‘Grandfathered’: John Stamos Is Back on TV With His Trademark Grin

Have mercy! John Stamos is back on primetime television in the new comedy Grandfathered, playing Jimmy Martino, a bachelor and high-profile restaurateur whose swinging lifestyle is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Gerald (Josh Peck), the son he never knew he had. Added bonus: Gerald has a daughter of his own, Edie (played by twins Layla and Emelia Golfieri), quickly making Jimmy the most eligible grandpa in all of Los Angeles.

“He’s a guy who, just by his nature, wants it all,” says the 52-year-old Stamos, who also serves as executive producer. “He wants to maintain his bourgeois life through the restaurant, celebrities, women and dating, but he also wants to do the right thing and be the right kind of father. He just doesn’t know how, and he certainly doesn’t know how to be a grandfather.”

Working alongside pint-size costars is no issue for Stamos, who spent eight seasons as Uncle Jesse on the wildly popular ABC comedy Full House. “John has a leading-man, hunk look, but in real life, he’s got an incredible warmth and inviting spirit,” Grandfathered creator Daniel Chun says. “He is the person people fell in love with on Full House.”

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While Jimmy must adjust to his new life with a son and granddaughter, he is also forced to confront his deep feelings for former fling—and Gerald’s mother—Sara (Paget Brewster). “Jimmy is adapting to the shock of having this instant family because there’s so much built-in baggage,” Chun says. “This is a really cool, romantic dynamic between him and Sara, and we’ll see them slowly get past their issues with each other and decide whether they can make a go of it.”

The heart of the series, though, revolves around the father/son bond between Jimmy and Gerald, which Chun admits was inspired by The Odd Couple. While Gerald teaches Jimmy how to be a responsible father, Jimmy takes geeky Gerald under his wing and gives him lessons about dating and ladies, especially when Gerald tries to advance his relationship with baby mama Vanessa (Christina Milian) beyond the dreaded friend zone. “Jimmy is street-smart and has a way with women, which his son needs,” Stamos says. “But Gerald has a very black-and-white, pragmatic way of looking at life that’s both very smart and very pure, and Jimmy needs some of that. So they complement each other.”

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V7u8Jdo63A

Grandfathered, premieres Tuesday, Sept. 29, 8/7c, Fox