‘Home Improvement’: Behind-The-Scenes Details Producers Tried To Keep Under Wraps
In 1991 TV audiences were introduced to a charming new sitcom by the name of Home Improvement. It didn’t take long for the show to find its feet, and it went on to enjoy an eight-year run on the small screen: it became one of the top comedies of that era. But while Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor’s exploits with his family were wholesome on the surface, it was a slightly different story behind the scenes. And it’s time to spill the tea!
1. Tim Allen spent time behind bars before the show started
It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing Tim Taylor than Tim Allen. While it was one of his earliest acting gigs, he totally owned that role: Home Improvement just wouldn’t be the same without him! Yet things could’ve so easily been different.
Before Allen became a big-name actor, he had been a drug dealer, and it landed him in jail at the end of the 1970s. He was reportedly carrying 650 grams of cocaine when the authorities took him in.
“Reality hit so hard”
Now following his arrest, Allen did become an informant, but that didn’t save him from a federal prison sentence. The future star went on to spend a little over two years inside a jail cell. Reflecting on that time, Allen informed Esquire, “When I went to jail, reality hit so hard that it took my breath away.”
“I was put in a holding cell with 20 other guys, and I just told myself, ‘I can’t do this.’” It’s fair to say his life turned around in a big way once he got out!
2. Allen also got a DUI while working on the show
At the height of Home Improvement’s popularity, Allen branched out into Hollywood and enjoyed even more success. His lead roles in The Santa Clause and Toy Story made him a bona fide movie star!
But the actor found himself on the wrong side of the law again in 1997. That spring, Allen was taken into custody after driving under the influence close to his house in Detroit, Michigan.
Going to rehab
Allen accepted the charges that came his way, and went to rehab the following April. In the years since, the Home Improvement star has had nothing but positive things to say about Alcoholics Anonymous.
As Allen said in 2013 to HuffPost, “One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard recently was, if you want help, it’s the first thing you go to in the phone book. It’s a program that’s always got its doors open, there are no fees, there’s no leader, there's no organization. You’ve just got to go!”
3. We almost got a very different Al Borland
While Tim is no doubt the leading character, his “Tool Time” partner and friend Al Borland is arguably one of Home Improvement’s most popular figures: he’s just such an endearing character!
Mind you, the role didn’t always belong to Richard Karn: someone else actually got the job ahead of him. The person in question was Hollywood character actor Stephen Tobolowsky, who’d been working on-screen since the late 1970s.
“I couldn’t do any other work”
Unfortunately for Tobolowsky, though, he faced a couple of major issues. Despite bagging a $16,000-per-episode deal, there wasn’t a concrete start-date for the show. And as he said to Splitsider, “I couldn’t do any other work, any other shows, which is normal on a regular show.”
“But my wife was pregnant. I’d auditioned for a couple of movies and was waiting on them, and they said I couldn’t do movies.” So Tobolowsky walked away. Yet with credits such as Groundhog Day, Basic Instinct, Freaky Friday, and Silicon Valley in his future , you can’t say he suffered for it!
4. Karn bagged the role in unorthodox circumstances
Following Tobolowsky’s departure, the role of Al was back up for grabs. Karn eventually bagged the gig, but the manner in which he got it was unorthodox to say the least!
Prior to Home Improvement, the actor didn’t have a lot of on-screen experience: he only had a couple of credits to his name. Karn was getting work on stage, though, earning a part in King Lear.
A chance meeting
Now, off the back of a rehearsal for that play, Karn ran a stop sign in his car and subsequently received a citation. He had to go to traffic school as a result.
While there, he was introduced to an agent who mentioned that Home Improvement was still filling out its cast. Intrigued, Karn went on to audition, and the rest is history! How many other actors can say a traffic violation led to their most famous role?
5. Ashley Judd wanted in... then didn’t
With Tim and Al at the forefront, it’s no wonder that “Tool Time” was so beloved by audiences in the world of Home Improvement. Yet they weren’t the only characters who worked on the show-within-a-show.
Lest we forget, the “Tool Girl” Lisa also played her part. It was a small role in the grand scheme of things, yet that didn’t stop future Hollywood star Ashley Judd from auditioning for it.
Shifting priorities?
Matt Williams, who co-created Home Improvement, was incredibly impressed by Judd. In fact, he thought she was too good for Lisa. So, Williams informed Judd’s agent that she wouldn’t be getting the role. Instead, he’d write a new part especially for her: that of Tim’s sister.
Then, it was soon relayed that the actress didn’t want to join the show, as her priorities had shifted. She had decided she wanted to pursue film work ahead of television. But in a bizarre twist, she pivoted back to the small screen via Sisters just months after turning down Home Improvement!
6. Wilson was based on a real person
At first glance, Wilson seems like a character tailor-made for a sitcom. A hilariously nosy neighbor who dispenses pearls of wisdom at just the right time? And without ever showing his face?
It’s a brilliant concept! He was a great addition to the show. This might blow your mind, though: Wilson was actually based on a real person from Allen’s childhood years.
Childhood chats
When Allen was a kid, he used to chat with his next-door neighbor in the garden. But as they were separated by a large picket fence, he couldn’t quite make out the guy’s face.
So yes, that’s how Wilson was eventually created for Home Improvement. We wonder if Allen’s old neighbor ever caught on to it while the show was airing back in the ’90s?
7. The original actor who was set to play Wilson bailed at the last second
Taking on the role of Wilson, veteran actor Earl Hindman was the perfect choice. After making his on-screen debut back in 1967 he built a solid career for himself, appearing in a number of movies and TV shows.
His most notable work prior to Home Improvement came via Ryan’s Hope, which he featured in across 500-plus episodes in a 14-year stretch. Yet Hindman wasn’t the original pick for Wilson.
A dawning realization
Initially, John Bedford Lloyd was set to bring Wilson to life. You might remember him from movies such as Trading Places, The Abyss, and Philadelphia. There was just one problem, though.
The actor had no idea that his face was going to be obscured throughout the show. When it eventually dawned on him, Lloyd walked away from the gig just 24 hours before the cameras started rolling. Hindman was a last-second replacement!
8. Jill was also recast after the pilot dropped
While Tim’s crazy antics generated most of the comedy on Home Improvement, we can’t forget about his beloved wife Jill. Her patience in the face of all that hilarity was pretty darn funny, too!
But she wasn’t always portrayed by the brilliant Patricia Richardson. Frances Fisher, who’s probably best known for Titanic today, got the part first and appeared in the show’s pilot alongside the rest of the cast.
“I’d just given birth to two babies”
Test audiences didn’t much care for Fisher’s performance, though, which prompted the higher-ups to swap her out with Richardson. Sounds simple enough, right? Yet that came with its own complications. Richardson recalled to HuffPost Live, “I’d just given birth to two babies, and I really was supposed to do another show for ABC.”
“That was supposed to happen nine months later, so I was going to have all this time to lose the weight, and go be with my babies and work.” Fortunately, it all worked out in the end!
9. An embarrassing Emmy snafu
Much like the Oscars, the Primetime Emmy Awards are a big deal in the world of entertainment: all of the year’s best shows and performances are recognized at the event. But this episode might surprise you.
When it comes to the acting nominations, the performers have to put themselves forward if they want to be considered. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences doesn’t just pick names at random. And that brings us on to Home Improvement.
Allen had no idea!
When in 1992 the nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series were released, Allen’s name wasn’t on the list. He hadn’t been ignored, though: the actor simply had no idea that he was supposed to take the initiative!
Allen didn’t make that mistake again the following year, as he hand-delivered the necessary documents to the NATAS. He got his nomination, only to lose out on the award to Ted Danson for his work on Cheers.
10. Jonathan Taylor Thomas’ departure caused a lot of friction
For much of Home Improvement’s run, Jonathan Taylor Thomas was the hot young star to watch. As Randy Taylor, the actor became something of a teenage heartthrob: he graced the covers of so many magazines!
But it’s easy to forget that he wasn’t a mainstay on the show towards the end — Thomas walked away in 1998. He told People, “I’d been going non-stop since I was eight years old. I wanted to go to school, to travel, and have a bit of a break.”
“I don’t think he liked that”
Thomas became a Harvard student after leaving. Plus, he did appear in some films during that period, so he was still active. And that caused significant friction between Thomas and Allen when the former came back for the show’s Christmas special.
