Tim Allen still want to bring Home improvement back – but getting the Taylor family back together may be easier said than done.
The actor has spent years talking up the possibility of a revival of the hit sitcom, which ran from 1991 to 1999 and helped make stars out of Allen and his on-screen sons. But according to Allen, there are some major obstacles standing in the way.
The biggest problems involve the boys
In a recent chat with Us WeeklyAllen explained that discussions about a revival of the home are continuing, but the project keeps running into problems when it comes to the actors who played his TV sons.
“They keep talking about how it could go forward, but they’re stuck (because) there are some personality issues right now with the boys,” Allen said, adding that “they have their own issues.”
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Allen admitted that he always thought it would be cool if a revival focused on the sons, but acknowledged that it’s proving difficult at the moment.
I always thought it would be cool if it was a story about them. It’s a little challenging right now, to say the least.
Allen has previously suggested that a reboot could focus on the next generation of the Taylor family.
talking with Weekly entertainment in 2024, he floated the idea of a series centered around the sons’ children.
“It’s funny, one of the conversations we’ve had recently is how weird it would be if Home improvement would be about the kids’ kids,” Allen said at the time. “Like they all had kids and I’m a grandparent. Home improvement or something like that.”
Where the original cast stands today
Part of the challenge is that the actors who played Randy, Brad and Mark have taken very different paths since the show ended.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas largely walked away from acting years ago and has focused more on writing and directing. Taran Noah Smith also left acting after the series ended.
Meanwhile Zachery Ty Bryan has faced numerous legal troubles in recent years. He is currently serving a 16-month prison sentence in California and was sentenced in March to an additional 19 months in Oregon after admitting to three probation violations.
Not everyone has been on board
Even among the adult cast, enthusiasm for a revival has not always been unanimous.
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Patricia Richardsonwho played Tim’s wife, Jill Taylor, previously pushed back on the idea that the cast was fully behind a reunion.
Talking about Back to the best podcast in 2024, Richardson said she was surprised to hear Allen publicly discuss a revival because she had not been approached about it.
It was so strange. I wanted to hear him come out publicly and say that everyone was on board to do a Home Improvement reunion, but he never asked me and he never asked Jonathan.
Richardson also pointed to some of the practical challenges facing any reboot effort, noting that several cast members have moved on from acting altogether.
“I mean, Zach is now a felon,” she said. “Taran hasn’t acted since he left the show; he’s not an actor anymore. And Jonathan isn’t really interested in acting. He wants to direct and write. And we don’t have Wilson.”
The last point refers to Earl Hindmanwho played the beloved neighbor whose face was famously hidden behind a fence throughout the series. Hindman died in 2003.
For now, Allen seems interested in revisiting the world of Home Improvement. However, whether all the pieces can be assembled is still a much bigger question.
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Gallery credit: Sterling Whitaker
