It seems like only weeks ago that the Tanner family first reappeared on screen, but Fuller House’s second season has already come. The second batch of episodes hit Netflix on Dec. 9, bringing with it a mix of fresh and familiar faces. One newcomer, Popko, made a brief appearance in the first season but returned in an even bigger way, blossoming from Jackson’s mischievous bestie to Ramona’s no-good love interest. But who plays Bobby Popko in Fuller House, anyway?
The boy behind the on-screen troublemaker is Isaak Presley, and you’ve probably seen him before — for a 14-year-old, his resume is pretty extensive. He notched his first acting credit back in 2011 as Bradley in indie comedy The Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best, and went on to pick up stints in NBC sitcom The New Normal and Disney favorite Austin & Ally, among others. More recently, he grabbed a gig as Kyle in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp — another Netflix revival — and currently stars as aspiring musician Ethan Diaz in Disney series Stuck In the Middle.
During an interview with NBC 6, Presley described his role on Fuller House as “a mixture between Uncle Jesse and Kimmy Gibler.” It’s an odd combo, but it actually makes sense. Like Kimmy, he tends to make himself right at home in the Tanner house; he took a 90-minute shower on his first visit. And, because his parents are never around, he also likes to do crazy things akin to Kimmy’s own wild antics. D.J.’s son, Jackson (Michael Campion), even calls Popko his own Kimmy Gibler.
The Uncle Jesse comparison starts to come through when we see Popko again in Season 2. He already had Jesse’s rebellious attitude, but he’s also a bit of a ladies man, just as Jesse was before he settled down and married Rebecca. Popko gives Ramona her first kiss, but then goes to the movies with another girl, leaving her heartbroken. After he and his movie date break break up, he goes right back to Ramona, but she’s rightfully not having it. Popko decides to post a mean video of Ramona, which goes viral at school, and then misguidedly tries to woo her again. Eventually, Popko realizes the error of his ways and Ramona forgives him with a New Year’s kiss — this time on her own terms. If Popko really is like Jesse, maybe Ramona will be his Rebecca and help him tame his womanizing ways.
In the meantime, viewers will be happy to know that Presley isn’t like his bad boy character. As he told Girls Life in an interview, “He's really fun to play, because he's so different from me. He does things that never in my life would I dare to do.”
We’ll have to wait to see the rest of Popko’s story unfold if Fuller House gets a Season 3, but at least he’s heading down a better path.
Images: Michael Yarish/Netflix; Giphy
