The original title of the show was House of Comics, and it was going to be about three comedians living together. However, executive producer and creator Frank Jefflin learned that ABC wanted a sitcom about a family, so it was changed to Full House when it was decided that the show was to promote family themes and values. The show’s original pilot (which was never aired) starred John Posey as the original Danny Tanner because Bob Saget was on another network (as co-host and “comic” correspondent on CBS’s ill-fated Morning Program. When it was revamped, Saget was fired, and thus available for Full House).
In the first season, Jesse’s last name was “Cochran”. His name was changed after Season 1 to “Jesse Katsopolis”. The name change was due to Stamos wanting his character to better reflect his Greek heritage. In one episode, Jesse admits his birth name was “Hermes”, which actually happens to be his real-life paternal grandfather’s name.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen nearly left the show after the first season because their real-life mother was concerned about them missing out on having a “normal” childhood. After a raise from the producers, she let them stay on. Their being so popular was also one of the reasons their mother let them stay.
During the show’s run, only four main characters were added to the main cast. Lori Loughlin, who played the role of Rebecca Donaldson (later Katsopolis), was initially scheduled to appear in six episodes in Season 2 as Danny’s co-host on Wake Up, San Francisco. However, producers decided to write her character into the show, and give her a permanent role in the third season.
Season 5 saw the debut of characters Nicky and Alex Katsopolis, who were the twin sons of Jesse and Rebecca. The characters Nicky and Alex were created to complement the popularity of the Olsen twins. However, the new characters did not achieve as much popularity as the producers had hoped. The “baby” versions were played by Daniel and Kevin Renteria until the end of Season 5. Beginning in Season 6, Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit played the roles of toddlers Nicky and Alex until the series ended.
