Sorry, “Home Improvement” fans. The reboot of the hit comedy that aired for eight seasons starting in 1991 and starring Tim Allen as a goofy, fun father of three sons isn’t coming out of the tool shed.
Sources told Variety that talks have been taking place for years to bring the Taylor family back together. Patricia Richardson, who played matriarch Jill Taylor, has expressed interest in returning to the role. However, there were obstacles in securing the participation of the three Taylor boys: eldest son Brad (Zachary Ty Bryan), second son Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), and youngest son Mark (Talan Noah Smith).
“They keep talking about how they can move forward, but right now they’re stuck because the boys have character issues,” Allen said in a recent interview. “They have their own problems. I always thought it would be great if the story was about them. It’s a little difficult right now, to say the least.”
Brian, 44, is currently serving a 16-month sentence in a California prison for a 2024 DUI arrest. Brian has been arrested on multiple DUI and domestic violence charges in recent years.
Additionally, an Oregon judge recently sentenced Brian to 19 months in prison in that state for violating his probation on a 2023 domestic violence conviction. He will serve his sentence after being released from a California prison. He will also be extradited to Oklahoma to face sentencing for his DUI arrest starting in 2024.
Meanwhile, Brian’s on-screen brothers are no longer actors and haven’t appeared on screen in years. Mr. Smith’s last acting appearance was a voice role in the 1999 show “Batman Beyond.” Since then, he has been involved in several businesses, including working on a community diving project, teaching people how to operate a submarine.
As a teenager, Thomas was famous for voicing young Simba in 1994’s The Lion King, and headlined family films such as 1995’s Man of the House and 1998’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas. However, his last Hollywood credit involved Allen. Thomas appeared in four episodes of Allen’s ABC sitcom Last Man Standing from 2013 to 2015, and one episode reunited him not only with Allen but also with his former on-screen mother, Richardson. Thomas also directed three episodes of the show.
Finally, fellow cast member Earl Hindman, who played Taylor’s neighbor Wilson Wilson, passed away in 2003. Wilson appeared most often behind the fence (with his face mostly hidden), providing moral guidance and wisdom to Tim and the rest of the Taylor family.
Although it seems unlikely that the show will be revived directly, cast reunions have been happening over the years. In addition to the aforementioned “Last Man Standing” episode, Allen reunited with several cast members on Season 2 of the current ABC series “Shifting Gears.”
In the second season opener, Richardson appeared as a member of a grief support group along with Richard Kern (Al Borland) and Debbie Dunning (Heidi). According to sources, Thomas was also approached to appear in the film, but ultimately decided not to participate.
If there’s one thing Hollywood TV executives love, it’s reboots of popular TV shows. After all, heightened nostalgia is why recent years have seen casts return for new seasons of “Will & Grace,” “Full House,” “Roseanne,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Scrubs,” and “King of the Hill.” But as for the Taylor family, this appears to be the last time they’ve ridden off into the sunset.
