‘Home Improvement’ is getting its own reunion on History in the form of an entirely new show called ‘Assembly Required’.
Back in 1991 released Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra, and David McFadzean‘s family situational comedy ‘Home Improvement’ on ABC. The show was one of the most-watched sitcoms of the ’90s and had a stellar 8-season long run owing to its ever-increasing popularity. Its series finale was the ninth highest-rated series finale television program ever presented on a single network in television history and was watched by 21.6% of TV viewers. Tim Allen’s comedic prowess ensured hilarity and made ‘Home Improvement’ a sheer delight to watch. Eventually, Allen resumed his relationship with ABC with the sitcom ‘Last Man Standing‘ in 2011. In February 2020, he first hinted that a ‘Home Improvement’ reunion was in the works. Read on to find out more!
Highlights —
- The fantastically eventful Taylor household
- Reunions and other post-series events
- ‘Assembly Required’: The highly anticipated reunion of Allen and Karn
The fantastically eventful Taylor household
Set in suburban Detroit, ‘Home Improvement’ followed the Taylor family that comprised of the overambitious and flippant patriarch Tim (Tim Allen), his sophisticated wife Jill (Patricia Richardson), his oldest son, the very popular and good-looking Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), the middle son with a smart mouth, Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), and the baby of the family Mark (Taran Noah Smith). The family would often be seen interacting with its neighbour Wilson (Earl Hindman), who would solve their problems on numerous occasions. The show’s format included Tim’s own home improvement show called ‘Tool Time’ which he hosted with his friend Al Borland (Richard Karn), and a ‘Tool Time girl’.
During its run, the show featured several special guests including Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey, the Beach Boys, Dave Chappelle, Drake Bell, and Penn and Teller. It was based on Tim Allen’s stand-up comedy and relied quite often on running gags and facetious humour. ‘Home Improvement’ was well written and boasted of excellent performances from its entire cast.
Past reunions and other post-series events
The cast of this award-winning series has, over the years, reunited on several occasions, especially on Allen’s new sitcom ‘Last Man Standing‘. The first reunion happened in 2003, almost 4 years after the show ended. It involved Allen, Casey Sander, Richard Karn, and Debbe Dunning and was shot before a live audience. In 2011, fans had major nostalgia when all the main cast members of the show reunited for “Entertainment Weekly” magazine photoshoot.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Karn, Patricia Richardson, and Jay Leno have all featured on ‘Last Man Standing’ in different seasons. In fact, the upcoming episode of ‘Last Man Standing’ will be a crossover between it and ‘Home Improvement’ as Allen will play a double role and reprise his character of Tim Taylor from the 1991 show. The promo is out and the excitement amongst fans is through the roof!
Allen has also expressed some interest in doing a one-hour movie revival of ‘Home Improvement’, bringing ‘Tool Time’ back and revealing where all the members of the Taylor family are now. Things, however, finally started coming together when it was revealed that Allen and Karn would be reuniting to host a new reality television show together.
‘Assembly Required’: The highly anticipated reunion of Allen and Karn
The duo is making its reality TV debut with the upcoming 10-episode series, ‘Assembly Required’. Its official synopsis reads –
“Spotlight the best and brightest builders from across the country, at their home workshops, as they compete to breathe new life into everyday household items in desperate need of fixing. This new series will push each contestant to their limits while testing their ability and ingenuity to not only rebuild it but to build it better. In each episode, Allen and Karn will also dive into the unique history around these items to celebrate the men and women who crafted them, and the techniques used.”
The show will be based on the idea of living in a typical throwaway society and the satisfaction that comes with repairing, rebuilding, and personalizing. The series will premiere sometime in 2021 and will be helmed by History Channel as per reports.
