Home Improvement (TV series)
| Home Improvement | |
|---|---|
Series logo as it appears on the cover of its video game tie-in
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| Created by | Carmen Finestra David McFadzean Matt Williams |
| Based on | The stand-up comedy of Tim Allen |
| Starring | Tim Allen Patricia Richardson Earl Hindman Taran Noah Smith Jonathan Taylor Thomas Zachery Ty Bryan Richard Karn Debbe Dunning |
| Theme music composer | Dan Foliart |
| Opening theme | "Iron John's Rock" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 204 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Carmen Finestra David McFadzean Matt Williams (entire run) Bob Bendetson (seasons 3–5) Elliot Shoenman (seasons 3–8) Bruce Ferber (mid-season 4 – season 8) Charlie Hauck (seasons 6–7) Tim Allen(seasons 6–8) Laurie Gelman (season 8) |
| Producer(s) | Gayle S. Maffeo (entire run) Alan Padula (seasons 4–8) John Pasquin (seasons 1–2) |
| Location(s) | Walt Disney Studios Burbank, California |
| Editor(s) | Marco Zappia (entire run) James Spach (season 8) Richard Russell (season 6–7) Roger Ames Berger (seasons 3–5) Alex Gimenez (seasons 1–2) |
| Camera setup | Videotape; Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Wind Dancer Productions Touchstone Television |
| Distributor | Buena Vista Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Original release | September 17, 1991 – May 25, 1999 |
Contents
[hide]Show background[edit]
Based on the stand-up comedy of Tim Allen, Home Improvement made its debut on ABC on September 17, 1991,[2] and was one of the highest-rated sitcoms for almost the entire decade. It went to No. 1 in the ratings during the 1993–1994 season; the same year Allen had the No. 1 book (Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man) and movie (The Santa Clause).[3]Beginning in season 2, Home Improvement began each episode with a cold open, which features the show's logo during the teaser. From season 4 until the end of the series in 1999, an anthropomorphic version of the logo was used in different types of animation.[4]
Plot details and storylines[edit]
Taylor family[edit]
The series centers on the Taylor family, which consists of Tim (Tim Allen), his wife Jill (Patricia Richardson) and their three children: the oldest child, Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), the middle child, Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and youngest child, Mark (Taran Noah Smith). The Taylors live in suburban Detroit, and have a neighbor named Wilson (Earl Hindman) who is often the go-to guy for solving the Taylors' problems.Tim is a stereotypical American male, who loves power tools, cars, and sports. In particular, he is an avid fan of local Detroit teams. In numerous instances, Tim wears Lions, Pistons, Red Wings, and Tigers clothing, and many plots revolve around the teams. He is a former salesman for the fictional Binford Tool company, and is very much a cocky, overambitious, accident-prone know-it-all. Witty but flippant, Tim jokes around a lot, even at inappropriate times, much to the dismay of his wife. However, Tim can sometimes be serious when necessary. Jill, Tim's wife, is loving and sophisticated, but not exempt from dumb moves herself. In later seasons she returns to college to study psychology. Family life is boisterous for the Taylors with the two oldest children, Brad and Randy, tormenting the much younger Mark, all while continually testing and pestering each other. Such play happened especially throughout the first three seasons, and was revisited only occasionally until Jonathan Taylor Thomas left at the beginning of the eighth season. During the show's final season, Brad and Mark became much closer due to Randy's absence.
Brad, popular and athletic, was often the moving factor, who engaged before thinking, a tendency which regularly landed him in trouble. Randy, a year younger, was the comedian of the pack, known for his quick-thinking, wisecracks, and smart mouth. He had more common sense than Brad but was not immune to trouble. Mark was somewhat of a mama's boy, though later in the series (in the seventh season) he grew into a teenage outcast who dressed in black clothing. Meanwhile, Brad became interested in cars like his father and took up soccer. Randy joined the school drama club, and later the school newspaper; in the eighth season, he left for Costa Rica.
In early seasons, Wilson was always seen standing on the other side of Tim's backyard fence as the two engaged in conversation, usually with Wilson offering sage advice as Tim grappled with his problems. In later seasons, a running joke developed in which more and more creative means were used to prevent Wilson's face below the eyes from ever being seen by the audience. Also in later seasons, Wilson's full name was revealed to be Wilson W. Wilson, Jr.
Tool Time[edit]
Each episode includes Tim's own Binford-sponsored home improvement show, called Tool Time, a "meta-program," or show-within-a-show. In hosting this show, Tim is joined by his friend and mild-mannered assistant Al Borland (Richard Karn), and a "Tool Time girl"—first Lisa (Pamela Anderson) and later Heidi (Debbe Dunning)—whose main duty is to introduce the pair at the beginning of the show with the line "Does everybody know what time it is?" The Tool Time girl also assists Tim and Al during the show by bringing them tools.Although revealed to be an excellent salesman and TV personality, Tim is spectacularly accident prone as a handyman, often causing massive disasters on and off the set, to the consternation of his co-workers and family. Many Tool Time viewers assume that the accidents on the show are done on purpose, to demonstrate the consequences of using tools improperly. Many of Tim's accidents are caused by his devices being used in an unorthodox or overpowered manner, designed to illustrate his mantra "More power!". This popular catchphrase would not be uttered after Home Improvement's seventh season,[5] until Tim's last line in the series finale, which are the last two words ever spoken.
Tool Time was conceived as a parody of the PBS home-improvement show This Old House.[6] Tim and Al are caricatures of the two principal cast members of This Old House, host Bob Vila and master carpenter Norm Abram.[7] Al Borland has a beard and always wears plaid shirts when taping an episode, reflecting Norm Abram's appearance on This Old House.[8] Bob Vila appeared as a guest star on several episodes of Home Improvement, while Tim Allen and Pamela Anderson both appeared on Bob Vila's show Home Again.[9][10]
The Tool Time theme music, an early 1960s-style saxophone-dominated instrumental rock tune, was sometimes used as the closing theme music for Home Improvement, especially when behind the credits were running the blooper scenes that took place during the taping of a Tool Time segment.
Michigan college and university wear[edit]
Throughout the show, Tim Taylor would often be wearing sweatshirts or T-shirts from various Michigan-based colleges and universities. These were usually sent by the schools to the show for him to wear during an episode.[11] Because Allen considered Michigan his home state, the rule was that only Michigan schools would get the free advertising.[12]| College or University | City (of main Campus) | Episode | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpena Community College | Alpena | Engine and a Haircut[13] | 5 |
| Aquinas College | Grand Rapids | Crazy For You [14] | 3 |
| Baker College | Flint Township | No Place Like Home[15] | 6 |
| Bay College | Escanaba | Her Cheatin' Mind[16] | 5 |
| Calvin College | Grand Rapids | Eve of Construction[17] | 3 |
| Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant | Blow-Up[18] | 3 |
| Cornerstone University | Grand Rapids | Talk to Me[19] | 4 |
| Davenport University | Grand Rapids | Room with a View[20] | 5 |
| Eastern Michigan University | Ypsilanti | To Build or Not to Build[21] | 2 |
| Let Them Eat Cake[22] | 5 | ||
| Believe It Or Not[23] | 7 | ||
| Ferris State University | Big Rapids | Be True to Your Tool[24] | 3 |
| Grand Valley State University | Allendale | What You See is What You Get[25] | 3 |
| Hillsdale College | Hillsdale | The Naked Truth[26] | 4 |
| Hope College | Holland | Shopping Around[27] | 5 |
| Kellogg Community College | Battle Creek | Future Shock[28] | 6 |
| Jill and Her Sisters[29] | 6 | ||
| Lake Superior State University | Sault Sainte Marie | Brother, Can You Spare A Hot Rod[30] | 4 |
| Lawrence Tech | Southfield | High School Confidential[31] | 5 |
| Madonna University | Livonia | Oh, Brother[32] | 5 |
| Marygrove College | Detroit | The Route of All Evil[33] | 4 |
| Michigan State University | East Lansing | Frozen Moments[34] | 3 |
| It Was the Best of Tims, It Was the Worst of Tims[35] | 3 | ||
| Michigan Tech | Houghton | A Hardware Habit to Break[36] | 8 |
| Mott Community College | Flint | The Tool Man Delivers[37] | 6 |
| Northwood University | Midland | This Joke's For You[38] | 3 |
| Northern Michigan University | Marquette | Swing Time[39] | 3 |
| Northwestern Michigan College | Traverse City | Chicago Hope[40] | 5 |
| Oakland University | Rochester Hills | Slip Slidin' Away[41] | 3 |
| Owens Community College | Toledo, Ohio | The Wood, the Bad and the Hungry[42] | 6 |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor | Advice and Repent[43] | 5 |
| Family Un-Ties[44] | 6 | ||
| An Older Woman[45] | 7 | ||
| Room at the Top[46] | 7 | ||
| Walsh College | Troy | Dollars and Sense[47] | 3 |
| Wayne State | Detroit | Olde Shoppe Teacher[48] | 4 |
| Burin' Love[49] | 6 | ||
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo | It Was the Best of Tims, It Was the Worst of Tims[50] | 3 |
| A Night to Dismember[51] | 7 | ||
| Taylor Got Game[52] | 8 |
Theme music[edit]
The theme music for Home Improvement was composed by Dan Foliart. The theme song is unique for its sampling of power tools, most notably an electric drill and jackhammer, which is heard during theme song. Tim's grunting was also sampled for the theme song. The flute and organ parts of the theme music were also used. From Season 7 until the end of the series, a remixed version of the theme song was used.Awards, nominations, and other reception[edit]
Home Improvement received numerous awards and nominations in its 8-season run. Notable awards and nominations include: Golden Globe Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, Kids' Choice Awards, Young Artist Awards, YoungStar Awards, ASCAP Award, and many others.WatchMojo.com ranked Home Improvement as the #9 TV sitcom from the 1990s. The character with most honors was Wilson, who was ranked as the #6 unseen TV character and as the #3 TV neighbor. Binford made it to the #10 fictional brand. The video game Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit! was ranked as the #5 worst game based on a TV series. On Metacritic, the first season holds a score of 64 out of 100, based on 18 critics and the second season holds a score of 75 out of 100, based on 5 critics, both indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Production[edit]
Development and early recasts[edit]
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The first filmed pilot was produced in April 1991, with Frances Fisher playing Jill Taylor. Fisher, primarily known as a dramatic actress, was well qualified for the co-starring role but was viewed by the studio audience as not being comedic enough, and too serious in her line delivery. The producers tried to work with Fisher on adapting to the situation comedy setting, but shortly after the pilot wrapped post-production, they decided to recast her.
Before the first pilot was shot, actor John Bedford Lloyd was in the running for one of two roles; that of Tim's Tool Time assistant (originally named "Glen") and the role of Wilson. Bedford Lloyd eventually got the part of Wilson, but his agent later made claims that the actor was unaware that most of his scenes would require his face to be partially hidden behind a fence. For this reason, the crew received news just one day prior to taping the first pilot that Bedford-Lloyd had dropped out. Casting immediately contacted the other actor considered for the role, Earl Hindman.
Stephen Tobolowsky was tapped to play the Tool Time co-host, Glen. However, he was still busy with a movie that was in the middle of production at the time the first pilot was to be shot. Therefore, the producers set out to cast an alternate character that would stand in as Tim's co-host for the pilot, or for however many episodes were required until Tobolowsky was available. The casting department auditioned Richard Karn, for what would be his first major appearance on a TV sitcom; the character of Al Borland was created from there. After the first few episodes completed with Patricia Richardson as Jill, Tobolowsky was still tied up with his other commitments, and Karn found himself in his role permanently when Tobolowsky decided he would have no time to do a series. Thus, the character of Glen never came into being.
Casting changes[edit]
Pamela Anderson[edit]
In the first two years of the show, Pamela Anderson played the part of Tim's Tool Girl, Lisa, on Tool Time, but left the show to focus on her role on the syndicated series Baywatch. Her last episode as a series regular was "The Great Race", which aired on May 19, 1993. Tim's new assistant, Heidi, played by Debbe Dunning, replaced Anderson as the Tool Time Girl for the following third season, starting with "Maybe Baby", which aired on September 15, 1993. Anderson did reprise the role of Lisa on the sixth-season finale episode "The Kiss and the Kiss-Off", which aired on May 20, 1997.Departure of Jonathan Taylor Thomas[edit]
In the show's eighth season and final season, the middle child Randy left for an environmental study program in Costa Rica in the episode "Adios", which aired on September 29, 1998. This was done because Jonathan Taylor Thomas reportedly wanted to take time off to focus on academics. His last appearance on Home Improvement was the eighth and final season's Christmas episode "Home for the Holidays", which aired on December 8, 1998. He did not return to the show for the series finale, aired in May 1999, only appearing in archived footage. He was shooting the film Speedway Junky for release that summer. His character was not replaced.Post-series events[edit]
Tim Allen, Richard Karn, Casey Sander, and Debbe Dunning had a reunion in a television special named Tim Allen Presents: A User's Guide to Home Improvement in 2003 (a terminally ill Earl Hindman did voice-overs, befitting his never-seen persona of Wilson).[53] Allen presented his own favorite clips from the show, insider's tips, personal reflections and a question and answer session with the live audience. The special is included on the season 8 DVD set.On August 3, 2011, in Pacific Palisades, California, the surviving
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