What Will 'Fuller House' Do About Michelle?

We're all excited for Fuller House , right? After all, nostalgia is MAJOR for the show, since most of us grew up watching Full House as part of our TGIF Friday nights. There's only one thing that's kept people from getting 100% pumped, though, and that's the fact that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have chosen not to reprise their role as Michelle Tanner. Michelle was such a massive part of the original series that it's hard to imagine the spin-off without her. And thankfully, according to Stephanie Tanner's real-life counterpart Jodie Sweetin, we won't actually have to, because Michelle will indeed be included in the show in some form or another.

Talking to US Weekly , Sweetin confirmed that "the Michelle character is still going to have a presence" and that "it's not like [they're] not talking about her". Whew! Now that's a relief. Of course, Sweetin didn't elaborate on what exactly that presence will be, and the options are somewhat limited considering the actresses will never appear on screen. There are plenty of things Michelle could be doing off-screen, but the Fuller House writers will have to find clever ways to include the character despite her absence. Thankfully, I have a few ideas if they're in need.

Keep Photos Of Michelle Around The House

It'd be totally normal for Danny to have photos of all three of his daughters around the house, from childhood on up. We'd get a nice reminder of Michelle by seeing these photos in the background of certain scenes, and it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to have them there to begin with.

Have People Talk To Michelle On The Phone

If Michelle is just away on business or she lives elsewhere in the country, obviously it'd be easier to keep in touch with the rest of the family by having regular phone calls. We wouldn't have to hear Michelle's end of the conversation, but we'd know she's there, and that would be enough.

Make Mention Of Michelle's Visits

What better way to keep a character alive than by constantly jogging our memories by referencing things the characters that ARE present have done with Michelle when she's been around? We'd still get a sense of the type of person she's grown into and have that warm fuzzy feeling to know she's still close to the fam.

Show Old Home Videos Featuring Michelle During Flashback Sequences

Frankly, I'd be shocked if this spin-off didn't include flashbacks to the original series anyway, but this just so happens to be a super convenient vehicle to include old footage of Michelle, right? See how smart I am? Roll those old home videos and let the laughter begin!

Organize A Play-Date With Michelle's Kids & DJ's

Yes, I'm making a bit of a leap in assuming that Michelle has kids — at least one, anyway — but just go with it. Even if Michelle is super busy and we never see her on the show, it doesn't mean her kid can't come visit the family while she's, say, busy with a massive project at work or something. Bonus points if it's a girl that looks a lot like Michelle did when she was younger!

Images: ABC (1); Giphy (5)