularly impressive, it’s the boneheaded Viper who represents one of the worst characters the series ever introduced.

Viper, a member of Jesse’s second band Hot Daddy and the Monkey Puppets, is one of the most thinly written characters in the entire series. With barely any intellect, and no chemistry whatsoever with D.J., Viper takes up plenty of screen time that could have been spent on literally anyone else.

4 MORE SCREEN TIME: Nick & Irene Katsopolis

Danny isn’t the only one who deserved to have a parental figure around more often. Jesse’s parents, the truly iconic and beloved Nick and Irene Katsopolis, are reliable presences in the series’ second through fourth seasons. They’re wonderfully protective and passionate about their respective Greek and Italian heritages.

They’re also devoted grandparents to the three Tanner girls. But a real disappointment of the series is the fact that Nick and Irene never get to meet their second set of grandchildren, Nicky and Alex. That there is a true missed opportunity.

3 LESS SCREEN TIME: Gia Mahan

Full House has a real friends problem. It’s inevitable that the kids will grow up and make friends that are both good and bad ones, but it’s a real shame that one of Stephanie’s only friendships depicted in the series happens to be with one of the show’s most obnoxious characters.

Gia Mahan is nothing but a bully when she’s introduced. And even when Stephanie and Gia are allegedly on friendly terms, Gia is always a bad influence on Stephanie, constantly pushing her into one bad situation after another.

2 MORE SCREEN TIME: Pamela Katsopolis-Tanner

There are many episodes in Full House that feature flashbacks, particularly to the younger years of characters like Danny, Joey, and Jesse. But there’s one episode in particular that makes use of a home movie recording of years past that also serves as one of the most powerful and poignant scenes in the entire series.

It’s only in this one scene that the show features the character of the Tanner family matriarch, Pamela Katsopolis-Tanner. Her absence is felt and discussed often throughout the series, but a few more flashbacks or home movies would have done wonders for further revealing her character.

1 LESS SCREEN TIME: Aaron Bailey

Honestly, doesn’t the face this kid is making in the screen capture say it all as to why Full House absolutely needed less Aaron Bailey?

From the moment Aaron enters the world of the series, he’s a brat, a bully who torments not only fellow classmate Michelle, but her whole family, and her Uncle Jesse in particular. He’s always rude, always loud, and always absolutely obnoxious. Why anyone thought including him in the series was a good idea is beyond us.

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