Home Improvement star Patricia Richardson shares her candid thoughts about why the sitcom isn’t as well-remembered today, taking a swipe at Full House in the process. Debuting on ABC in 1991 and lasting until 1999 for a total of eight seasons and 204 episodes, the sitcom centered on the Taylor family led by Tim Taylor (Tim Allen) and his wife Jill (Richardson). The series was popular during its run to the point that Allen and Richardson were offered $50 million and $25 million, respectively, to do a ninth season.
But while reflecting on the 25th anniversary of Home Improvement in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Richardson gave her honest assessment of why the ABC series isn’t as well-remembered today. Making a comparison to Full House, Richardson indicates that Allen’s political views impact Home Improvement’s legacy and says, in part: “Hollywood hates our show.” Read the full quote below:
Hollywood hates our show. When they talk about what the best shows of the ‘90s were, they will not give Home Improvement credit. My dread with Home Improvement was that it was going to turn into Full House. It was a running thing, like, “Oh, are we doing Full House now?” That was my insult for how bad a script was. I think it’s about Tim, and it’s about his politics. Of course, I don’t like his politics. I’m really proud of what it meant to our audience. I don’t care what anybody says, I’m proud of the legacy.
Home Improvement’s Current Cultural Status Isn’t Unique
Different Factors Help Make A Show Enduring
Home Improvement was a top-rated show, particularly in the first few seasons of its run. Executives were willing to pay Richardson and Allen to stay on as a sign of its importance. Its trajectory echoes another ’90s sitcom, Mad About You. Led by Helen Hunt and Paul Raiser as a married couple in New York, Mad About You performed well for NBC and stealthily existed in the same universe as Friends and Seinfeld. However, it is not as well-remembered or revered as those shows today. It is even the case that the 2019 Mad About You revival came and went quietly.
It is understandable that the show wouldn’t be thought of as the best of the best despite its previous relevance and it is not alone in that respect.
NewsRadio is another acclaimed comedy that is not mentioned as frequently now despite its fortunes in the 1990s. Broadening out the conversation beyond comedies, the audience for Buffy was relatively small when it aired on The CW and later UPN. It mostly ignored in terms of major awards, as well. And yet, it has since become unavoidable when listing the cultural touchstones of the 1990s and is considered one of the best shows of all time. On the flipside, ratings juggernauts and Emmy darlings like Ally McBeal and especially The Practice don’t have anywhere near as much of a celebrated reception today.
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Richardson has a unique perspective on the legacy of Home Improvement, given her direct involvement. But it is generally not enough for a show to have been solid during its original run. The ABC series is remembered fondly, with interest in a reboot spiking occasionally. But it did not break the mold the way Buffy and Seinfeld did. It also does not have a well-reported second life on streaming, like Friends and Full House. It is understandable that the show wouldn’t be thought of as the best of the best despite its previous relevance, and it is not alone in that respect.
