In the ’90s, Tim Allen made headlines as the star of Home Improvement, one of the biggest sitcoms of its era. It was the show that brought him to the attention of movie studios and eventually led to his role in Toy Story and The Santa Clause. But it’s his work as a DIY home improvement expert that has truly cemented him in the public’s imagination. Allen has appeared on a variety of home improvement shows and is a regular on Today, where he answers viewers’ toughest questions about everything from what to do before selling your home to how to best tackle a thorny woodworking project.
He’s also a frequent guest on other shows, including CBS’ The Talk and Fox’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. And this week, he returned to the network that gave him his start with ABC’s new multi-camera sitcom Shifting Gears. It stars Allen as Matt, a widower who runs a classic car restoration workshop. Kat Dennings co-stars as his daughter.
Home Improvement was a hit for ABC and its then-parent company, Touchstone Television. It spawned several spinoffs and helped pave the way for other shows and movies for Allen. It also launched the career of Patricia Richardson, who portrayed Tim Taylor’s better half Jill. During her time on the series, Richardson was nominated for an Emmy for her performance and received two Golden Globe nominations. But she’s now calling BS on any talk of a Home Improvement revival.
During the podcast interview that led to this article, Richardson said that she had no interest in returning to her Home Improvement role. In addition, she said that she hasn’t spoken to her former costars and accuses Allen of lying when he says he’s considering a revival of the ’90s show.
Richardson said that while she enjoyed working with Allen, she’s not interested in reprising her role or doing any other project with him. She added that she gave feedback to the male-dominated writers room for the show during its run and even worked with the producers to shape her character. But she didn’t receive a producer credit on the final six seasons because of Disney’s ownership of the show.
Despite her reservations, Richardson did say that Allen is “very open to the idea” of a reunion and hasn’t completely ruled out a return to the ’90s show or Last Man Standing. He’s not the only former cast member who’s adamant against joining a revival: Former co-star Jonathan Taylor Thomas recently said that he doesn’t want to do a reunion of the ’90s hit either. But he didn’t rule out the possibility of doing a new show in 2022 or beyond. So maybe he’ll be convinced to get on board with a reboot of the beloved sitcom.