Jeff Franklin

Jeffrey Steven Franklin (born January 21, 1955)^[1][2][3] is an American screenwriter, director and producer.^[4] He is best known for being the creator of the ABC sitcom Full House and its Netflix sequel Fuller House.^[5]

Jeff Franklin
Born	Jeffrey Steven Franklin (1955-01-21) January 21, 1955 (age 70) Inglewood, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Producer, screenwriter, director
Years active	1976–present
Notable work	Full House Fuller House

Early life and education

Franklin was born in Inglewood, California,^[6] and raised in a Jewish family.^[7] In 1976 Franklin graduated from Raymond College at the University of the Pacific.^[8] He studied media production at UCLA while working as a substitute teacher in his hometown, before becoming a writer.^[6]

Career

Franklin began his television career as a writer and producer for Laverne & Shirley and Bosom Buddies. Franklin pitched his own show to ABC called "House of Comics" which featured three comics living together.^[9] ABC was looking for a family sitcom, so Franklin added children and the idea evolved into the show Full House, which ran on the ABC network from 1987 to 1995.

During Full House, Franklin created Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, starring comedian Mark Curry.^[10] Franklin departed for Hanging with Mr. Cooper in September 1992.^[10] His other TV credits include both writing and production on shows such as, It's Garry Shandling's Show, and Malcolm & Eddie. He also wrote, produced and directed the first Olsen twins movie, To Grandmother's House We Go. By 1991, Jeff Franklin had received a deal with Lorimar, but the pact was terminated in 1993 so that he could become an independent producer.^[11] In 1997, he had signed a deal with Columbia TriStar Television.^[12]

Franklin's most notable film writing credits include the teen comedies Just One of the Guys (1985) and Summer School (1987), starring Mark Harmon.

On April 20, 2015, Netflix announced the streaming service would pick up thirteen episodes of Fuller House, a sequel to Full House.^[13] Netflix also announced Franklin would oversee the production along with Robert L. Boyett and Thomas L. Miller.^[13] All 13 episodes of the first season premiered on February 26, 2016.^[14][15] The series ended in its fifth season on June 2, 2020, supposedly due to competition and an inability to grow its audience significantly.^[16][17]

Firing from Fuller House

In February 2018, Franklin was fired from the series Fuller House.^[18]

In June 2019, The Hollywood Reporter revealed details of a probe made by Warner Brothers that included interviews with eight Fuller House staffers who commented on Franklin's alleged conduct.^[19]

Jeff Franklin sued the showrunner, blaming the co-executive producer Bryan Behar for orchestrating a conspiracy aiming to get him kicked out of the show, to discredit Franklin and replace him. Franklin denied all the allegations of misconduct.^[20][21] The suit was dismissed with prejudice.^[22]

Personal life

In 1994, Franklin bought 10050 Cielo Drive, the site of the Tate murders in 1969. The French country-style home was eventually demolished and replaced by a mansion designed by architect Richard Landry.^[23] In 2014, he listed for sale another house designed by Landry in the Hollywood Hills for US$30 million.^[24]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
1985	Just One of the Guys	No	Yes	No
1987	Summer School	No	Yes	Yes
1999	Love Stinks	Yes	Yes	Executive

Television

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Creator
1979	The Bad News Bears	No	Yes	No	No
1979–81	Laverne & Shirley	No	Yes	No	No
1982	Bosom Buddies	No	No	Yes	No
1987	It's Garry Shandling's Show	No	No	Yes	No
1987–92	Full House	Yes	Yes	Executive	Yes
1997	Head Over Heels	No	No	Executive	Yes
1992-93	Stunt Dawgs	No	No	No	Yes
1992–97	Hangin' with Mr. Cooper	No	No	Executive	Yes
1996–99	Malcolm & Eddie	No	No	Executive	No
2010	Love That Girl!	No	No	Executive	No
2016–18	Fuller House	Yes	Yes	Executive	Yes

TV movies

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Executive Producer
1984	Young Hearts	No	Yes	No
1989	Wally and the Valentines	No	Yes	Yes
2011	The Last Resort	Yes	Yes	Yes