If the Olsen twins had decided to return for Fuller House, here’s what Michelle’s story on the show could’ve been like. When it comes to classic sitcoms, few are as polarizing today as Full House. Back when it aired in the 1980s and 1990s, Full House was arguably the standard-bearer for the type of sentimental family comedy that dominated the primetime TV landscape and served as a long-time anchor for ABC’s famous TGIF line-up. While critics of the show always existed, Full House was a huge hit.

In the internet age, the amount of vitriol – as well as theories the Tanners are stuck in purgatory – directed at Full House has increased exponentially. If there’s one thing the success of sequel series Fuller House on Netflix seemed to prove, though, it’s that the detractors are a vocal minority. Millions of Netflix subscribers seemed quite happy to see the Tanner family back, this time with the focus on a grown-up, widowed D.J. raising her kids with the help of sister Stephanie and best friend, Kimmy.

Just about every major Full House actor returned in some fashion for Fuller House, with Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), Uncle Jesse (John Stamos), and Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) all recurring on the show. Aunt Becky appeared too before portrayer Lori Loughlin ran afoul of the law. Even D.J.’s high school boyfriend Steve came back. Yet, neither Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, nor their character Michelle Tanner, ever showed up. If they had, though, it’s likely their story would’ve gone something like this.

What Happened To Michelle At The End Of Full House

As the youngest Tanner daughter, Michelle was often relegated to being the requisite “cute kid” that most family sitcoms use to add the needed “aww” factor to proceedings. Oddly enough, though, Michelle ended up the primary focus of Full House‘s two-part season 8 and the series finale. The double episode was titled” Michelle Rides Again,” with part one seeing Michelle gearing up for a horse riding competition. Partway through, she and another girl decided to go on a ride for fun. While attempting to jump a log, Michelle’s horse sent her flying, putting her in the hospital.

The head injury Michelle sustained caused her to have amnesia, making her forget her entire family, including John Stamos’ beloved Uncle Jesse, and even led to an opportunity for both Olsens to share the screen as Michelle sought to recover her lost memories. Of course, with no real medical explanation, Michelle did become herself again, and Full House ended on a happy note that was just overly sentimental enough to fit what viewers had come to expect from the show. Thanks to the Olsen twins not returning for Fuller House though, this was indeed the last time Michelle Tanner has been seen onscreen.

How Old Michelle Would Be In Fuller House

Many shows make it hard to accurately suss out how old their characters are, but Full House, thankfully, isn’t one of them, thanks to lots of birthday-themed episodes. By the series finale, Michelle Tanner was 8-years-old. Her canonical birth date is November 7, 1986, making Michelle just a tad younger than her portrayers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who were born on June 13, 1986. The decades between Full House and Fuller House seem to have passed in real-time, so that would make Michelle 29-years-old when Fuller House premiered in February 2016.

Being nearly 30 would’ve put Michelle on a much different narrative playing field than she was on during Full House. While D.J. and Stephanie’s stories were allowed to grow up a bit as they got into their teens, Michelle ended Full House still firmly planted in childhood innocence. Generally, that’s not a bad thing, but for a character, it definitely limited the comedic and dramatic possibilities. A Fuller House-era Michelle could’ve finally been treated like a grown-up.

How Would Michelle Fit Into Fuller House? What Her Story Might’ve Been

While Michelle was understandably referenced multiple times over the course of Fuller House, the character never actually being seen, even at big life events like D.J. and Stephanie’s simultaneous wedding ceremonies, suggested possible friction within the family. One of the only things Fuller House revealed about Michelle was that she moved to New York City after graduating high school and started a fashion empire. While that kind of a career in such a big city can certainly be time-consuming, it didn’t really explain why she couldn’t be bothered to ever show up for her sisters or the rest of her family, outside of a quick mention that she had spent part of the holidays with Danny, Jesse, and Becky during season 4. To that end, Fuller House could’ve taken the route of further mirroring the Olsen’s real lives, having Michelle go off and become extremely rich and famous following Full House‘s finale.

As Michelle’s career grew and her social circle changed, she could’ve become more and more distant from her family, possibly also due to her resenting always being treated like the Tanner baby even as she got older. While Michelle’s absence was played for meta laughs on Fuller House, if the Olsens had eventually returned to play Michelle, one of Full House‘s patented emotional storylines could’ve seen her have a heart to heart with her sisters and relatives, leading to a tearful hug and a renewed presence in each other’s lives. If Olsen had desired it, perhaps Michelle could’ve possibly moved to San Francisco and continued her career there so that she could’ve become a regular cast member. If that had occurred, there’s also a good chance the triple wedding in Fuller House‘s series finale could’ve become a quadruple affair.

Why The Olsen Twins Didn’t Return As Michelle In Fuller House

Unsurprisingly, talks did happen before Fuller House‘s 2016 Netflix debut with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen about their collective return as Michelle. Ashley wasn’t keen on the idea, as she hadn’t acted – outside of one-scene cameos – since 2004 and had no real desire to get back onto a set anytime soon. For her part, Mary-Kate – who had most recently acted in 2011 – did want to come back, offering to play Michelle solo for the first time in Full House franchise history. Unfortunately, Fuller House‘s planned schedule conflicted with her own, and she ended up not appearing.

Interestingly, it’s been reported that there were further attempts to get the Olsens to return as Fuller House went on, so if Mary-Kate had really wanted to return, one assumes she could’ve found enough time to at least appear as Michelle in one episode. It would seem that the Olsens just weren’t up for resuming their acting careers after a years-long break and were content doing their own thing outside of Hollywood. Still, audiences surely would’ve loved to hear one more “you got it, dude” from Michelle.