Sarah Warsi

This week started off on a somber note with the news of Bob Saget‘s passing – our beloved TV dad from the popular ’90s sitcom Full House. This was my favourite show growing up, so needless to say, I was very saddened to hear about Bob’s death. The famous trio of Jesse, Joey, and Danny, that all loyal Full House fans had grown up with and adored, has been forever changed.

Just the other day, I was finding comfort in binge-watching episodes of Fuller House. It’s ironic when the show first debuted a few years ago, I remember thinking, wow, this show is great but the cheese factor is real! And now years later, that very cheese is serving as the perfect comedic relief I didn’t know I needed! It has proven to be a lovely escape from the continuous negativity that surrounds us.

Although Bob was not a regular cast member, he’d made several recurring appearances on the show as the iconic Danny Tanner, and it was just uncanny to hear this tragic news on the heels of watching the show so recently.

Also in this day and age, social media also puts a whole different light on someone’s passing. You are literally left with a lasting imprint of their final images and words shortly before their time – as was the case with Bob.

His final post on Instagram – just hours before he passed – was of satisfaction, optimism, and all-around happiness – the way we all want to remember him. He was delighted with his performance the night before and seemed genuinely excited about the future. Although I never really followed his comedy in recent years, I could see how passionate he was about stand-up and making others laugh.

In an earlier post, he gave us a beautiful tribute to Betty White, who passed away at the tender age of 99 on New Year’s Eve. His tribute to her now holds a somewhat cryptic undertone since he talked about his curiosity about the afterlife.

We can’t be reminded enough of how truly fragile life is. And, in my humble opinion, social media has only amplified that fragility.

Bob’s portrayal of Danny Tanner, the clean-obsessed, hug-loving, doting dad of three girls was unmatched. His energy was infectious and his wit was like no other.

This may not be widely known, but the character of Danny Tanner was originally cast with another actor because Bob was unavailable at the time. As fate would have it, circumstances changed and Bob eventually landed the iconic role which resulted in the show’s producers reshooting the pilot with Bob as Danny Tanner.

I loved so many things about Danny’s character, (like him dust-busting his vacuum!). I always enjoyed Danny’s banter with Kimmy Gibbler, portrayed by the lovely Andrea Barber (pictured above). The dry sarcastic jabs between her and “Mr. T” never got old.

What I loved about Full House overall, was that, for the most part, there was often some sort of life lesson at the end of each episode – something for the audience to take away and reflect on and learn from. This was often illustrated by Danny giving his girls one of his famous pep talks, depending on the context of the episode. It’s a component of the show, that truly made it a family show.

I’ll admit, I found myself humming the theme song to Full House today and felt very nostalgic thinking back to all the entertaining re-runs and how much I always looked forward to Tuesday and Friday nights at the time. If I couldn’t catch the show for some reason, you bet I was taping it on my good old VHS!

It’s heart-warming to see all the fond messages and tributes pouring in from Bob’s Full House family, fellow comedians, and fans from all over. Bob really seemed like the glue that held everyone together. I’ve always adored how the cast members have managed to stay so close-knit all these years, in general.

Elias Harger, who portrayed Max on Fuller House posted a touching video of Bob speaking to the entire cast and crew on set after Fuller House ended in 2020. He spoke fondly of everyone and gave special kudos to the new cast members for doing such a great job over the show’s five-season run. He definitely was an inspiration to everyone on that set – from the very beginning.

Truly the end of an era.

I send my deepest condolences to his wife, his daughters, and entire family, of course, his extended Full House family.

The famous blue couch will never feel the same.

Rest Peacefully, Bob.

Thank you for the laughs and for the memories.