I think you missed an important part about the final season. The reason Tool Time felt like it jumped the shark in the final season was on purpose. The execs of the show were trying to change it to appeal to more people against Tim's wishes which ultimately caused him to leave the show and move with Jill out of state. It felt like a very important part of the series to see Tim give up one of the biggest pieces of his life for his wife.
Actually the decision was made to not tell the audience what actually happens, but rather leave it vague and up to the audience's interpretation. Tim and Patricia were against the idea of the Taylor's moving out of state, but the writers wanted it. In my head canon they decide to stay, Tim takes the higher paid spot at Tool Time, and their annual antics continue.
@@xjaysonzx I always felt like Tim would have decided to stay... And if I remember correctly Jill decided she didn't even want to leave the state anyway.
They were gonna bring it back but I think Tim realized that it wouldn’t be the same since most of the old cast is either dead, in jail, out of acting, etc.
I have fond memories of watching Home Improvement with my family when I was a kid. We all thought it was funny. The 90s were really a much simpler time.
@@RandomStuf69 90s nostalgia isn't without merit. It's about the only time the country posted a surplus, no major wars going on when the cold war ended, except the war on drugs, the economy was doing great, and the music did not suck at all.
To me, this show never became bad to the point of being unwatchable. I think that it was more of a case of the first seasons being brilliant to the point of being a very tough act to follow. Having said that, I think that the show could have done without the story arc around Marty and his daughters moving into the Taylor home.
I was so sad when the last episode aired...loved this show as a kid. I don't think the last season was forgettable...to me they just lived the "real" life and represented what most families go though throughout the years.
This is one of the only shows my family watched together as a child before they divorced. And the last that I saw with my Father before he passed. I wouldn't say it died, they had said enough. And chose to end it. This is still endearing and hilarious to me, it has a special place in my heart and fall asleep to it often.
More like the actress who played Jill wanted to get paid $100M a year and TIm Allen wasn't willing to give her that $75M raise just to have the show continue.
@@Rob_Thorsman To be fair she was offered $25M a year and turned that down because she wanted $100M a year instead, and that's how the show ended. (She wasn't paid the $100M or the $25M increase to her salary).
I always thought the actress that played Jill was way too good for this show. She was really great and you can see her emotional range when they allow her to act.
The season where she has her hysterectomy is so good. The show focuses often on fatherhood as Tim is the main character. But I love that they have Jill’s character the opportunity to share a life struggle. It really showed Patricia’s range as an actor.
slow your role there Hoss, lets not act like Pat Richardson is Meryl Streep. Outside of Home Improvement she is still just a "hey its *that* woman!" when you see her on stuff
At the beginning of the series, Tim was the oldest child, with younger (unseen) brothers Steve and Danny. By the end of the series though, it is established that Tim is the _middle_ child, with older brother Jeff and younger brother Marty.
i grew up on this. i come to like heartland. its on netflix. first few episodes are girly but eventually they do give them males more to do and let them be men. without degrading them most of the time. i like the scenary atmosphere. grew up on a farm i miss the open space. around season 12 i feel the show is dead. gets to liberal and monotonous. only so many stories u can tell about a ranch lol. but yes finding good shows today is very rare. its why i buy dvds, movies, series etc. i want hard copies of shows like Home Improvement that i can watch whenever no subscription, no internet and or comericals.
@@Helmuesi911 The show killed itself by changing everything that made it good and then gut punching anyone that cared about the characters over and over.
The show was boring, and the humor was just on a dumb level. Like, really, you couldn't install a intercom system correctly, and it just works for a brief moment? That's not how they work. One of the tools Tim complained about wasn't even a real tool.
Later seasons aside, the final episode IMO ended the series with a bang. Facing total cancellation of their show, Tim and Al decide to put together one last ensemble with the K&B Boys for Tool Time, bringing the show back to its hardware tool roots. Instead of literally burning the aet down with an electrical fire as intended by the execs, they set the audience ablaze with a killer song and dance number, which was the perfect way to end the series to me.
As Home Improvment's greatest fan - this is a great summary of the entire series. Most of these videos are sensationalized. The series started to take a shift in Season 6 onwards where they pushed the "issue" button and turned Mark into a goth and some of the storylines were getting repeated. There were a couple of good notable episodes - especially in Season 8 where Brad gets his car stolen in Chop Shop 'Til You Drop. Wilson popping up in random places was an in-joke, there's only so much you can keep him behind the fence with his face covered and yet still feature him. I think a lot the issue too is that the original creators Carmen Finestra, David McFadzean and Matt Williams took a bit of a backseat after the 3rd season...
Completely agree. The first 4 seasons were generally a fun sitcom w/ the occasional drama. The second half became completely overdramatic and focused WAY too much on cheesy 90's tropes like drugs, grades and goth kids. And the comedy, like you said, went from witty to that obnoxious over-the-top guy at parties that just isn't funny.
It didn't even do a good job with the goth kids, it was more like a 60 year old's idea of what a goth kid was. Many 90's movies and shows had a hard time writing teen characters
great recap! I loved Home Improvement as a kid. I met JTT at an event when I was a kid (we're close to the same age - around 1993-ish) and was blown away with his charisma with adults. Thank you for making the video!
The main thing I disliked was how they wrote Patricia Richardson's character, she was shrill and demanding when it came to her needs, but rarely supportive of Tim's needs. They'd often have her ridicule Tim as a father and husband. But then seems Patricia is that way in real life. Not someone I'd want to associate with.
I was a kid in the 90s and remember seeing some eps of the last couple seasons when they aired with my family but mostly I watched the reruns in middle school and high school in the mid 2000s. It's weird to see the show analyzed like this because I just always saw it as a silly over the top comedy not some award winning show that could "jump the shark". I liked seeing Brad and Mark grown up and having their own story lines. The only thing that bothered me was they were always in the house/backyard and it looked so fake and boring, I wish they had more real life locations instead of the fake sitcom set but that's just how it was in the 90s.
I think this show was great all the way through, Tim Allen was likeable throughout and the kids were actually like normal kids at the time, plus Jill stayed an interesting character who grows as the show progresses
Seasons 1-4 was definitely where the show was at its peak. You know that one moment when a show "Jumps the Shark." They do anything to capture viewers' attention and that moment is where Tim was training to get into space.
@@lexkanyima2195 true because HI was a top 10 show for all it’s season. can’t really say it jumped the shark. it was never really meant to be taken seriously anyway…
When this show was in it's prime, i was working as a carpet steam cleaner. And let me tell you, this show was on in EVERYONE's house, from people with young kids, to elderly great-grandparents. No other show that I know of was so widely appealing. and i still have a hard time with the fact that Last Man Standing has been on much longer than this show, yet no one really talks about it like they did with this show.
I used to watch this all the time too, typically one of those shows I put on in the background while I did other things. I don't think I ever got as far as Season 8, to be honest. I really remember the earlier seasons...especially the Halloween episodes. It was a good show while it lasted.
I think the worst episode had to be when Brad had the opportunity to play pro soccer in England straight out of high school and they talked him out of it to go to college the next year instead. A classic Broken Aesop - "education is important" getting twisted into "live your life on others' schedule, don't grab the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity if it interferes with what mom and dad had in mind". They even explicitly said it would still be there and college wouldn't, exactly backwards!
I think in those days everyone was expected to go to college after high school graduation. There was a recurring joke of Brad going to "college - or a good trade school", but I honestly think trade school would have been a better fit for Brad than a four-year college. Brad always struggled a bit academically. Nowadays, it seems like the most lucrative jobs in in the "trade" industry.
Man idc what no one says. This show is the best ever. This, Modern Family, Rules of engagement and even like last man standing until it came back with a different daughter.
Tim (Allen) went to Western Michigan University, and my residential dining hall still played old episodes on the wall-mounted tube TVs until around 2009. Like the show, a flashy 'renovation' brought an end to that.
My favorite part of the series, is seeing the boys grow up through out the series. Cause we all grew up together. 🥲 Cause I graduated H.S, the same year the show ended.
I'm on a huge fan of Tim Allen out Borland and also cast and crew of Home Improvement I wish they would bring it back to a bit of today and show people what the sitcom was about
ABC offered Tim and Patricia to do a 9th season but they declined. Had a 9th season been down, raitings would probably have gone down. The boys were grown up and ready to move on.
They definitely could have done another season as they were still a top 10 show during their last season. They were still doing better than what most of their contemporaries like Full House and Rosanne. Both of whom had completely fallen out of the too 10 during their final seasons on air. That's the whole reason they even got offered to do another season. The ratings weren't as strong as in the beginning but they were still getting a lot of views
I loved this show as a kid because I was a Detroit Lions fan and the same age as the 2 oldest kids (they were actually the same age even though older/younger in series). And I related to all 3 as I played sports, was a bit of a nerd, and I loved rock and metal music. I still have all the episodes and have watched them from start to finish a few times as an adult.💕
I almost got to go to a taping of this, wasn't old enough. Wasn't black enough for Family Matters, ended up going to Hanging with Mr Cooper, it was such an amazing experience, the cast was absolutely hilarious between scenes, joking around and having a good time with the audience, was like a stand up comedy show to get the audience laughing. The show was good but seeing it done live was a whole other experience!
That painting on the right at 1:57. I've always wanted to be able to see it up close and find out more about it. What, if anything is it supposed to be a picture of, or is it just abstract art? Who painted it?
I've been to Traverse City Michigan where they filmed the season 5 episode titled "A Taylor runs through it" the one where Jill gets hurt water-skiing. My aunt lives there. It is a truly beautiful town! And Tim Allen has a vacation home there.
ABC wanted to do a 9th season but Tim didn't. So, technically it wasn't canceled just refused by the star to be renewed because Tim knew the writing was on the wall.
I always liked how creative he got with the Christmas decorations. Every season he one up himself and I loved they kept that side story going with his Competition.
Home Improvement had a great run with some good gems in later episodes, but the laughs did die down in season 8. It's not all because JTT left, but it didn't help and psychologically when a main cast member leaves a show (and of the 3 boys he was the one who I think had the most focus on screen), it comes off as the show is winding down. Good call on Al and Trudy having no chemistry. The fans wanted to see Al find love, but it just felt forced. After he got married its like "well, good for him, I guess". Also, even though Al was presented as socially awkward, it seemed like he was a bit out of her league. Yeah, she was rich and all, but I feel like a well-educated, decent-looking, handyman like Al who was on TV could have reached beyond his grasp a bit. Even as a heterosexual male I'm sitting there going "Al could land such a hotter woman"
So glad I picked up the whole series on DVD sets when they were on clearance at Walmart. Streaming services are great in their own way but because stuff like this isn't on any of them they'll never fully replace physical media.
The show finished number 1 on the ABC network when it finished. Disney wanted to do more seasons but tim had the final say. The fact is his on air wife who played Jill told Tim that season 8 was her last as she did not want to do anymore seasons Tim said the network still wanted to go ahead with season 9 and have Jill's character killed off and offered Tim alot of money per episode to continue but Tim said no.
Luckily he said no. Jill was such an important character in the show. The harmony and the acting between her and Tim was perfect. The series would not have been the same without her.
Used to love this show as a kid. I think however by season 5 I felt like it'd run its course and definitely felt it was on the decline. By then I was mostly invested in Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier and 3rd Rock from the Sun, all of which I felt had far superior comedy writing over Home Improvement which - as the narrator says - had become too reliant on 'eye roll' or groan humor instead of the more well crafted, situational humor of the aforementioned.
Used to love watching this while having dinner before my night shift started every weekday. Was part of my routine and put me in a good mood before work. I miss feel good traditional shows like this.
The home improvement show always reminded me of how my uncles families were, and if my dad didn't pass, I'd have the same family outcome. Makes me sad watching it, cause it's something I could never have, unless I wanted to start my own family, but I am a broken man from not having a father growing up, and how poorly my uncles treated my mom and me.
I’d love for this show to come back, but it wouldn’t be the same without Earl Hindman as Wilson. Having said that, they could cast John Bedford Lloyd, who was in the running for the role before Mr. Hindman got it, as Wilson’s cousin who inherits Wilson’s house.
I can think of a lot of shows I watched growing up but Home Improvement is the only one that gives me vivid memories of being together with my family. Such good times.
Honestly, coming up with new ideas to hide Wilsons face was the right thing to do vs him just behind behind a fence most of the time (though iconic and never felt old when they did it) it was a smart way to do it. And Im glad someone spoke up about the Halloween episodes, never really bad a bad one in the bunch honestly, some weaker, but never bad. And while the episodes about health scares and death are tough to watch, it was kinda an interesting take and seeing a show grow and talk about more serious issues, while some had been tackled in the past about loss, they really put it all on the table with these ones. And I think one thing that did make the show a bit harder to watch was when the boys eventually grew up and hit the high school level. Especially for Mark as they really never found use for him when he got older, the goth part doesn't last for long for him, then he reverts to a normal teen, they did give a lot of focus to Brad, his soccer dreams, his knee injury, and Randy becoming an activist and that one episode he had dealing with the woman who was dying. Also I'm glad someone also brought up relationships and such because they almost all go NOWHERE in this show. Jill's sister in that one episode with her husband Charlie (great episode) but nothing followed up with it, Tim and Jill's brother and sister dating goes nowhere, even writing out Art and Tim's mom's relationship as well (I do understand that was part of his actor passing away) but you think they could have made an episode out of that. And as you pointed out, Al and Trudy just never really sold it for me, and many others too, because they barely had any chemistry or time on screen together. She never really became a friend to Jill like Eileen did, she had no connection really with any cast cast members, and the final episode, the wedding, she barely had anything to do in it. Overall there's a lot of issues with later seasons, but the earlier ones have their golden moments.
I read that Richard Karn wanted some closure for Al, and I wonder if that led to the marriage to Trudy. I was so sorry when he and Ilene broke up; they were a wonderful match.
Just discovered your channel. Love looking back on the wealth of sitcoms we had back in the 90s. So much went on that I was not aware of because I watched most of them casually and as a kid didn't care to notice any of all these big changes happening all the time. ANYWAYS can you do a video on 3rd Rock From the Sun? I wonder where that show may have died in its run.
Can't believe how many random memories this video brought up. I haven't really thought about this show since the finale aired - and somehow retained all these random things. Like Tim not understanding Jill's dad using military time, or Brad setting off the crazy new alarm system trying to get test answers in the middle of the night, or it specifically being Randy's thyroid that's the problem... Makes me wonder how much else from my childhood is still up there somewhere lol
That was beautifully done Rustin. Very well done sir. Your hard work really shines through. I hope you're doing well. We haven't chatted in quite a long time.
@@FunFactFilms Glad to hear it. I'm in need of a job again. The last time we spoke, I was teaching middle and high school science. After 10 years, that school let almost everyone go 2 years ago, and I was included in that purge. This last school year I was at a new place, teaching middle school Math, which obviously I had never taught before. They decided not to renew my contract for this upcoming school year. As no real reason was given, I can only assume that they just felt I didn't communicate the math concepts in an effective way. So, here I am again unemployed, and the problem is we are halfway through July, schools start in about 2 weeks, and I have nothing. It's very stressful. It was kind of you to respond. I do appreciate it.
I'm sorry to hear about your job. The public school system seems to be a rough place lately. I hope you find some work soon because being unemployed or under-employed is definitely stressful.
@@FunFactFilms I appreciate your kind words. I know you've been through several rough patches of your own the last few years, so I know you can understand where I'm coming from. And ironically, I've never taught in a public school yet. I've always been in private schools up to this point. So, you may be right that the public schools have been rough, but private ones aren't much better. Take care sir, and thanks for the chat.
Same, I prefer to watch the shows I watched as a kid in the 90s. 3rd rock from the sun, the Drew Carey show, old Simpsons, Futurama, King of the hill, and Scrubs. The 90s to the mid 2000s had some great shows
Tim is a legend. Buzz, Santa Claus, Home Improvement, For Richer or Poorer, Galaxy Quest. One of the best to ever do it. He was most of my childhood and that makes me happy cause he is hilarious.
Dude the only show that could of went on forever was Seinfeld,,,there was never any growth,they dated random people,, I guess George got engaged but he killed her with cheap toxic wedding invitations lol and as far as love stories they usually go through a series of misunderstandings and shenanigans and they’d break up by the end of the episode,,there was never a Jerry and Elaine ending up together.. there was the We can have this and do that episode but that was about it,,,
Paused at about the 10 minute mark… all those things described up to the that point, the high production values on location, is what made this show so great. I loved it as a kid and has been my main driving factor to return to the series over the years.
There actually was one episode where they showed Wilson's face. It was the one where he did a performance at one of the boy's schools. I think it was some kind of Native American or tribal thing, or something. I don't think the writers considered his face uncovered because he was wearing makeup or something, but it technically was.
What I would have liked for the ending of the Tim Taylor/Bob Vila feud is a situation where Tim saves Bob’s life, and although Bob is grateful and later asks Tim why he did it, Tim simply says “You would have done it for me…so you could lecture me on what I did wrong!” or some kind of joke such as that.
To be fair, unlike the cartoony humor the tool time show getting crazier and crazier was worked into the show. Enjoyable video, thanks, i never mind hearing about this gem of a series.
This show was pretty corny but I still liked watching it anyways. Also still remember renting the awful video game from a local supermarket back in the day 😂
I watched this show the whole entire time it was on between 91-99 when I was growing up but strangely never had one conversation with one kid at school about this show the whole time.
Talk about memories. I was 12 years old when the first season aired. I lived in Los Angeles at the time, sadly never did get to see Home Improvement, but I did get to see Full House, Cheers, Woops, and The Tonight Show.
This seemed to be a 90s sitcom thing....start off incredible, creative and hilarious only to drop off in pushing dramatic storylines and "tackling" societal issues. "Roseanne" definitely did the same...later seasons of that show are soap operatic hot garbage.
the show had more seasons in it. i know the actors agreed it was time to go though. network wanted more. but after watching this and thinking u be a hater in ways. which admitedly u were. i have to agree with everything u said. i feel if i went back and rewatched this today as a 40 year old. not a teenager i would loose interest around season 5 as well. overall great video. i went in expecting to disagree and or click off 2-5 mins in. watched it all. still brought back good memories. from what i can tell i must of seen all or most of the series. almost everything u put on screeen looked familiar.
I didn’t realize it when I was watching it as a kid but enjoy now how the show approached toxic vs. positive masculinity in a comedic and wholesome way. I wish there were more shows like this today.
@@SFTaYZa yeah “toxic” I feel like is strong for what I was trying to sum up? But I think you get what I mean? Like how Tim would kinda approach things in a somewhat “caveman” manner initially, and then upon reflecting, often after being given advice from Wilson, would see how there are better ways of dealing/communicating that don’t require him to feel like less of a man.
The only joke I remember from that show is from the vasectomy episode. Doctor: We start with a local anesthetic. Tim: Local? Like, here in Detroit? Doctor: Local, like directly into your testicles.
Like most sitcoms, it got stale once the kids got older and the only one they would acknowledge for the longest time was Jonathan Taylor Thomas since he was the "heartthrob" of the three.
Definitely agree with the show getting staler once the kids got older. They distanced the kids from each other as they got older and gave them completely different personalities. I wouldn't say they only focused on JTT. The oldest son got plenty of screen time especially when JTT left. The youngest son got the short end of the stick but mostly because he was more limited as an actor than the other two.
One thing i love about this show is how creative they got with hiding Wilson's face
It's hard to imagine they had someone else planned for Al and Wilson or Jill...
Yeah, me too!
How old are you? It wasn’t creative, it was contrived and annoying.
That was one of the absolute worst things about the show.
@@longtallshorty5791 how? Lol
I think you missed an important part about the final season. The reason Tool Time felt like it jumped the shark in the final season was on purpose. The execs of the show were trying to change it to appeal to more people against Tim's wishes which ultimately caused him to leave the show and move with Jill out of state. It felt like a very important part of the series to see Tim give up one of the biggest pieces of his life for his wife.
Actually the decision was made to not tell the audience what actually happens, but rather leave it vague and up to the audience's interpretation. Tim and Patricia were against the idea of the Taylor's moving out of state, but the writers wanted it. In my head canon they decide to stay, Tim takes the higher paid spot at Tool Time, and their annual antics continue.
But Tim felt the show was whining down
@@xjaysonzx I always felt like Tim would have decided to stay... And if I remember correctly Jill decided she didn't even want to leave the state anyway.
@@mikeyirish214 Tim's appearance on Last Man Standing implied the Taylors stayed in Detroit
Tim Taylor or Tim Allen? You're talking about the execs of tooltime right or execs of home improvement?
There is no show I associate with my childhood more than this. I wish they still made sitcoms like this. They were so good.
@@user-73a Oh boy another racist....I MEAN...."woke" guy
They were gonna bring it back but I think Tim realized that it wouldn’t be the same since most of the old cast is either dead, in jail, out of acting, etc.
@@user-73a Yeah it really sucks when your guy wins.
Please sir tell me...what does woke even mean?
I watched the show every Tuesday night, I want to say it aired at 9pm EST. I had JTT posters everywhere.
@@BabysitterSkywhy are you here?
I always loved Tim and Patricia's chemistry, they were the most realistic tv couple
Apparently you've never seen Tony and Carmela Soprano.
They're good, but Little House on the Prarie has it beat!
Alan and Amy Matthews
Dan and Roseanne Conner take that trophy for me.
Jill was always an abusive character to Tim on the show. I never really liked her.
Their dedication to Halloween episodes was always a favorite of mine ❤️
Mine to. My birthday is Halloween, and when growing up, they were like a birthday present from one of my favorite shows.
The Christmas episodes were pretty good too. Home Improvement was a just a really good show.
I think that all the sitcoms back then did a great job with Halloween and Christmas episodes, I use Roasanne as an example
I think Tim Allen continued that tradition in Last Man standing pretty good
Not just Halloween all their holiday eps. I still rewatch them all every holiday season
I have fond memories of watching Home Improvement with my family when I was a kid. We all thought it was funny. The 90s were really a much simpler time.
because u were a kid, thats why it felt simpler
@@RandomStuf69 90s nostalgia isn't without merit. It's about the only time the country posted a surplus, no major wars going on when the cold war ended, except the war on drugs, the economy was doing great, and the music did not suck at all.
This show had the best holiday episodes - the Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween episodes are the only ones I still watch once in a while.
To me, this show never became bad to the point of being unwatchable. I think that it was more of a case of the first seasons being brilliant to the point of being a very tough act to follow. Having said that, I think that the show could have done without the story arc around Marty and his daughters moving into the Taylor home.
Towards the end they lost Jonathan Taylor Thomas as he wanted to quit acting and the character was written out like he wad going off to college.
@@alanvallazza9781 Incidentally, that's actually what Jonathan Taylor Thomas did, he went to Harvard.
…He was actually written out as spending time abroad in Costa Rica…
I was so sad when the last episode aired...loved this show as a kid. I don't think the last season was forgettable...to me they just lived the "real" life and represented what most families go though throughout the years.
This is one of the only shows my family watched together as a child before they divorced. And the last that I saw with my Father before he passed. I wouldn't say it died, they had said enough. And chose to end it. This is still endearing and hilarious to me, it has a special place in my heart and fall asleep to it often.
Thanks for sharing that heartfelt memory.
My mum and my brother were fans of the show too.
More like the actress who played Jill wanted to get paid $100M a year and TIm Allen wasn't willing to give her that $75M raise just to have the show continue.
@@DarkflameEmperor $100M a year? That has to be wrong. Even Jerry Seinfeld didn't make that much and he had the most popular show on TV.
@@Rob_Thorsman To be fair she was offered $25M a year and turned that down because she wanted $100M a year instead, and that's how the show ended. (She wasn't paid the $100M or the $25M increase to her salary).
I love how you pinpoint the exact episode the show died. Hard to argue with that level of precision.
This was my favorite show as a kid!
Same lol. Loved it
It is definitely a comfort show of mine, reminds me of when times were more simple.
I always thought the actress that played Jill was way too good for this show. She was really great and you can see her emotional range when they allow her to act.
The season where she has her hysterectomy is so good. The show focuses often on fatherhood as Tim is the main character. But I love that they have Jill’s character the opportunity to share a life struggle. It really showed Patricia’s range as an actor.
She was really good in a brief season or two on the west wing too. Not a major role but it was lovely to see her again
slow your role there Hoss, lets not act like Pat Richardson is Meryl Streep. Outside of Home Improvement she is still just a "hey its *that* woman!" when you see her on stuff
At the beginning of the series, Tim was the oldest child, with younger (unseen) brothers Steve and Danny. By the end of the series though, it is established that Tim is the _middle_ child, with older brother Jeff and younger brother Marty.
I thought Steve was supposed to be older than Tim
If I remember, the total number of brothers he was supposed to have was 4 right?
I loved every season and am still sorry it is gone. Nothing on TV today even comes close.
i grew up on this. i come to like heartland. its on netflix. first few episodes are girly but eventually they do give them males more to do and let them be men. without degrading them most of the time. i like the scenary atmosphere. grew up on a farm i miss the open space. around season 12 i feel the show is dead. gets to liberal and monotonous. only so many stories u can tell about a ranch lol.
but yes finding good shows today is very rare. its why i buy dvds, movies, series etc. i want hard copies of shows like Home Improvement that i can watch whenever no subscription, no internet and or comericals.
You *should* be sorry! It’s your fault the show’s gone!
You wished it into the cornfield and now it’s gone forever!
@@Helmuesi911 Forget to take your meds?
@@Helmuesi911 The show killed itself by changing everything that made it good and then gut punching anyone that cared about the characters over and over.
The show was boring, and the humor was just on a dumb level. Like, really, you couldn't install a intercom system correctly, and it just works for a brief moment? That's not how they work. One of the tools Tim complained about wasn't even a real tool.
Later seasons aside, the final episode IMO ended the series with a bang. Facing total cancellation of their show, Tim and Al decide to put together one last ensemble with the K&B Boys for Tool Time, bringing the show back to its hardware tool roots. Instead of literally burning the aet down with an electrical fire as intended by the execs, they set the audience ablaze with a killer song and dance number, which was the perfect way to end the series to me.
I agree, a true return to form for a show that trraveled so far from it.
As Home Improvment's greatest fan - this is a great summary of the entire series. Most of these videos are sensationalized.
The series started to take a shift in Season 6 onwards where they pushed the "issue" button and turned Mark into a goth and some of the storylines were getting repeated. There were a couple of good notable episodes - especially in Season 8 where Brad gets his car stolen in Chop Shop 'Til You Drop.
Wilson popping up in random places was an in-joke, there's only so much you can keep him behind the fence with his face covered and yet still feature him.
I think a lot the issue too is that the original creators Carmen Finestra, David McFadzean and Matt Williams took a bit of a backseat after the 3rd season...
Completely agree. The first 4 seasons were generally a fun sitcom w/ the occasional drama. The second half became completely overdramatic and focused WAY too much on cheesy 90's tropes like drugs, grades and goth kids. And the comedy, like you said, went from witty to that obnoxious over-the-top guy at parties that just isn't funny.
Yep pc crap of the time
no its great.
But it helped to progress
@@lukedraper4100 not even close
It didn't even do a good job with the goth kids, it was more like a 60 year old's idea of what a goth kid was. Many 90's movies and shows had a hard time writing teen characters
This show is still my favorite! It had a perfect amount of comedy and heartfelt moments!
Grew up on this show being born in 1985. Always watched it with my family growing up. Classic and hilarious, a seriously amazing part of my childhood.
great recap! I loved Home Improvement as a kid. I met JTT at an event when I was a kid (we're close to the same age - around 1993-ish) and was blown away with his charisma with adults. Thank you for making the video!
My dad & I used to watch this show together
Home Improvement was a great sitcom. The misadventures of accident prone TV show host Tim Taylor and his family.
The main thing I disliked was how they wrote Patricia Richardson's character, she was shrill and demanding when it came to her needs, but rarely supportive of Tim's needs. They'd often have her ridicule Tim as a father and husband. But then seems Patricia is that way in real life. Not someone I'd want to associate with.
I was a kid in the 90s and remember seeing some eps of the last couple seasons when they aired with my family but mostly I watched the reruns in middle school and high school in the mid 2000s. It's weird to see the show analyzed like this because I just always saw it as a silly over the top comedy not some award winning show that could "jump the shark". I liked seeing Brad and Mark grown up and having their own story lines. The only thing that bothered me was they were always in the house/backyard and it looked so fake and boring, I wish they had more real life locations instead of the fake sitcom set but that's just how it was in the 90s.
I think this show was great all the way through, Tim Allen was likeable throughout and the kids were actually like normal kids at the time, plus Jill stayed an interesting character who grows as the show progresses
This is one of my favorite shows. I have rewatched it multiple times and I cry at the final episode every time.
One of my favourite characters on the show, was the black guy that shows up so randomly, when he says "Hey, I don't go for that sort of thing"....
Seasons 1-4 was definitely where the show was at its peak. You know that one moment when a show "Jumps the Shark." They do anything to capture viewers' attention and that moment is where Tim was training to get into space.
The show was never jump the shark
@@lexkanyima2195 You're right, because it has to actually be good at some point in order to eventually do that.😉
@@dkamphaus43 in terms of quality
@@lexkanyima2195 true because HI was a top 10 show for all it’s season. can’t really say it jumped the shark. it was never really meant to be taken seriously anyway…
@@markjackson6431 same as friends
‘Tim Taylor’s’ passion project became very meaningful.
When this show was in it's prime, i was working as a carpet steam cleaner. And let me tell you, this show was on in EVERYONE's house, from people with young kids, to elderly great-grandparents. No other show that I know of was so widely appealing.
and i still have a hard time with the fact that Last Man Standing has been on much longer than this show, yet no one really talks about it like they did with this show.
I used to watch this all the time too, typically one of those shows I put on in the background while I did other things. I don't think I ever got as far as Season 8, to be honest. I really remember the earlier seasons...especially the Halloween episodes. It was a good show while it lasted.
All the season came on Disney plus if u happen to have it.
@@blainetravillian7257 Nah I'm too cheap to sign up for all these services...but thanks for letting me know. :)
Halloweeen in all the shows from the 90s hit so much harder… especially Roseanne, those Halloween episodes smack
I think the worst episode had to be when Brad had the opportunity to play pro soccer in England straight out of high school and they talked him out of it to go to college the next year instead. A classic Broken Aesop - "education is important" getting twisted into "live your life on others' schedule, don't grab the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity if it interferes with what mom and dad had in mind". They even explicitly said it would still be there and college wouldn't, exactly backwards!
I think in those days everyone was expected to go to college after high school graduation. There was a recurring joke of Brad going to "college - or a good trade school", but I honestly think trade school would have been a better fit for Brad than a four-year college. Brad always struggled a bit academically. Nowadays, it seems like the most lucrative jobs in in the "trade" industry.
Man idc what no one says. This show is the best ever. This, Modern Family, Rules of engagement and even like last man standing until it came back with a different daughter.
At least the rubbish we have now lets us appreciate what we had and can rewatch it now with that appreciation and love❤
Oh my god we get it already you hate tv shows move on
@@assassin8636 Oh my god we get it already. You hate when others have a different opinion than yours and you don't like them saying anything. Move on.
@@kelf114 I wasn't talking to you
@@kelf114 I don't have a problem when people have a different opinion, don't let te opinion feel like a hate message or over the top
News flash: this show is absolute rubbish
Tim (Allen) went to Western Michigan University, and my residential dining hall still played old episodes on the wall-mounted tube TVs until around 2009. Like the show, a flashy 'renovation' brought an end to that.
My favorite part of the series, is seeing the boys grow up through out the series. Cause we all grew up together. 🥲
Cause I graduated H.S, the same year the show ended.
Mark probably never kept in contact with them afterwards considering the way they always treated him.
I'm on a huge fan of Tim Allen out Borland and also cast and crew of Home Improvement I wish they would bring it back to a bit of today and show people what the sitcom was about
5:00 - That floor buffer taking Tim's pants had me ROFL the first time I seen and still brings smile or chuckle when I see it again.
ABC offered Tim and Patricia to do a 9th season but they declined. Had a 9th season been down, raitings would probably have gone down. The boys were grown up and ready to move on.
Ya just looking at the ratings of season 8, I couldn't imagine how season 9 would've gone. They may not have been able to finish out the season 😳
They definitely could have done another season as they were still a top 10 show during their last season. They were still doing better than what most of their contemporaries like Full House and Rosanne. Both of whom had completely fallen out of the too 10 during their final seasons on air. That's the whole reason they even got offered to do another season. The ratings weren't as strong as in the beginning but they were still getting a lot of views
@@blueblur2273Zach's character would have been graduated
@@lexkanyima2195 🤨And? He can either go to college from home or go to a school nearby so he can constantly visit home.
@@blueblur2273 lame excuse
It went downhill when Heidi left and the kids got too old. Very good show, very rewatchable even today.
I loved this show as a kid because I was a Detroit Lions fan and the same age as the 2 oldest kids (they were actually the same age even though older/younger in series). And I related to all 3 as I played sports, was a bit of a nerd, and I loved rock and metal music. I still have all the episodes and have watched them from start to finish a few times as an adult.💕
I almost got to go to a taping of this, wasn't old enough. Wasn't black enough for Family Matters, ended up going to Hanging with Mr Cooper, it was such an amazing experience, the cast was absolutely hilarious between scenes, joking around and having a good time with the audience, was like a stand up comedy show to get the audience laughing. The show was good but seeing it done live was a whole other experience!
I loved that show as a kid. Wish it had a longer run.
I still remember how upset I was when they interrupted a great episode of Hangin With Mr Cooper to report that Princess Diana had been killed.
Great swipes. The video turned out fantastic. Still one of my top favorite shows!
That painting on the right at 1:57. I've always wanted to be able to see it up close and find out more about it. What, if anything is it supposed to be a picture of, or is it just abstract art? Who painted it?
I've been to Traverse City Michigan where they filmed the season 5 episode titled "A Taylor runs through it" the one where Jill gets hurt water-skiing. My aunt lives there. It is a truly beautiful town! And Tim Allen has a vacation home there.
Shush. Too many people here already!
@@apple54345 Not my problem
ABC wanted to do a 9th season but Tim didn't. So, technically it wasn't canceled just refused by the star to be renewed because Tim knew the writing was on the wall.
I always liked how creative he got with the Christmas decorations. Every season he one up himself and I loved they kept that side story going with his Competition.
Lol, yeah, with the proctologist neighbor. Can't remember his name.
"Creative" 😅😅😂😂
@@subsamadhi Um what?
@goodvibes4459 this show is Tim Allen who is one of the most mindless celebrities to ever live goofy. Hes the male version of Roseanne Barr
@@subsamadhi why ? Because he has differing opinions then you? Can you handle other people’s opinion.
It died for me when they stopped doing the Halloween and Christmas special decorations😢
Home Improvement had a great run with some good gems in later episodes, but the laughs did die down in season 8. It's not all because JTT left, but it didn't help and psychologically when a main cast member leaves a show (and of the 3 boys he was the one who I think had the most focus on screen), it comes off as the show is winding down. Good call on Al and Trudy having no chemistry. The fans wanted to see Al find love, but it just felt forced. After he got married its like "well, good for him, I guess". