Today marks the 20th anniversary of the first episode of Home Improvement on ABC. That’s right, it’s been two decades since we first saw Tool Time with power-tooler Tim Taylor (Tim Allen), Al Borland (Richard Karn), and Lisa (Pamela Anderson) — not to mention Tim’s long-suffering family; spouse Jill (Patricia Richardson) and three children Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and Mark (Taran Noah Smith).
EW recently reunited the cast for their upcoming reunion issue that comes out on October 8th. Richardson let the cat out of the bag via Twitter so the magazine published a preview photo. Sadly, the Taylors’ over-the-fence neighbor, Wilson (Earl Hindman), wasn’t present. He passed away in 2003.
The magazine notes that this was the first time that the surviving cast has been together since Thomas left the show in 1998. It’s hard to believe that he just turned 30 years old but time passes for us all. The magazine has published an interview with Thomas to bring us up-to-date with what he’s been up to.
Richardson, who invited her TV sons back to her house after the photo shoot, said of the reunion, “It was awesome… You know where you can pick up and it feels like no time has passed at all? And at the same time you look at them and say, ‘How can you possibly be that age because that makes me way old!'”
What do you think? What are your favorite memories of the ABC sitcom? Do you have a favorite character or episode?
Images courtesy EW.
I love Home Improvement. Why isn’t it on your regular schedule? It is truly one of the greatest shows ever broadcast. It may have eluded to but never showed sexual explicity. Please restore this program to your schedule.
….one of the last genuine funny family programs on television. They just don’t make ’em like that anymore.
agreed totally !!!
Man! stories like this make me feel old. Like so many family shows, the early years when the writing is freshest and the kids ares till small remain my personal favorites, and , of course, the top of the favorite pile are the Hallowe’en and Yuletide episodes. I wish they would release a DVD with just those episodes like Roasanne did for her Hallowe’en shows. It’s a great way for people who have never seen the original shows to sample them, and, perhaps, like them enough to seek out the full season DVDs.