Home Improvement (TV series)

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 It has been suggested that Tool Time be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)
For other uses, see Home Improvement (disambiguation).
Home Improvement

The Home Improvement cast
Format Sitcom
Created by Matt Williams
Carmen Finestra
David MacFadzean
Starring Tim Allen
Patricia Richardson
Zachery Ty Bryan
Jonathan Taylor Thomas (1991-1998)
Taran Noah Smith
Earl Hindman
Richard Karn
Debbe Dunning (1993-1999)
Pamela Anderson (1991-1993)
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 8
No. of episodes 204 (List of episodes)
Production
Location(s) Detroit, Michigan (setting)
Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, California
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Original run September 17, 1991 – May 25, 1999
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Home Improvement is a Golden Globe Award-Winning American television sitcom starring actor/comedian Tim Allen, which ran from 1991 to 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra (who both produced The Cosby Show) and David MacFadzean. The show's title has double meaning: it refers to physical improvement of houses, as well as to improving life with family, friends, work, and school. The show was a huge commercial success, with an audience of 4.4 million viewers on the episode "The Long and Winding Road", the highest audience ever received on a sitcom, also on the episode "Love's Labor Lost part two" an episode about a hysterectomy drew an audience of 2.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched sitcom of the 1990s.

Contents

[edit] Plot details and storylines

The series centered on the antics of the Taylor family, including Tim (Tim Allen), his wife Jill (Patricia Richardson) and their three sons. The oldest is the popular and athletic Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan); a year younger is comedic and intellectual Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas); and finally the socially awkward youngest son, Mark (Taran Noah Smith). The show is set in Detroit, Michigan, as evidenced by the many references to the area in the show (especially Michigan colleges, whose shirts are worn by Tim in the show), and also confirmed by Jill in "Feud For Thought" in the third season when talking to a friend at her high school reunion.

[edit] Early seasons

In the first four seasons, sons Brad and Randy would torment their youngest brother Mark (and each other) in ways that consistently presented a challenge to Tim and Jill. Mark always believed what his siblings told him (for example, that the whole family but Mark were aliens and that Mark was not Tim and Jill's natural son), until Jill straightened things out.

Mark was initially presented as slightly naive and in constant admiration of his father. He was also the son who shared the closest relationship with their mother Jill. Brad was presented as a character who often engaged before thinking, a tendency which regularly landed him in trouble. Randy was the comedian of the pack-- the quick-thinking, sarcastic son who had more common sense than Brad but wasn't immune to trouble.

[edit] Jonathan Taylor Thomas's departure

When the seventh season began, however, Mark grew into a teenage outcast who dressed in dark clothing, while Brad became interested in cars like his father and took up soccer. Randy joined the school newspaper, before leaving for Costa Rica in the eighth season episode "Adios." This was done as Jonathan Taylor Thomas wanted to take time off to focus on academics. His last appearance on Home Improvement was the 1998 Christmas episode. Thomas was unwilling to return to the show for the series finale.

[edit] Tool Time the show

Focus was also given to Tim's job as a television personality on his own home improvement show, called Tool Time. Tim was the host of this "meta-program," or show-within-a-show, originally called Hammer Time. The show's name was changed to Tool Time because Tim and the producers felt that name would be confused with MC Hammer. Tim was joined by his friend and mild-mannered assistant Al Borland (Richard Karn), and a "Tool Time girl" — first Lisa (Pamela Anderson) and later Heidi (Debbe Dunning) — whose main duty was to introduce the pair at the beginning of the show with the line "Does everybody know what time it is?" They would also assist Tim and Al during the show by bringing them tools. Although an excellent salesman and TV personality, Tim was spectacularly accident-prone as a handyman, often causing hilarious disasters on and off the set to the consternation of his co-workers and family. Many of Tim's accidents were caused by his devices designed in application of his mantra, "More power!"

