So, unlike other sitcoms that have tackled surrogacy (see: Friends, Superstore, The New Normal), the focus will be more on the relationship between Kimmy and Stephanie rather than the baby.
Fuller House Season 4Mike Yarish/Netflix
"Kimmy is so happy that she’s finally an important part of Stephanie’s life," Barber says. "She’s been rejected by Stephanie for many years; now these characters are bonding in a way they’ve never been able to before. Kimmy doesn’t want to let go of that. [She doesn't want] to feel like an incubator. She wants to feel more important than that, which I think is pretty valid.”
It is valid, given viewers have watched these two evolve from an eccentric 10-year-old and a precocious five-year-old to the adult women they are today. "They’ve literally watched us grow up on TV," Barber says. "To watch this fictional character go through such important life moments is incredible and so poignant." That's why she wanted the writers to explore Kimmy and Stephanie's "mature friendship" as a sisterhood. "I've just been delighted for the last two seasons to have these wonderful, funny, tender moments with Jodie [Sweetin]."
Of course Full House has always tackled big subjects—DJ's eating disorder; the death of a close family member—but they were settled in the span of a 22-minute episode. For that reason alone, Baldikoski and Behar wanted to see Stephanie's fertility storyline through. "Bryan and I like dealing with these real issues over the entire season, not just a single episode," Baldikoski says. "We like to think that if you're going through something, it’s best to deal with it in a realistic way and carry it through a season. It’s not just one and done."
"It's a life-changing moment that we’re all going through—and as realistic as it can be for a sitcom."
Baldikoski relied on personal stories and research to prep for the storyline. "While Fuller House is not a medical show or a drama, we do have writers who are very familiar with [surrogacy] and had different experiences with that. So we relied on a little bit of that and also sent people off to do research. Without invading anyone's privacy, there was a lot of sharing about our writers' experiences and the experiences of friends and friends of friends."
Barber, a mom of two, hasn't had personal experience with surrogacy, so she turned to one of her closest friends who did. "Her cousin was her surrogate," she says, adding that she understands the complexities that come with that. "I would suspect…surrogates don’t want to feel just like baby machines. They want to feel important too."
As for the birth scene, which will happen toward the end of the season, Barber had a request for the writers: make the labor as realistic as possible. "Sitcoms tend to do really silly births with lots of screaming, and it isn’t like that," she says. "I wanted there to be an emotional connection, a tender moment between the women. They honored my request—and Jodie’s request—that it just not be a silly birth. There’s silliness trying to get to the hospital, of course, but when it comes to the actual birth scene it’s not gratuitous or over-the-top. It’s just a wonderful moment, and that’s what I had been hoping for for two seasons. They did it."
Barber adds that you'll still see lots of realistic sweat and awkward expressions. "It’s not a flawless, beautiful, 'My makeup is perfect' birth. It's a life-changing moment that we’re all going through, and as realistic as it can be for a sitcom."
Fuller House Season 4Adam Rose/Netflix
The producers also got the rights to Joni Mitchell's "The Circle Game" to play over an emotional montage. "I’m choked up as I talk about it," Baldikoski says. "If it doesn’t make Fuller House fans choke up, I don’t know what will. It’s a beautiful scene. Andrea is amazing, Jodie is amazing, Candace is amazing, Adam [Hagenbuch, "Jimmy"] is amazing. We are very proud of it.”
