I didn't get to watch much of this show back in its heyday but now they're showing reruns on one of my local channels and I make time to watch it whenever I can. The main couple has chemistry, the three sons are very amusing, the neighbor is full of wisdom and advice, the cohost on the show's show is very practical, and some of the episodes have good morals. Tool Time is the sitcom answer to This Old House but with more hijinks and accidents. Plus the guest stars are numerous. This was probably the first time I had heard of Tim Allen, before he was Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story and Mike Baxter in Last Man Standing. Still, I don't think the latter was as good as this. It's more wholesome with Tim Allen as Tim Taylor. And more memorable. I don't know if this was an Emmy contender but it's still good.
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Keyan-the-Eagle1442 July 2018
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JoeErnie5 July 2008As a young kid growing up in the 90s, I distinctly remember watching this show when over my friends' house, or whenever my parents watched it--which wasn't much because my Dad hardly ever watched sitcoms. When the show went into syndication, that's when I started really watching the shows, although by then they were reruns.
Now, as a young adult and watching this show on DVD, I must really say that it still holds up well. Very few things are outdated, thanks to the good writing and acting. For a modern sitcom, it's very clean (of course many 90s shows were) and very enjoyable. Good, wholesome family fun, which can't be said of many sitcoms today (unfortunately).
I give the show a 8 out of 10, simply because nothing is perfect, and Home Improvement has never claimed to be perfect, but it sure is a lot of fun. -
smooth_op_8514 September 2006Being optimistic, I like light comedies like Mad About You, Seinfeld and Frasier, Prince of Bel-Air, Cosby Show and A Different World to name a few. Tim Allen became one of my favorite comedians after watching this show because he was always being Tim, you can count on him to get himself into an accident on the set of tool time, but the fun was watching how he did it.
When we see Tim at home, he is as he is on Tool Time, just a klutz and hilarious too. Jill dreads when Tim 'fixes' things and the boys are constantly playing tricks on each other and Jill is always stuck in between it all. It's like an everyday family.
I watch the show before I leave for work every morning and it had the makings of a hit from the first day. A likable buffoon husband, a gentle and caring wife, a funny assistant, and three kids that were always being boys and we can never forget Wilson, you never saw his full face but you never forgot him either. -
I have watched the show "Home Improvement" ever since 1991, when I was in second grade. I must say that it is one of the absolute best shows on television, and it is so hard to see it go. I have followed the show from the time the boys were in elementary school to now, when they are all teenagers. The ideas and techniques that were put into this show are superb, like never showing Wilson Wilson's face, and the fact that Tim always got hurt in every episode! Those things kept people coming back for more. The show kept you laughing for a half hour, and also kept you crying at the final bows of the last show. The actors in this show could'nt have done a better job, and I will miss tuning in to see all of them every Tuesday. It has been a good eight years; thank goodness there will still be reruns playing! And one more thing; I LOVED how they had Al walk out in a plaid tuxedo when he took his bow! We finally saw your face Wilson!
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My fiancé and I are 90s kids, and we were stoked when we noticed reruns of "Home Improvement" coming on a very small network on her cheap antenna, a couple months back. We've been watching it in a pretty dedicated manner: four episodes every single night, back-to-back. And we've had such a great time enjoying something from our childhoods together. This doesn't happen often, since we always liked different things, so this show actually ended-up meaning a lot more to me now than it did when I was a young boy.
The general set-up for this not-so-unique sitcom is that we have a family mostly consisting of boys. Two parents (one being played by Tim Allen), and then three boys. In such a short span of time, over eight years of re-broadcasted television, my sweet fiancé and I got to watch this family grow-up the way we never had before. And it was nice, for the most part. The father Tim Allen plays has his own Tv show where he does repair work, and he always seems to mess things up horribly, or get injured, no matter what they're doing. Allen SHINES in this role-almost as much as he did as Santa in "The Santa Clause"-one of my favorite movies of all time! The special actress playing Jill, Tim's wife, is also hilarious. I love her sarcasm and wit compared to Tim's obnoxious grunting and constant injuries. They make a fantastic duo. The two oldest boys in the family (I'm going to call them their character's names) are really good, when they're young. The oldest son, Brad, becomes terrible, once he becomes a teenager. The actor just could not keep-up with Tim Allen and the wife's performances. And that's understandable. But the middle son I just mentioned, Randy, is played by one of the most promising young comedians and actors I've ever seen in my life, and I'd argue that Randy could be my favorite character in the show. The actor is spot-on, and ALWAYS has my fiancé and I laughing way too hard. We absolutely love that guy. Then there's the youngest of the sons-his name being Mark. Look, folks, child acting isn't easy. You grow-up around many things a person-much less a CHILD-should never have to see. I give him props for sticking around for so very long, but he is absolutely horrible-as a child actor AND as an adult actor, in those later years of the program. I don't want to be mean, but it's just the truth. But I wouldn't want the show without him. Because the two older brother's pranks on him are hilarious, when they're all super young. That's a layer I believe the show loses, as it progresses. The family also has a neighbor-names Wilson-that always has most of his face hidden-whether it be behind oddball objects, or just the tall fence between the two houses these characters live in. That actor is brilliant. He's sort of a Mr. Feeny-type character, who has tremendous amounts of knowledge he helps his neighbors out with, but his Buddhism and wild religious beliefs really irritate me, as a Christian. It seems that nonsense is everywhere, even in those good, old days. But it is what it is, man. Let's move along to Al-Tim Taylor's TV show co-host. I love that character, and I love the actor who played him. He's a mama's boy, a genuine-hearted, sarcastic, immensely loving and lovable pal that just feels like that one truly good guy you can't help but admire at your own workplace, in real life. That actor truly brought something awesome to the show, and I could watch he and Tim Allen insult each other on the set of the show (not in a mean way, just in case you're confused) all day long. There's a lot of recurring characters on the show, too, and I'd even say they do a solid job.
I'm not a big comedy guy, folks, and I'll be honest when I say a comedy better be damned strong and fine to be something I enjoy to watch. Too many "comedies"-film, TV, or any media platform-tend to be heavily reliant on foul language and sexuality. This show shows that it isn't necessary the way Charlie Chaplin always did. And I admire that. Not because I'm a nostalgic fan, but because true comedy takes honesty and creative talent, which seems to be lacking in almost EVERY genre, here, in 2019. "Home Improvement" was mostly clean, and Rachel and I always had a fun time watching it, now, as grown adults. I expected more serious episodes, every once in a blue moon, and I'll admit that I'm a little let down by not seeing at least one a season. There weren't many touching episodes, either. If I had to pick a favorite episode, when it comes to a great blend of emotion, comedy, and hard topical honesty, it's the episode about Jill and her father wanting to come visit. You know the episode, if you're reading this, more than likely, and this is a spoiler-free review, so I don't have to go any further with that explanation. The comedy is very much the frontrunner for "Home Improvement", and I'm fine with that. When it comes to hit-and-miss ratios for jokes, I'd say the writing tends to do a very solid job about getting every-other joke to make you smile, at the very least.
The set designs are huge, a lot of the time. But then we're sometimes given sets like Tim's backyard, with the fence between he and his neighbor's house, and the yard looks so fake, it's unreal. Especially the grass-that bothered me endlessly, no matter how much I enjoy the show.
I must also say that while I like the intro theme song for "Home Improvement", I think the overall intros are way too long. It kind of gets annoying, in a marathon. But that's just a nitpick.
One of the very rare things I saw on this show was a three-part finale (which, again, I will not spoil for you). That's highly uncommon, and I think it was very solid and sweet, for the most part. Most of it was just a bunch of clips, but I still had a good time, and still couldn't help but tear-up even though, as soon as the finale wrapped-up, the station we were watching it on started back at the very first episode from the very first season. I'm hoping I'll get to watch the entire show through. It means that much to me, honestly. But I do think I've seen enough of it to have a thicker opinion than most.
"Home Improvement" is a fine show, but it isn't perfect. Again, though: if you have a tight taste in comedy and you happen to love and adore Tim Allen, then watch the show immediately. It's that much fun. -
moviecritichank-731 July 2009Home Improvement is one of the most hilarious shows I've ever seen! This was one of the last family sitcoms from the 90's. I never watched it during its eight-year run; I first saw it when someone gave me the first season about two years ago and I laughed so hard at this my gut nearly busted (I still do each and every time I watch the re-runs on TBS in the afternoon)! Tim Allen is so amazingly funny as he tries to raise his three boys Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas a.k.a "JTT), and Mark (Taran Noah Smith), support his wife Jill (Patricia Richardson), and host his own show "Tool Time". My all-time favorite episode is "Adventures in Fine Dining" from the first season where the boys are behaving rowdy at the dinner table and it's up to Tim to improve their table manners. Rating for one of the last great family sitcoms: 10/10!
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mdf-879364 May 2022Start of show: Tim screws up.
Middle of show: Family drama. Tim talks to Wilson for advice. Drama solved. Tim screws up.
End of show.: Tim screws up. -
snarf13217 June 2010I think home improvement is one of the best shows around. I've seen like every episode and love all of them. i have nothing negative to say i like it. i think its clever to hide Wilson's face behind a fence made it funny. a lot of people like this show. i think there should be more shows like this today. i like those kind of shows. like Seinfeld,or th fresh prince of Bel air now we have weird shows that just aren't as good.Tim Allen is the best choice for the show. hes really funny. its a clever,funny, and good family show i see an episode I've seen a whole bunch and never get tired of it. one of the bet shows love it. i kinda wish the show could keep going but they had to end it at some point. the closing of the show was good because it showed how much the cast liked working on the show, and how they revealed Wilson's face.
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ThunderKing613 October 2021Home Improvement is a classic show. Any show in the 90s that was able to compete with the almighty, holy Seinfeld has to be known as classic. However, Just because one can compete does not mean it's a classic show either.
Home Improvement was a way better family show than Fresh Prince and Family Matters. Those shows tried to be stupid, and they did. Both father figures were good, but they couldn't save it due to the main so called stars of the show.
Home Improvement was just a better all around show. It was a show for masculine men. It was a show for men. Yes in today's world this show is offensive but yesterday this show was awesome and no one complained.
It's about the cliché story line. Clumsey Father with an annoying wife, and he has obnoxious kids. However, he gets advice from his neighbour has his own show, and they played some great music.
One thing that Home Improvement did well was keep things a mystery, like the neighbour. Just not seeing his face made me wonder who he was. This was before the internet hype days, so it was a lot easier to keep mystery's. I'll never forget on the finale of his reveal. It was epic.
Overall, a great sitcom.
Last Words: A great show for Men. Sit back, boost your testosterone, get a beer and grunt like a man. -
mwvb15 July 2000Tim Allen is just the best as the tool man and the rest of the cast as well provides continuous jokes and mishaps throughout every show that make it possible to watch each show more than once.
Besides just being entertaining the show deals with some important issues specifically about the differences of both male and female and their weaknesses as well as strengths.
This show is one of my two favourite shows of all time. American sitcoms can't get much better than this. -
safenoe26 February 2016Home Improvement was a very humorous and charming US sitcom that usually had a moral message and dealt with serious issues at times, for example when Jill was tempted to have an affair with a beefy guy (played by Tom "Dukes of Hazzard" Wopat). There was an underlying maturity to the scripts and I could enjoy 22 minutes (excluding commercials) of Home Improvement and laugh at the same time.
But I felt one of the episodes crossed the line and I'm sorry the editors didn't see fit to remedy it. Tim Allen was showing off a power tool to the Tool Time audience and grunted disparagingly "This ain't no Hop Sing" much to the knowing laughter of the audience. Seriously, this is something I would have expected in Beavis and Butthead, not Home Improvement. -
sunisfun-993721 August 2018Watched it as a family over and over. Now own every single series on DVD. Wonder if this show will ever be rebooted like so many others these days.
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sandcrab2778 July 2020Earl hindman wasn't known for much else but his bad teeth, hence why he kept his mouth hidden from the camera by the side yard fence ... tim allen gave him and richard karn work when no one else would ...he made dupes of them but they happily agreed for the chance
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lakenstein12 April 2007honestly I don't know why this show lasted as long as it did. ah well, humor is subjective eh? but yeah, this show is incredibly unfunny if you ask me. Tim Allen is annoying. Jill is annoying. the boys are annoying. Al is annoying. the neighbor is annoying. it's just more annoying then funny. the plots are all the same, Tim makes Jill mad and has to make things right again. and the latter seasons? less said about them the better, who the hell things cancer would be good for a damn sitcom? yeah, great idea jerks. so yeah, home improvement isn't a very good sitcom. I'd recommend you go watch News Radio or Seinfeld. if i had to give this show a rating I'd give it a 1/10 seeing as it never made me laugh once. ever. so yeah, it's still better then The Nanny though.
