Tim Allen explains why the ‘home improvement’ revival is stalling

Tim Allen still wants to bring Home improvement back – but getting the Taylor family back together may be easier said than done.

The actor has been talking for years about the possibility of a revival of the popular sitcom, which ran from 1991 to 1999 and helped make stars 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 conversation with We weeklyAllen explained that discussions about a Home Improvement revival continue, but the project continues to run into problems when it comes to the actors who played his TV sons.

“They keep talking about how things could go forward, but they’re stuck (because) there’s some personality issues with the guys right now,” Allen said, adding that “they have their own issues.”

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Allen admitted that he would always think it would be cool if a revival focused on the sons, but admitted that is proving to be difficult at the moment.

I always thought it would be cool if it was a story about them. That’s a bit of a challenge right now, to say the least.

Allen has previously suggested that a reboot could focus on the next generation of the Taylor family.

Speak with Entertainment weekly in 2024, he suggested the idea of a series about the sons’ children.

“It’s funny, one of the conversations we’ve had recently is how weird it would be if Home improvement It would be about the children’s children,” Allen said at the time. “Like they all had kids, and I’m a grandparent. Re-improvement of the house 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 retired from acting years ago and has focused more on writing and directing. Taran Noah Smith also left acting after the series wrapped.

In the meantime, Zachary Ty Bryan has faced several legal problems in recent years. He is currently serving a 16-month prison sentence in California and was sentenced to an additional 19 months in Oregon in March after admitting to three counts of violating probation.

Not everyone has been on board

Even among the adult cast, enthusiasm for a revival was not always 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.

Speaking about the Back to the best podcast in 2024, Richardson said she was surprised to hear Allen publicly talk about a revival, as she had not been contacted about it.

It was so weird. I heard he came out publicly and said things like this about everyone who was on board for a Home Improvement reunion, but he never asked me, and he never asked Jonathan.

Richardson also pointed out some of the practical challenges facing any reboot, noting that several cast members have moved away from acting altogether.

“I mean, Zach’s a felon now,” 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 anymore.”

That 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. Whether all the pieces can come together, however, remains a much bigger question.