Full House: Unaired Pilot Pic Reveals A Different Tanner Fam (Without Bob Saget)
When ABC's family sitcom "Full House" started airing on September 22, 1987, the show gifted audiences with more than a few catchphrases. The series also introduced the world to Bob Saget, a little-known stand-up comedian with a love for filling his act with dirty jokes. Saget spent eight years of his four decades-long entertainment career working on "Full House," and the role of Danny Tanner is still the part he is best known for playing — which is ironic considering he was brought in to replace another actor.
Fans got some insight into the show's original casting thanks to "Full House" actresses Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber, who played Stephanie Tanner and Kimmy Gibbler, respectively. The two sitcom stars co-host a rewatch podcast called the "How Rude Podcast," and posted a picture on the show's Instagram of the actors originally cast in the unaired version of the "Full House" pilot. In the first pilot attempt, actor John Posey stars as Danny Tanner, and the episode also includes his wife, Pamela Tanner (played by an unnamed actress).
Pamela is never shown on screen in the version of the pilot that ended up airing; by the time the series starts, her character has already passed away, prompting Danny's brother-in-law, Jesse (John Stamos), and his best friend, Joey (Dave Coulier), to move in with the family to help raise the kids. But in the unaired version, it appears the character of Pamela is introduced to the audience before she tragically dies in a car accident.
Saget may have taken over the role from John Posey, but he was the producers' first choice to play the part.
Seven years before "Full House" premiered on television, Bob Saget was working as a warm-up comic on the ABC sitcom "Bosom Buddies." During his time there, he caught the eyes of "Full House" creator Jeff Franklin, as well as Thomas L. Miller, and Robert L. Boyett, who would later go on to become the sitcom's executive producers. When it came time to cast the role of Danny Tanner, the team thought Saget would be perfect for the role, but they couldn't book him because he was already committed to a CBS show called "The Morning Program."
"The Morning Program" was canceled nine months into the series' run, and when the "Full House" production team learned Saget was suddenly available, they decided to recast the role of Danny Tanner and reshoot the pilot. This came as a shock to John Posey who — while he admits to having been an inexperienced actor at the time — hadn't been aware that there were concerns about his work. In the end, Posey rebounded and has worked steadily as a film, TV, and voiceover actor ever since.
Saget's last-minute introduction required the cast to reshoot Danny Tanner's portion of the pilot, which created some continuity errors. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who share the role of Michelle Tanner, had grown considerably since the first time the pilot was shot, and if you watch the first episode of "Full House," you can pinpoint which of their scenes were left intact, and which were reshot after Saget was added to the cast.