Though I’m not infatuated with every aspect of this city, living in Los Angeles does have its perks. One of them is the ability to be a part of a live TV audience. Last week, I went with friends to a taping of next year’s guaranteed hit, Fuller House.

Though I’m not infatuated with every aspect of this city, living in Los Angeles does have its perks. One of them is the ability to be a part of a live TV audience. Last week, I went with friends to a taping of next year’s guaranteed hit, Fuller House.

90s nostalgia has been building up for the past few years. Even though I probably don’t have the right to be nostalgic as a 24-year-old, I’m gladly diving back into the world of my youth. Full House was one of the first shows I was obsessed with. I remember watching reruns every day when I was nine years old. I recorded them on VHS tapes to play in my room over and over. While I look back on the show as being a little cheesy these days, it no doubt had a huge impact on my early life.

Never did I think I would have the opportunity to watch the cast perform together in a modern version of the classic show. Luckily, my friend babysat the website until free tickets were available. We waited in line for almost three hours to be guaranteed a spot in the audience. Once we received our numbers, we were ushered onto the Warner Bros. lot and into Stage 26 where the curtains were drawn and an old episode was playing on the monitors.

After the episode ended, a dramatic fanfare played and the curtains rose to reveal the old set, now redressed with 21st century decor. Despite the changes, I noticed a familiar blue and white couch and the rocking horse that ruled the landing at the top of the stairs. As I soaked in the scene, all the memories came washing back over me. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and as always, it looked bigger on TV.

Soon the cast was introduced to us, first the new kids and then our old favorites: Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Andrea Barber. Then, they got right into it. The large, experienced crew bustled about, adjusting cameras, running cable, and touching up make up. The first couple of scenes were over in only a few takes. We had the best seats in the house for the first couple hours. Front row, in front of the old set. I won’t spoil the plot for you, but I was impressed at how fresh the show seemed after dusting itself off. Though not without its cheesy moments, most of the jokes landed.

Eventually the production moved to the other side of the stage where we now had the worst seats in the house. Because we couldn’t see from our angle, we watched the scenes play out on the overhead monitors. A little taste of the episode: expect silly string, slime, Macy Gray, a choreographed dance number, short skirts, European flirtation, and a toilet paper leaf blower.

Because I had never been to a taping before, I enthusiastically studied every moment. I was less interested in the comedian who tried to keep us entertained between takes with modern pop music and juggling, and more so in the professional TV crew taking care of business. Everyone worked together in perfect sync, take after take. I thought to myself how fun it would be to work on set with so many talented crew members. I watched producers and actors walk back and forth, occasionally having a bit of chit chat. I’m sure the comedian was good at keeping the general fans awake, but to me he was just distracting.

My goal was to make eye contact with Jodie Sweetin, considering I had a huge crush on her character Stephanie when I was a little kid. I think our eyes met, but it was hard to tell. I’ll never be sure. I definitely gave Dave Coulier a thumbs up (he was a guest star in this episode). “Hey Dave.” He told us, “Thanks for coming you guys!”

Watching everyone work from behind the scenes, I took as many mental pictures as I could. Who knows if I will ever be in that type of environment again? You see, we were told to leave our cell phones in the car, because no pictures are allowed. I whispered to my friend, “I just want to freeze this moment.” But by the end of the night, even I was sick of being there. The shoot lasted from 4-9:30. I expected to sit for a long time, but this particular episode was so complex, I think it ran longer than usual.

We all felt fatigue once they began to reshoot certain parts. The comedian guy told us they expected us to laugh at the funny parts, even if we had already seen them. I was glad the rest of our audience was so into it, because I couldn’t generate any more fake laughs after five hours of this stuff. A crew member walked up and said he expected all the seats to be empty by now. But we stuck it out, and I think I would do it again (I’ll just remember to bring a book).

I was skeptical about bringing back another old show. All we get these days are sequels and reboots, and they don’t always live up to expectations. Take Girl Meets World for example. A new version of one of my favorite shows for a new generation. I was pumped to see some of my favorite characters back on screen, but the Disney Channel has watered them down into caricatures of themselves. I still watch all the episodes, hope kept alive by brief moments of greatness, but something inside me feels wrong about the whole thing. I’m glad kids love it.

I was afraid that I would feel the same sense of loathing toward Fuller House, or that it would just be another unnecessary retread. All in all, the cast has still got it. I have no doubt fans of the original will dig this iteration. The tone remains consistent, yet fresh for the 21st century. I’m looking forward to binging season one on Netflix in a couple of days, when it comes out next year.

It was good to be back on the Warner Bros. lot. I may have sounded like an over-excited fan boy, but I promise I kept my cool all day. I’ve always been in love with the environment at WB, telling my buddies that I could live there. After visiting quite a few times, it no longer feels like I’m entering the Promised Land. It feels like I’m returning home, to the place I always knew I belonged and have finally found.

For more on Full House and other TV shows that have impacted me, stay tuned to Random Randbow.