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Kirpianuscus24 June 2017maybe, this is the detail who impose it as different by many others series. the status of family series proposing suggestions about parenthood, relations with neighbors, link between father and sons and its management, passion and humor as veil for ordinaries small every day mistakes. and this is its key of success. to give a realistic portrait of a simple ordinary American family. each of viewers recognize him in this domestic battles, good intentions without reasonable results, the deep conscience to be yourself and to use it for each challenge. a film who has not the desire to demonstrate something. pure entertainment but preserving the force of life lesson. and this is, maybe, the detail who transforms it in a series who can be defined as more than a show.
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I can't say that I was heavy into "Home Improvement." I caught it if it happened to be on and it wasn't competing against another sitcom I liked, but I didn't make it a point to watch it. Tim 'the tool man' Taylor (Tim Allen) was funny in spurts. His comedy didn't appeal to me as a young teen (not that I think it would now). "Home Improvement" didn't have the situations or the comedy for me, nor did it have a compelling character. If there was any character I could say I thoroughly liked it would've been his T. V. assistant, Al Borland (Richard Karn). Everyone else, including the boys, I could take them or leave them. I wouldn't turn the show off if it was on, nor would I turn it on if it wasn't on already.
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Hollywood_Yoda19 September 2018This has to be the best sitcom from the 90s, family friendly, funny and brilliant all in one. The show had a tremendous number of excellent episodes, from the beginning until the very end. Some of the episodes that stick out are the season 5 episode "The First Temptation of Tim," where we are introduced to Bud Harper; and season two's "Groin Pains," where Tim hurts himself acting manly!
It was sad to see the series end in 1999, but great to see it end on a high note. Still very relevant in 2018, and still very watchable. A great show, it will be the next generation's "Leave it To Beaver." -
stonehomemedia23 November 2018This show just is as good 20+ Years after it was on TV. It is a show that while it's silly is also a show that makes you feel good from the jokes and makes you think from the lessons it teaches about life and communication. As an adult I find it more funny then I did when I was a kid! Highly recommend!!
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malibu1051 September 2007Why do people say that you have no brain if you like this show. We are all different u STUPID MORONIC IDIOTS!!!! I like the show and i have a brain its up to people if they like the show or not! just because YOU haters of this show don't like it Doesn't mean people are stupid or whatever. we are all different, and i think thats what makes the world interesting. i think this show is really good. i watch it on ABC1. they are not in order, because these are repeats. i was too young, i wasn't even born when it came out, but i in 2007 think its really good. anyway my point is we are all different. does anybody else watch this show now? :D
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easterbunnymindy27 November 2019Some people like the series and some did not like my brother he did not like it but I did and I think that there should be a future movie of it.
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willhaskew23 January 2015This sitcom pretty much exemplifies the worst problems I had with television from the 1990's. Tim Allen was one of a number of popular comedians who were given a sitcom in the 1990's. His stand up was probably whitewashed by network censors, though I find it hard to believe someone whose primary comedic shtick was grunting and growling while yelling "MORE POWER" as his catchphrase was edgy as Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor. Tim Allen was Tim Taylor, a former Detroit salesman for a tool company called Binford who was given a home improvement style talk show. He lives with his family, made up of his wife, Jill, and three sons; Brad, Randy and Mark. He's supposed to be a klutz, often injuring himself by taking shortcuts and or being generally unsafe. Allen's character also has this strange personal dislike of TV home improvement originator Bob Villa. Besides that he's loves his sports (all the Detroit teams; Tigers, Lions, Red Wings, Pistons), hot rods and playing around at home with different projects.
Allen's TV kids are obnoxious little twerps. The middle son, Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), is only one who really comes close to having a personality but the writers thought it was funny to make him an antisocial smart aleck. The oldest son Brad, has a mullet through part of the first season and is later shown with a ponytail and the sides of his head shaven, easily the two worst ways an adolescent male could have worn his hair in the 90's. Brad is a dim bulb who takes more after his dad but for some reason is shown to have more success with girlfriends. The youngest Mark is a sensitive mama's boy most of the show until the last few years where he goes through an emo-goth phase, wearing black baggy jeans and spiking up his hair. The mom, Jill, starts off as a homemaker but is soon shown working outside the home in a number of jobs before going back to college to pursue a psychology degree.