Allen had questions for his former co-star, recalling to TV Guide, “He said [he left to go] to school, but then he did some films. Did he want to do films? Did he want to go to school? I don’t think he liked that.” That tension prompted him to turn down a spot in the final episode.
11. The “Tool Time” name came about thanks to M.C. Hammer
How’s this for a cool piece of trivia? During the early stages of Home Improvement’s pre-production, “Tool Time” had a different name. The writers had plumped for “Hammer Time” back then.
It certainly fit the theme of Tim’s show! Having said that, someone else was also using that particular phrase at the time. Yep, we’re referring to erstwhile rap star M.C. Hammer.
Swerving a potential headache
In case you need reminding, M.C. Hammer’s smash-hit track “U Can’t Touch This” included the line, “Stop — Hammer time.” He and the phrase became intrinsically linked in the eyes of the mainstream, and that left the show’s higher-ups with a bit of a dilemma.
Would the connection cause issues for Home Improvement if they stuck to their guns? In the end, “Hammer Time” made way for the name with which we’re more familiar today. Which do you prefer?
12. Was “Tool Time” ripping off an existing show?
The dynamics of “Tool Time” worked like a charm: Tim was the bumbling host, while Al kept it all together in his eye-catching flannel shirts. But the people at Disney picked up on something that got them sweating.
Home Improvement’s show-within-a-show bore a striking resemblance to an already existing D.I.Y. program. The project in question was This Old House, which had been airing on the small screen since 1979.
“There was some concern in the legal department”
Tim was pretty much a spoof of host Bob Vila, and Al closely mirrored his colleague Norm Abram. The connection was almost impossible to ignore, so the studio made a call. Speaking to Boston Magazine, Vila remembered, “The Disney people contacted me before Home Improvement premiered.”
“I think there was some concern in the legal department about whether I was being ripped off.” Given that “Tool Time” didn’t go anywhere, that suggests he was okay with it. The host even popped up in three episodes between 1992 and 1994!
13. One of the young star’s moms received a chilling warning from the FBI
In addition to Thomas’ Randy, Home Improvement rounded out the Taylor family with two more young actors. Zachery Ty Bryan played the eldest brother Brad, while Taran Noah Smith portrayed Mark.
While the show was still in its infancy, though, the latter’s mom received a chilling warning. “In his first year, Taran was seven years old, we were in Santa Monica, and a man grabbed my arm,” Candy Bennici noted in her book Stardom Happens.
“Don’t ever let him out of your sight”
Bennici continued, “Taran was maybe 20 feet from me. [The man] said, ‘Listen, I need to talk to you. I work for the FBI, and the three boys from Home Improvement are the top target of pedophiles in the world. You can’t just leave him alone. Don’t ever let him out of your sight.’”
“It was something that did not come into my brain. You’re in the fun of it, and you’re not thinking about things like that. Unfortunately, you need to be aware of those situations.”
14. Taran Noah Smith’s post-show years were extremely rough
Navigating the world of showbusiness as a young star can be challenging to say the least. And unfortunately for Smith, he faced his fair share of problems after Home Improvement ended in 1999.
Just a couple of years later, his personal life took a turbulent turn after he’d found love with Heidi van Pelt, a vegan chef. The age gap raised eyebrows at the time: she was 33, while Smith was just 17.
Legal battles and heartbreak
The pair soon got married, which prompted van Pelt to encourage Smith to take charge of his trust fund. This was a nest egg worth roughly $1.5 million. His parents contested the move, leading to numerous legal struggles and a lengthy estrangement.
Things didn’t get better for Smith in the following years, either. He and van Pelt split in 2007; then he was picked up by the police for drug possession and driving under the influence in 2012. The former child star did reconnect with his mom after that. These days, Smith works as an artist.
15. Pamela Anderson made a shocking accusation
With Judd missing out on the part of Lisa the “Tool Girl,” another actress was given the chance to take it on in 1991. And boy, did she make the most of her opportunity!
Home Improvement was one of Pamela Anderson’s earliest acting gigs, opening the door for her star-making turn in Baywatch a short time later. Yet according to Anderson, her first day on the set was punctuated by a shocking moment.
“It never happened”
In a passage from her book Love, Pamela, Anderson says that she stumbled into Allen wearing nothing but a bathrobe while wandering backstage. “He opened his robe and flashed me quickly — completely naked underneath,” she wrote.