[edit] The relationship between Tim and Al

Though ultimately good friends, there was a tense relationship between Tim and Al. Al was portrayed as a slightly geeky character, usually having more knowledge, skill, and audience popularity than Tim. His catchphrase, as an opposition to Tim's ill-advised ideas or jokes, was "I don't think so, Tim." He also came up with many puns and would giggle and snort when a joke was made at Tim's expense. Al, being cautious, insecure, and brighter, always bore the brunt of Tim's jokes and constant put-downs. Al is frequently taunted by Tim because of his beard, bland personality (in Tim's eye), poor sense of humor and his preference of flannel shirts (and often other flannel items such as an oversized pair of flannel briefs in the episode "Room Without A View"). Tim typically uses his television show to vent about various problems he is having in his personal life, Al is usually very annoyed by this. Two running jokes for Tim was introducing Al with a silly middle name(i.e. Al "This Land Is" Bor-land) and commenting on Al's overweight mother, who was often referred to but was never fully seen throughout the series (in the penultimate episode of the series, "Dead Weight", she died, and the characters were shown paying their respects at her extra-wide coffin which showed her body but not her face. In another episode, she can be seen in a picture on the Tool Time set, but only from the back side).

[edit] Special guests and cameos

Many "special guests" made "cameo" appearances on Tool Time. These guests included race car drivers Johnny Rutherford, Robby Gordon, Mario and Michael Andretti, Al Unser, Sr./Jr./III, actress and model Jenny McCarthy, country artist Alan Jackson, golfer Payne Stewart, comedian Drew Carey and The Beach Boys. Numerous NASA astronauts appeared on the series, the most notable being Ken Bowersox, who made three separate appearances. Former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, then Detroit Pistons star Grant Hill (the season 7 episode "Believe It or Not"), former boxers Evander Holyfield (the season 3 episode "Eve of Construction") and George Foreman (the season 1 episode "Unchained Malady"), and former President Jimmy Carter all appeared on the series. Carter made an appearance during season three episode "Eve of Construction." which focused on Habitat for Humanity. Jay Leno appears with his car collection in the fourth season episode "Brother, Can You Spare a Hot Rod?" He plays a mechanic who is cleaning Papa Mia's (the Detroit pizza magnate) cars. Bob Vila also appeared on several episodes, with Tim seeing him as a rival (he appears in Season One's "What About Bob?" Season Two's "The Great Race," Season Three's "The Great Race II" and Season Four's "Tool Time After Dark," but that appearance was just recycled Tool Time footage from earlier episodes.)

A then-unknown Dave Chappelle and Jim Breuer guest-starred in the Season 4 episode, "Talk to Me", as the two men Tim gives advice to; his "sage words" nearly end up destroying the guys' relationships with their respective girlfriends. The following season, Chappelle would reprise the same role, with Christopher Gartin in Breuer's role, in the short lived Home Improvement spinoff Buddies.

Other famous guests include Drake Bell in episode "Swing Time", Ron Eli, Jack Elam, Ernest Borgnine, the latter who appeared in the first season episode "Birds of a Feather Flock to Taylor."

Robert Picardo, best known as "The Doctor" on Star Trek: Voyager, made two appearances on the show as Tim's neighbor, Joe "The Meat Man" Morton.

[edit] Character honors

Starting in Season 4, Jill studied to become a psychologist. In "Is There a Doctor in the House?" an episode from the fifth season, Tim also received an honorary Ph.D. from his alma mater, Western Michigan University. Tim also received an award for "Safety" in season 2's "Dances with Tools" despite his accident record on Tool Time. (The reason was that the people giving the award mistakenly believed that he staged all his accidents and Tim, to keep his reputation, let them.) Also, in the season 6 episode "Insult to Injury", Tim gets an award for the most consecutive appearances on a tool show, beating Bob Vila's record.

