Home Improvement star Patricia Richardson responds candidly to Tim Allen’s comments about a possible revival. Richardson and Allen portrayed the married couple, Jill and Tim Taylor, respectively, in the 1991 sitcom. The show follows Tim, who runs a successful home-improvement show but struggles to balance work with marriage and helping Jill raise their three young sons. Fortunately, the pair gets help through advice from their next-door neighbor, Wilson (Earl Hindman). While the popular series ended nearly 25 years ago, Allen recently suggested a spinoff or reboot was possible. However, Richardson has now challenged Allen’s claims.
While appearing on the Back to the Best podcast, Richardson brutally responded to Allen’s claims of a Home Improvement revival.
According to Richardson, Allen never spoke to her about any revival or reboot. Meanwhile, she talked to their former co-star, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who confirmed that Allen hadn’t spoken to him either. She remarked that it was strange he was talking about a revival without getting their input, and she accused Allen of outright “lying to people” and falsely claiming she was on board. However, she denied any interest in the project. Check out Richardson’s statement below:
No. In fact, I think [that’s] the reason that Tim is now going on to do another show, which is the same plot as [Jungle 2 Jungle] and many of the movies that he’s done where he’s lost his kid, and he has to get his kid back. Yada, yada…. But I noticed this time, he doesn’t have a wife. He’s divorced. I would hear on Twitter (or whatever) that he was coming out publicly and saying this stuff about how everyone was on board to do a Home Improvement reunion. But he never asked me, and he never asked Jonathan [Taylor Thomas, who played middle child Randy]. I called Jonathan one day and I said, “Has he asked you about this?” And he went, “No. Why is he going around telling everyone that we’re on board when he hasn’t talked to you or me?” I think that’s weird. He was lying to people and telling them that I was on board and I didn’t know anything about it. I would not want to. I mean, Zach [Ty Bryan, who played oldest son Brad] is now a felon… Taran [Noah Smith, who played youngest son Mark] hasn’t acted since he left the show… Jonathan is not really interested in acting… and we don’t have Wilson. So if we did it without [the late] Earl [Hindman], and also we have just two kids — probably, if that — it’s not going to be the [same] show at all.
Patricia Richardson Is Right About A Home Improvement Revival
Most Of The Original Home Improvement Cast Won’t Return.
Allen confirmed that he had spoken to co-star Richard Kern and vaguely mentioned talking to “the boys” about it.
Early last year, Allen dropped hints about a potential Home Improvement reboot. He suggested that the revival could follow the formula of Fuller House and focus on the families of the now-adult Taylor sons. Allen confirmed that he had spoken to co-star Richard Kern and vaguely mentioned talking to “the boys” about it. So, Allen may not have explicitly named Richardson or Thomas. Still, there was the assumption that he would speak with two of the most significant stars of the original series before publicly insinuating a revival.
Home Improvement Cast
Characters
Tim Allen
Timothy “Tim” Taylor
Patricia Richardson
Jillian “Jill” Taylor
Earl Hindman
Wilson W. Wilson Jr.
Taran Noah Smith
Marcus Jason “Mark” Taylor
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Randall William “Randy” Taylor
Zachery Ty Bryan
Bradley Michael “Brad” Taylor
Richard Karn
Albert “Al” Borland
Debbe Dunning
Heidi Keppert
Meanwhile, Richardson makes a good point about why a Home Improvement revival probably can’t happen. None of the original Taylor sons are likely to return for a revival. According to Richardson, Thomas isn’t interested in the project. Meanwhile, Taran Noah Smith, who portrayed Tim’s son Mark, has not acted since 1999, when the show ended. Zachery Ty Bryan, who portrayed Brad Taylor, is the only former Taylor son actor still active in the industry. However, given that he is a convicted felon, there would likely be an outcry over his appearance in a revival.
Jonathan Taylor played Randy Taylor on Home Improvement for seven seasons, but here’s why he left the show and didn’t feature in the finale.
Arguably, the biggest obstacle to a revival is that Wilson would be absent. Wilson’s actor, Earl Hindman, sadly passed away in 2003. While Wilson was often partially obscured by a fence in Home Improvement, he became a fan favorite for his wisdom and kind ways. The character was fundamental to the show’s spirit, and, as Richardson pointed out, a revival without Hindman just wouldn’t be the same. It’s unclear if there was ever any substance to Allen’s Home Improvement revival plans, but Richardson has effectively shut down the idea.