“He said it was only fair, because he had seen me naked [in Playboy].” The startling accusation came to light in 2023, and Allen replied very quickly. The actor told Variety, “No, it never happened. I would never do such a thing.”
16. The ages of the Taylor kids didn’t line up with real life
The personality traits of the three Taylor kids became pretty clear as Home Improvement went on. Brad possessed an underlying aggression, while middle brother Randy was a shrewd, sharp customer.
As for Mark, his innocence rarely wavered. This might catch you off guard, though. Like his character, Smith was indeed the youngest of the trio, but it was a different story regarding Bryan and Thomas.
Just a month’s age difference
During the show’s run, it was made clear that Brad was around 12 months older than Randy. Yet in real life, the actors’ ages didn’t line up with that of their characters.
Bryan was born in October 1981, actually one month later than Thomas. He’s 31 days younger than his on-screen younger brother. How’s that for a surprise? It’s definitely something to bear in mind during future re-watches.
17. The show spawned a bizarre video game
It’s hard to keep track of the number of movie tie-in video games that have come out over the years: to say there have been a lot would be a colossal understatement.
And TV shows aren’t immune to this trend, either: after all, The Walking Dead, 24, and Game of Thrones have all spawned games. But did you know that Home Improvement is on that list as well?
Fighting dinosaurs and robots!
Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1994. And it’s a truly wild affair! The game is a platformer akin to the Super Mario series, with a few notable tweaks.
You play as Tim as he tries to retrieve a batch of stolen tools. Throughout each level, you traverse obstacles and battle various enemies, ranging from robots to dinosaurs. Video game tie-ins don’t get more bonkers than this one.
18. The creators tried to sue Disney over unpaid profits
Some two years into its run, in 1993 Home Improvement was sold off into syndication. That move allowed countless television stations across the country to show reruns of the program during the week.
In turn, the sitcom’s distributors and producers at Disney made an absolute fortune off that deal. We’re talking seven figures here. Mind you, not everyone was happy after this all went down.
Fighting a losing battle
The three creators of Home Improvement claimed that they hadn’t received the right amount of compensation once the deal had been made. The trio believed that Disney’s television branch Buena Vista TV handed off Home Improvement to several affiliates below the “market value.”
And they said the company didn’t talk to them about it, either, like it had been contracted to do. Due to all that, the creative team tried to sue Disney that year. But when the case went to court, the trio lost.
19. Mrs. Doubtfire was almost a Home Improvement movie
Hands up if you would’ve loved to have seen a Home Improvement movie? Think how cool that could’ve been! But this wasn’t just a pipedream for the show’s creatives: they really did consider it at one point.
What story did they have in mind, then? Well, as crazy as this might sound, the plot of Mrs. Doubtfire was a serious contender. Trust us, we’re not kidding here.
A huge ‘What if?’
In the proposed movie, Tim and Jill would’ve split up, prompting the “Tool Man” to don the disguise of the nanny to stay in his boys’ lives. Allen didn’t like it, though, so the story was dropped. After that, the Mrs. Doubtfire that we’re more familiar with came to fruition and hit the big screen in 1993.
Allen was even given the chance to play Robin Williams and Pierce Brosnan’s respective roles at different stages prior to their casting. He said no to both. How’s that for a massive Sliding Doors moment?
20. The ninth season that never was
When in 1998 Thomas said goodbye to Home Improvement, it kick-started a domino effect that ultimately brought the show to an end. Richardson turned down $25 million to come back for season nine, while Allen didn’t want to continue without his on-screen partner.
He walked away from a $50 million payday in the process! Due to that, Home Improvement wrapped up at the conclusion of its eighth season in 1999 after more than 200 episodes.
“Go out on top”
Karn offered some interesting insight about that period during an interview with news.com.au in 2016. He said, “Tim was ready to go. He really wanted to do other things and at that point it was also when Michael Jordan was leaving the NBA. Jordan made a big thing about wanting to go out on top and Home Improvement was the number one show on ABC when we left.”
“[But] I think immediately Tim regretted that. Sometimes you get in a kind of tunnel vision of life when you’re doing this and you don’t realize how wonderful the situation is until you’re outside looking back.”