[edit] Running gags

  • Scene Transitions - During scene changes, unique special effects transitions were used to cut from scene to scene. For example, the current scene could shatter like glass, fall over like a piece of wood, or deflate like a balloon. These transitions often related to the context of the prior scene (for example, heart-shaped balloons inflate and pop to transition from a scene talking about a possible secret admirer in "A Funny Valentine").
  • Also, in most episodes when the episode starts, an anthropomorphic Home Improvement logo with arms and legs would appear on-screen.
  • Basement Pipe - Tim banged his head on a metal pipe whenever he walked down the basement steps. This gag is first seen in Season 1, Episode 5, "Wild Kingdom." This never happened to any other character, though the gag was occasionally used with other staircases.
  • Accidental innuendos - There is a certain African-American character who Tim meets occasionally. Whenever he is around, Tim tends to accidentally make a reference to being homosexual, in which case the other man would say "Hey, I don't go for that sort of thing!"
  • Hissing - Occasionally when Al would make a sarcastic or somewhat ill tempered remark about one of Tim's plans, Tim would hiss at him, as if an angry cat.
  • Address Card - In the show's early years, Tim would often make remarks, usually chauvinistic, that would be likely to offend to certain sections of the Tool Time viewership. Al would then quickly pull out a large card with the show's address for viewers to write in and complain, always beginning by saying "That's Tim Taylor, care of Tool Time....". This was first seen in Season 1, on the episode, "Reach Out And Teach Someone". This gag was phased out in the later seasons but seen in the season 7 episode "Believe It or Not".
  • We'll Be Right Back... - When something would go wrong on Tool Time, Tim and/or Al would quickly throw to commercial by saying, "We'll be right back after these messages from Binford Tools!".
  • Salute to... - From the outset of Season 2, Tim and Al would make a theme of a particular home improvement project or item on Tool Time by hosting an episode or series of episodes as a "salute" to it. This would usually be evident with a banner that said "Salute to ____" or Tim or Al would say "A salute..." followed by a hand salute accompanied by a sound effect relevant to the subject, finishing with Tim and/or Al saying the particular topic being saluted.
  • The Man's... - Similar to the salutes, Tool Time occasionally featured "The Man's ____ (Bathroom, Kitchen, etc.)." These skits are the embodiment of Manliness according to Tim.
  • Wilson's Advice - The Taylor's neighbor Wilson (Earl Hindman) would often provide advice to Tim, and later in the series, to other members of the family and even Al, while he was out in his back yard working on an unusual project. This advice would usually provide the resolution of the character's main conflict in the episode. His advice usually included references and quotes from historical, philosophical, or literary figures or works, leading to a revelation that would help the character solve their dilemma. Tim would often explain his revelation to another character by both misquoting Wilson's historical quote, as well as mistaking the name of the person or work quoted.
    • Examples
      • Wilson: You know as Longfellow says, a torn jacket is soon mended, but hard words can bruise the heart of a child...the I-Ching says. Yes, it says the situation is a microcosm juxtaposed against and created by the macrocosm of the universe.
        Tim:Well, how about some words of wisdom from Longfellow during his itching period. He said, "Don't juckopose anything in a macroscope in this universe."
      • Wilson: You know Tim, there's an old folk saying. 'Obsessions are like fire and water. Good servants, but bad masters.' See the point is: do you rule your obsession, or does your obsession rule you?
        [later]
        Tim: I know I get crazy about cars, you know. My car, your car, anybody's car. But it's, it's like Bad Masterson said. You can't get obsessed the way old people drive through water, if their servants are on fire.
      • Wilson:I'm reminded of what the Chinese philosopher Chuang Tse said. You cannot speak of the ocean to a well frog, you cannot speak of ice to a summer insect
        [later]
        Tim: Well this ancient Chinese ice-cream salesman, Yung Su, found that frozen frogs and wet insects couldn't talk 'cause they were colder'n one another.
      • Wilson:Wally Schirra, the astronaut, said, 'You don't raise heroes, you raise sons, but if you treat them as sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes'.
        Tim: [later] I'm reminded of what the great astronaut Wally Cleaver said. You can't expect your son to do his homework and eat a foot long hero without Prussian dressing.
      • Wilson: If Romulus and Remus had not stopped arguing and met halfway upon building their city, Romulus would not have speared his brother.
        Tim: You know, Romeo and Rolex, the two brothers who got stuck with building the halfway house.


