Family Copes With the Quake on ‘Full House’

Tonight’s episode of ABC’s comedy “Full House” finds the Tanner family dealing with emotional aftershocks from the Oct. 17 Bay Area earthquake.

“The show is set in San Francisco, and we didn’t want to pretend the earthquake hadn’t happened,” said Jeff Franklin, the series’ creator and executive producer.

“Children all across the country saw the earthquake footage. We wanted to try to help with their anxieties by showing the effect the earthquake had on the Tanner family.”

Franklin co-wrote the “Aftershocks” episode with Lenny Ripps, using input from trauma experts at the UCLA School of Medicine. The program airs at 8 p.m. on Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42.

In the show, 7-year-old Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) suddenly can’t bear to be separated from her dad (Bob Saget), even at bedtime. Dad becomes increasingly concerned, not knowing what’s wrong. A visit to a family therapist brings Stephanie’s fears into the open and even offers a sensitive alternative to Stephanie’s crawling into Dad’s bed for reassurance.

Franklin explained in an interview that he wanted to address several issues.

“The episode is a reminder about earthquake preparedness, it’s a look at how scary these things can be for children and it’s a reminder to parents that if they encounter a problem with a child that they don’t have the answer for, it’s good parenting to get some help.”

Franklin also likes the idea of putting his show “in the real world.”

“Our show is seen by millions of viewers,” he said, “and we’re aware of the tremendous impact we can have on young people. So, of course, we try to do shows that entertain, but we also want to give viewers something to think about.”

The show is special to Franklin for another reason. Erin McKnelly, a 7-year-old with cystic fibrosis, plays a small role. Franklin cast her after hearing through the Starlight Foundation--an organization that tries to grant the wishes of seriously ill children--that McKnelly wanted to be “a movie star.”