Jill and Tim fight in the most of the show's episodes about some small problem that's blown out of proportion so it becomes a marriage issue. Tim is supposed to be a chauvinist but somehow is sensitive enough to seek an emotional rapport with his wife, seeing the problem from her perspective. He often consults with his wise neighbor Wilson Wilson, PhD, who is happy to dispense marriage counseling for free that's always effective no matter what. Jill is almost always the wounded party and the show seems to gleefully blame Tim's behavior for their spats. This is what really bothers me about this show. A good marriage family therapist is going to tell any couple that solving relationship problems isn't about assigning blame. Building and maintaining relationships is a meeting of equals, finding understanding, looking outside your perspective to understand a partner's needs and being able to express your feelings in a positive way. This show is too focused on making the husband into a buffoon to do this. -
AnnaShade2 February 2008This show is amazing. I remember seeing it for the first time in 2007. I watched one episode and I was hooked. I was shocked at how funny it was.
As a person who is easily amused and entertained but does not laugh at TV, this show made an impression I don't think I've seen a single episode that didn't make me laugh at one point or another. That is a record to which no other show has come close.
While there are a few moments when the humor is forced, they are far between.
The cast is amazing as well as the lines.
Also, adding Wilson was a stroke of genius for whoever created his character.
Even as a newcomer to the show (with only reruns), I am a full fledged fan.
I highly recommend this show to anyone and everyone! -
This tv show ranks among my all-time favorites. After watching a couple Tim Allen comedy sketches, I saw where they got the basis of the show's humor and plot, and it was good. Allen shines as the accident-prone Tim the tool man Taylor, who wanted more power and offered advice on his cable tv show, but was a total klutz at home. His wife Jill, three kids, friend and co-host Al, and neighbor Wilson (whose face you never saw, and they came up with pretty creative ways to hide it) were around to put up with him.
Great TV entertainment! -
williamfitstyle21 October 2022I grew up watching this show. And seeing it again reminds me how great our country use to be. Just a show about a family and the issues we all have faced, felt, or have been in. Maybe minus all the house hold accidents! Lol.
But watching this show again reminds me that people didn't take jokes so seriously, when a man dressed as a woman it was funny, when kids picked on there siblings it was life lessons about respecting your family, when parents fought it was a misunderstanding and communication issue that could always be worked out!
Times have changed and this show should be looked at as what the American family should be... -
daveyc-5470518 September 2022Is it possible to be beloved AND underrated? A lot of people don't remember this series but the ones that do always seem to think of it highly. And that's well deserved. While not as high brow or prestigious, for my money it's just as funny as Seinfeld or The Office. And although not as awarded it's funnier than something like Everybody Loves Raymond or Friends. That's simply one guy's opinion but let me explain why.
Aside from just being laugh out loud funny and at times ridiculous(in an good, entertaining way), the household dynamic of the Taylor family rings more true than almost any other sitcom family I've ever seen. Jill gets to have her own life. You see her applying for jobs and pursuing a fulfilling career. But you also see her doing mom stuff like ironing and the parents do mundane things like schedule picking the kids up from activities. It's clear they put a lot of thought into accurately representing a real family and I feel it pays off in spades. On the technical side of the production, I'll mention that the lighting in the yard scenes is beautiful in those early evening "golden hour" scenes. They've won Emmys for that. Well deserved.
I walk away from this series with 2 gripes. The biggest being that when the kids got older and got their own storylines I felt the comedy suffered a bit. But I can see how writers would sort of be backed into a corner with something like that. So I'd say this show is a 10 for the first 3-4 seasons and I'll knock one star off for the latter half of its run. I'm also a bit amazed that Patricia Richardson never won an Emmy for playing Jill. She's insanely funny, a great representation of a mother and wife, and knocks it out of the park when she needs to be dramatic.
All in all, I think any sitcom fan who hunts this show down and gives it a chance will come away glad that they did. Enjoy!