  • Wilson's Face - Wilson was inspired in part by a neighbor that Tim Allen had when he was too young to see over his neighbor's fence (and therefore unable to see his neighbor). As a result, the bottom half of Wilson's face was almost never seen on the show. Initially he was always seen with his mouth obscured by the fence; the gag quickly became covering the lower half of his face with other props, wardrobe, set pieces, other characters' heads, or using unconventional camera angles. Occasionally, the top half of his face would be covered leaving only the bottom half visible, and rarely, his entire face would be shown disguised by makeup for a costume. Earl Hindman's face was fully shown following the series finale episode while taking his final bow, though he did come out holding a miniature fence on a stick over the lower half of his face for one last gag.
  • Jill's Childhood Stories - Jill often attempted to tell stories about experiences she had when she was a young girl. Tim and the boys would beg her not to tell them, walk away in the middle of the story, or both.
  • Al is the Star - Tool Time viewers often had the misconception that Al was the star of the show, due to him being more skillful and knowledgeable than Tim. Tim usually took these comments with restrained annoyance and reminded the viewers that Al was his assistant and not the reverse. He often said, "Al is my assistant. He assists me." A related running gag is a fan of the show telling Tim "I'm a big fan of Tool Time. I love Al", to which Tim would always reply with a sarcastic, "We all love Al.". In later seasons, when Tim introduces Al to the Tool Time crowd, he would get a hearty round of applause from the audience.
  • Al's Response -- Whenever Tim would make a nonsensical observation Al would respond, "I don't think so, Tim." That response also would be used by other characters and guest stars. The most notable was when the group The Manhattan Transfer was on one episode. When Tim asked if Alan Paul assisted Tim Hauser, Alan used the same response. (When Richard Karn hosted Family Feud he used the response on a contestant named Tim.)
  • Tim Being Astonished -- Whenever something surprised Tim he would do a deep gasp "uuuuUUUUHHHHuuuUUHHH!"
  • Sarcastically Introducing Al -- In the early seasons, when Tim introduced Al on Tool Time, he added a sarcastic middle name like Al "This land is" Borland. In one episode after Al helps Heidi who was going through a matrimonial crisis, she introduced him as Al "the Most Sensitive Guy in the World" Borland.
  • Al's Mother - Tim frequently used jokes about Al's mother, usually about her weight. She was an unseen character in the series. She can be seen in a picture on the Tool Time set, but only from the back side in an episode in the final season. She can be partially viewed in the funeral scene when she passes away. Previously, Tim teased his mother-in-law about the same issue, but when it was revealed that Tim's jokes helped her to lose weight and she appeared quite slim, he stopped making those jokes.
  • Power - Tim saying something needed "More power", which was then followed by his trademark Simian Grunt. Later, characters would suggest that Tim make "the power [object]" when he expressed dissatisfaction with something's capabilities.
  • Jill's cooking - Tim and the boys' wisecracks about Jill's notoriously bad cooking. Even Jill owned up to her kitchen ineptitude now and then, often to her mother.
  • The Grunt - Tim would usually grunt while doing something manly.
  • Al's Flannel - Tim would constantly make jokes about Al's plaid flannel shirts.
  • "What'd you do this time?" - Every time Tim would announce to his kids that he would go out on a dinner or plan a breakfast for Jill, his kids would ask "What'd you do this time?" Most of the time this is said by Randy. Tim would usually respond with "Nothing!"
  • Tim's Sweatshirts - In several episodes Tim is seen wearing sweatshirts from a bunch of different random colleges other than just his alma mater, Western Michigan. The Home Improvement Archive website notes that all colleges Tim sports sweats from are in the Taylor's home state, Michigan.
  • Binford 6100 - On Tool Time, starting in the third season, whenever a new product was being introduced, the name of it was always "Binford 6100..." Before that, every single tool was given a different product number (eg, the Binford 6100 was a very dangerous saw that cuts trees). The only exception to this was early in the third season, in which Tim made a gallon of the color Al with the Binford 250 Paint Boy.
  • Punning "AL" -- Another theme was Al playing around with name as when the Unsers (Al, Al Jr., and Little Al) were on the show. "We are speci-AL. Around here we are very casu-AL." Tim responded, "One more crack and AL be ripping up your contract."
  • The main recurring theme throughout the show was Tim hurting himself or someone else on Tool Time, Notable examples are:
    • Accidentally knocking out Bob Vila with a 4X8.
    • Getting his head stuck to a table.
    • Electrocuting himself.
    • Dying his hands green.
    • Sucking up Al's clothes from his body in a superpowered leaf vacuum.
    • Dropping a steel I-beam on Jill's car.
    • Knocking out all the power in the Pontiac Silverdome.
    • Getting his shirt too close to a lathe and having it ripped off his body.
    • On one occasion, Tim assists Al's fill-in on a rarely-seen metaprogram "Cooking with Irma", on the same set as Tool Time. Al accidentally throws a frozen duck through a doorpane, to which Tim responds, "I've heard of "Pheasant _Under_ Glass", but this would be "Quacker Through The Glass".

