A few years ago, Netflix released its first of what turned into a leading trend of recent years: a reboot of a 90’s television series. 

In 2016, Netflix debuted Fuller House , which followed the lives of the now-adult children from the 90’s sitcom Full House. 

Fuller House follows DJ Tanner (Candace Cameron Bure), her younger sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and best friend Kimmy (Andrea Barber) as they juggle life, work, and relationships.They do this all while trying to raise their own kids under one roof.

In December, Netflix released the first half of the fifth and final season of Fuller House, with the second half of the season scheduled to air this coming summer. This new season brings conflict and changes while keeping true to the familiar continuity of the previous seasons.

At the end of season four, Kimmy gave birth to Stephanie’s baby as a surrogate, and Stephanie and her husband—who happened to be Kimmy’s brother Jimmy—were left with a newborn baby. Season five begins with Stephanie and Jimmy trying to decide the perfect name for their baby, adjusting to life as parents, and redeveloping their relationship with Kimmy now that she is no longer carrying their child. 

Stephanie is not the only one dealing with changes, though. After finally declaring her love for her high-school sweetheart Steve during the last season, DJ adjusts her busy schedule of life as a veterinarian and a mom to accommodate a dating life as well. 

Finally, Kimmy’s daughter Ramona begins dating again, and it is finally time for him to meet her parents, whether she is ready or not. 

The first section of season five ends with even more drama than it began with, including accidents, parties, dances, and proposals, while completely allowing the second half of the season to tie up all the loose ends. 

When looking at the cast, Sweetin, Bure, and Barber have the perfect chemistry that allows them to play off of each other so well during scenes which contributes to the charming, recognizable tone of the series.

With occasional guest appearances from the beloved cast of the original show, Fuller House has managed to feel like a step back in time for viewers to appreciate the show that they watched growing up. 

In the wake of the past year’s college admissions scandal, though, there were some cast changes made on the set of Fuller House. Before the beginning of the new season, Lori Loughlin—who played Aunt Becky on the original series and the reboot—was fired from the show, leaving her unable to appear in the fifth and final season. 

Although Loughlin was an integral and cherished part of the original series, her role had been minor in the reboot series, as were those of her main co-stars from the nineties. Despite her minor role, whenever her husband Jesse (John Stamos) would appear on the show, she was always with him. 

However, when Stamos appeared in season five, Loughlin did not. Instead of addressing the issue or making up an excuse for the absence of the character, Fuller House just completely ignored the fact that she was missing. 

Even amidst the drama off-set, Fuller House managed to deliver new episodes that were consistent with the ones before them. Season five of Fuller House is just as cheesy and predictable as ever, but I found myself attached to the characters and gravitating towards the “next” button at the conclusion of each episode. The final scenes left me anticipating the next set of episodes which seem promising for a strong finale to the series. 

Although this new season gives exactly as expected, the heartfelt endings, predictability, and familiarity of the show contribute to its charm and have the ability to lift moods and give viewers the sense of coming home.