WARNING: The following contains SPOILERS for Fuller House season 5.
With Fuller House only nine episodes away from wrapping up, fans are wondering if there’s a chance that Michelle can still appear. Michelle Tanner was played by the Olsen Twins in the original series Full House; however, previous reports indicate that the Olsen Twins aren’t interested in portraying Michelle in the new series. Despite the very slim chance of the Olsen twins participating in the final season of Fuller House, there might be a way to include the youngest Tanner sister — if only its creatives will be a little bit more creative.
Michelle’s absence continues to become a glaring plot hole in the series despite the spinoff’s attempt to explaining her current whereabouts. The first season of the show got the question out of the way when it revealed that the youngest of the Tanner sisters is apparently now based in New York where she runs her fashion empire (a mirror of what the Olsen twins’ real-life career is). Alternately played by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for 8 seasons of Full House, the show’s creatives were eager to bring the character back, but things simply didn’t work out. The Fuller House part was offered to the Olsens before the spinoff debuted in 2016, apparently, but Ashley didn’t want to do with the show from the get-go while Mary-Kate briefly considered the gig before ultimately deciding to turn it down. There were also rumors about Elizabeth Olsen being asked to play the part, but obviously it didn’t happen.
Throughout its run, Fuller House has been incorporating Michelle less and less in their stories. There was barely a mention of her during special occasions — even when Stephanie got her baby daughter whom she named after DJ (Candace Cameron Bure) and her father, Danny (Bob Saget). For the most part, the series is able to get away with this thanks to a long string of characters to focus on. However, with Fuller House setting up the series finale as the triple wedding of her sisters and Kimmy (Andrea Barber), it doesn’t make sense for Michelle to not be there. If anything, she should even be involved more than ever with regard to finding the right dress for them. Unfortunately, with the Olsens twins seemingly determined to never revisit their acting days, this might be too much to hope for.
All that being said, just because the Olsens won’t participate doesn’t mean that Fuller House could not incorporate the youngest sister in the story without giving Michelle a dark ending. The show could tease her return off screen, and just before the audience sees her face, the shot cuts off. One of the Olsen sisters could provide a voice recording of one of Michelle’s catchphrases and use a body double. This could work well as the parting shot of the series, as if it’s a surprise appearance for the triple wedding.
The series could even stage an off-screen New York trip for the girls to supposedly meet up with Michelle to help them find their respective wedding dresses. In the meantime, the series could focus on the older cast babysitting the kids or the men — Steve (Scott Weinger), Jimmy (Adam Hagenbuch) and Fernando (Juan Pablo Di Pace). With a slew of other key players, Fuller House can do without its main three leads for at least an episode. The important thing is for the series to at least do something with Michelle that’s more than a random name drop.
At this point, fans are no longer hoping for Michelle to be a part of the series, considering what the public knows about the situation behind the scenes. However, sidelining her altogether in Fuller House’s season 5 would be such a disappointment for those who loved Full House for the Tanner clan’s chemistry. Bringing the character back in an ingenuous way like discussed above would resolve the public’s negative opinion of how Netflix handled Michelle — as if the character has just been forgotten altogether which is a blatant betrayal to the show’s core message: family first.
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