[edit] Show background

Based on the stand-up comedy of Tim Allen, Home Improvement made its debut on ABC on September 17, 1991, and was one of the highest-rated sitcoms for almost the entire decade (It even went up to #1 during the 1993-1994 season; that year, Allen also had the #1 book ("Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man") and movie (The Santa Clause))[1] Midway throughout the show's run, it was also competed against another highly-rated sitcom, Frasier, which slightly dropped the ratings, however, it remained a top 10 show. The final episode aired on May 25, 1999 with a 90-minute, three-part episode entitled "The Long and Winding Road," which was the fourth highest rated comedy series finale of the 1990s, behind Cheers, The Cosby Show and Seinfeld. Since 1995, due to its popularity, reruns began airing on The Disney Channel and Channel 4 and ABC1 in the UK. At the present time, old episodes are currently on national syndication and on cable television network such as TBS in the U.S., the Seven Network and FOX Classics in Australia, and is currently not airing in the UK due to ABC1 ceasing transmissions as of 26th September. In America, it has begun airing on Nick at Nite in 2007 [2]. In Canada, it has began airing on CMT. In Germany, Home Improvement was shown on ARD, RTL, VOX, and reruns are currently shown on the private channels RTL 2 and Super RTL. It was also shown on M-Net on South African television, and reruns are showing throughout 2007 on the M-Net Series channel, available to DStv users. In 2007, with the DVD release of Tim Allen's two stand-up specials, he said that Home Improvement was supposed to be a parody of This Old House, where the host does almost nothing and the co-host (Al in this case, Norm on This Old House) does all the work.

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of Home Improvement characters

[edit] The Taylor Family

[edit] The Patterson Family

penis

[edit] Series Finale

The series ended in a three-part episode with Tim being displeased at how Tool Time had been changed into something resembling a corporate-sponsored Jerry Springer-like show, and Jill getting a new job offer with Jill worried about pay when Tim quit the show. The personal conflict revolved around the job being in Bloomington, Indiana, a change that Tim strongly resisted initially.

Of course, after talking to Wilson, he agreed to leave Detroit. Tim ended his Tool Time appearances with a final show that garnered huge ratings. Then, Tim tore down the fence to make room for his former co-host Al's wedding. However, Jill realized that they would be moving out of the house the family grew up in. The conclusion was somewhat ambiguous, although Jill seemed adamant about them not moving. The last shot was Tim imagining (a thought balloon was used for emphasis) putting the whole house on a flatbed truck and then on a tugboat, leaving the viewer to decide if they moved or stayed in Detroit.

The three-part series finale was taped twice, once with Wilson's face revealed and another with it hidden. ABC was to decide which version would air in May 1999. Ultimately, they aired the version with Wilson's face hidden, as in the other 200 episodes. This version was released later that fall on VHS, titled Home Improvement: The Series Finale. The finale brought in 35.5 million viewers (34% of all Americans watching TV at that time.)

[edit] Awards and Nominations

Home Improvement received numerous awards and nominations in its 8 season run. Notable awards and nominations include:

ASCAP Award

  • 1992
    • Won- Top TV Series- (Dan Foliart)
  • 1993
    • Won- Top TV Series- (Dan Foliart)
  • 1994
    • Won- Top TV Series- (Dan Foliart)
  • 1995
    • Won- Top TV Series- (Dan Foliart)
  • 1996
    • Won- Top TV Series- (Dan Foliart)
  • 1997
    • Won- Top TV Series- (Dan Foliart)
  • 1998
    • Won- Top TV Series- (Dan Foliart)
  • 2000
    • Won- Top TV Series- (Dan Foliart)

