Home Improvement, which aired from 1991 to 1999 and launched the career of Tim Allen, has just found a new streaming home for the New Year. The sitcom will be available on Netflix starting next month. The show was renowned for its blend of humor, heartwarming moments, and, of course, the iconic “Tool Time” segments. Allen played Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, a well-meaning but accident-prone host of a home improvement TV show called Tool Time. While Tim tackled DIY projects — usually with disastrous results — the heart of the show was the Taylor family dynamic. Tim’s wife Jill (Patricia Richardson) and their three sons, Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), and Mark (Taran Noah Smith) were the backbone of the series.
Will We Get a ‘Home Improvement’ Reboot?
Well, it doesn’t look likely, and that’s probably a good thing at this stage. It was one of the most popular shows of the 1990s, but Richardson claimed that Allen was petitioning for a follow-up despite never coming to her or co-star Thomas about the possibility.
“He kept coming out publicly and saying everyone was on board to do a Home Improvement reunion, but he never asked me, or Jonathan, who I talk to. And I asked Jonathan about being asked, and he said no, and I thought it was so weird, why is he going around telling people this when he hasn’t talked to you or me? I think that’s weird.”
But there are more reasons for the lack of a revival. Thomas — who played the middle son, Randy — has no interest in acting, while Smith largely retired from acting following the series’ end. He now runs a non-dairy cheese company and other business ventures. Meanwhile, Earl Hindman, who played the beloved neighbor Wilson whose face was always obscured behind his garden fence, died in 2003. Zachary Ty Bryan will also probably find it hard to take part, given that he has once again been arrested and charged for crimes ranging from domestic assault to fraud.
“I wouldn’t want to do a show. Zach is now a felon, Taran hasn’t acted since he left the show, he’s not an actor anymore, and Jonathan’s not really interested in acting, he wants to direct and write,” she explained.
“And we don’t have Wilson anymore. So if they did it without Earl, and just two kids probably, if that, it’s not going to be the same show. People think we can just go back 30 years ago and do the same show, we can’t, we’ve all changed quite a bit. The show would be very weird. We did it well, and quit at the right time before it got really bad, and it should just stay as it is, and not become a bad version of it.”
Home Improvement can be streamed in its entirety on Netflix starting February 1.
- Release Date
-
September 17, 1991
- Finale Year
-
November 30, 1998
- Cast
-
Tim Allen
- Seasons
-
8
- Story By
-
tim allen
- Writers
-
Tim Allen
- Network
-
ABC
- Streaming Service(s)
-
Hulu
- Directors
-
Tim Allen
- Showrunner
-
Tim Allen
Get Netflix