'Casting Society of America

  • 1992
    • Nominated- Best Casting for TV, Pilot- (Deborah Barylski)

Golden Globe Awards

  • 1993
    • Nominated- Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy (Tim Allen)
  • 1994
    • Nominated- Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
    • Nominated- Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy (Patricia Richardson)
    • Nominated- Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy (Tim Allen)
  • 1995
    • Nominated- Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
    • Nominated- Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy (Patricia Richardson)
    • Win- Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy (Tim Allen)
  • 1996
    • Nominated- Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy (Tim Allen)
  • 1997
    • Nominated- Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy (Tim Allen)

Humanitas Prize

  • 1996
    • Nominated- 30 Minute Category- (Elliot Shoenman) & (Marley Sims)

Kids' Choice Awards

  • 1994
    • Won- Favorite Television Actor (Tim Allen)
    • Won- Favorite Television Show
  • 1995
    • Won- Favorite Television Actor (Tim Allen)
    • Won- Favorite Television Show
  • 1996
    • Won- Favorite Television Actor (Tim Allen)
    • Won- Favorite Television Show
  • 1997
  • 1998
  • 1999

People's Choice Awards

  • 1992
    • Won- Favorite New TV Comedy Series
  • 1993
    • Won- Favorite TV Comedy Series
  • 1994
    • Won- Favorite TV Comedy Series
  • 1995
    • Won- Favorite TV Comedy Series

Primetime Emmy Awards

  • 1993
    • Nominated- Outstanding Comedy Series
    • Nominated- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Tim Allen)
  • 1994
    • Nominated- Outstanding Comedy Series
    • Nominated- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Patricia Richardson)
  • 1996
  • 1997
  • 1998

YoungStar Awards'

[edit] Series Development & Early Recasts

  • Home Improvement had been in the works between Tim Allen and the writing/producing team of Carmen Finestra, David McFazdean and Matt Williams since the summer of 1990. Originally, the project's proposed title was Hammer Time, both a play on the catchphrase made popular by artist MC Hammer and the name of the fictional fix-it show within the series, which was also called Hammer Time. By the time ABC committed to the project in early 1991, Allen and his team had already changed the title to Home Improvement, although the show hosted by Tim Taylor in the scripts was still called Hammer Time at this point. The catalyst for the series' name change was to represent the aspect of fixing problems within the family and homelife, as well as the use of mechanics and tools. Once the second phase of the pilot was produced, with all the actors that made the final cut into the series, Tim Taylor's Hammer Time became Tool Time.
  • The first version of the pilot was produced in April 1991, in which Frances Fisher played Jill Taylor. Fisher, primarily known as a dramatic actress, was well qualified for the co-starring role but was viewed by the studio audience as not being comedic enough, and too serious in her line delivery. The producers tried to work with Fisher on adapting to the situation comedy setting, but shortly after the pilot wrapped post-production, they decided to recast her. Carmen Finestra later remarked that the staff was afraid of Fisher's husband Clint Eastwood retaliating against the show over the dismissal of his wife, but no incidents or bad press ever came from Eastwood. All other actors who made it into the series' original on-air cast lineup were present in this version, which remains unaired.
  • Before the first pilot was shot, actor John Bedford-Lloyd was in the running for one of two roles; that of Tim's Hammer Time assistant, who was in this stage of development named Glen, and for the role of Wilson. Bedford-Lloyd evetually got the part of Wilson, but his agent later made claims that he was unaware that most of his scenes would require his face to be partially hidden behind a fence. One day prior to taping, the crew received news that Bedford-Lloyd had dropped out. Casting immediately contacted the other man considered for the role, Earl Hindman.
  • Stephen Tobolowsky was tapped to play the Hammer Time/Tool Time co-host, Glen. However, he was still busy with a movie that was in the middle of production at the time the first pilot was set to be shot. Therefore, the producers set out to cast an alternate character that would stand-in as Tim's co-host for the pilot only, or for however many episodes until Tobolowsky was available. Casting auditioned Richard Karn, for what would be his first major apparence on a TV sitcom; the character of Al Borland was created from there. Karn knew off the bat that he was only in the series for the pilot; after working through both pilots, Tobolowsky was still busy, so the producers kept extending Karn's stay by a few more episodes until Tobolowsky contacted the show and said he had decided not to do the series in favor of more movies. The character of Glen never came into existence.

[edit] Related products

  • A Super NES game of the same name was based on the series. It had no manual; its splash screen explained, “Real men don’t need instructions.” The game didn't sell in large numbers, and is hard to find today.
  • After the season 5 episode "Games, Flames, and Automobiles" aired in which Al created a game based on Tool Time, Northern Games released The Home Improvement Board Game, which can still be ordered online.
  • Ryobi released a line of tools titled "Tim Allen Signature Tools", which were available for a limited time.
  • Various pictures, posters, and calendars were released.
  • The DVDs of the complete seasons were made available, including bonus features.
  • In 1996, Mattel's Hot Wheels brand released a two-car pack entitled Home Improvement based on the show which featured Tim's 1933 Ford Convertible & the Dixie Chopper racing mower (with a mini-figure Tim as the rider) as well as a mini-figure of Al and a Binford tool box.

[edit] DVD Releases

Cover Art Ep # Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
The Complete First Season (1991-1992) 24 November 23, 2004 June 27, 2005 June 28, 2005
The Complete Second Season (1992-1993) 25 June 7, 2005 August 1, 2005 July 20, 2005
The Complete Third Season (1993-1994) 25 November 23, 2005 January 9, 2006 January 16, 2006
The Complete Fourth Season (1994-1995) 26 June 6, 2006 December 6, 2007 (Germany) December 5, 2007
The Complete Fifth Season (1995-1996) 26 November 14, 2006 March 6, 2008 (Germany) [3] April 2, 2008[4]
The Complete Sixth Season (1996-1997) 25 May 15, 2007 N/A N/A
The Complete Seventh Season (1997-1998) 25 August 7, 2007 N/A N/A
The Complete Eighth and Final Season (1998-1999) 28 June 10, 2008 N/A N/A

[edit] DVD notes

The Region 1 DVDs are on three discs, where as the Region 2 DVDs are presented across four discs. The Region 2 packaging and programme menus for Season 1 vary compared to the Region 1 releases. The Season 3 menus in Region 1 are in widescreen, but 4:3 in Region 2. The Region 1 releases of Seasons 2 and 3 consist of (deliberate) "holes" in the outer packaging - these do not exist in the Region 2 releases; in fact, the Season 3 outer packaging is physically printed where the hole would be in the Region 1 packaging.

It has been mentioned on review sites about the lack of episode commentaries and bonus features on the DVDs. In an interview on about.com[5], Tim said that it was a done deal that the DVDs would not contain interviews or episode commentaries. Whether this was before or after somebody at Disney ordered the three commentaries available on the Season 1 DVDs is unknown.

[edit] UK Broadcasting

Originally, Channel 4 Home Improvement was aired on Disney Channel UK, however, in 2005 it began broadcasting on abc1. As of 26th September 2007, abc1 has ceased transmissions. No official announcements have been made as to what channel will be broadcasting abc1's previous programming. Rumours speculate that they may be broadcast on The Disney Channel, while others show they may be broadcast on a new television channel.

[edit] Nielsen Ratings

1991-1992 Season: #5 [6]

1992-1993 Season: #3

1993-1994 Season: #1

1994-1995 Season: #3

1995-1996 Season: #7

1996-1997 Season: #9

1997-1998 Season: #10

1998-1999 Season: #10

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Tim Allen". Inside the Actors Studio. 2006-05-28. No. 15, season 12.
  2. ^ Coming to Nick At Nite in 2007 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards
  3. ^ Amazon.de: Hör mal, wer da hämmert - Die komplette fünfte Staffel (3 DVDs): Tim Allen,Patricia Richardson,Earl Hindman: DVD
  4. ^ Home Improvement - The Complete 5th Season (3 Disc Set) @ EzyDVD
  5. ^ Tim Allen Interview - Christmas with the Kranks, Toy Story 3
  6. ^ TV.com: Home Improvement

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Home Improvement
Episode list
Characters
Tim • Jill • Brad  • Randy • Mark • Al Borland • Wilson • Other characters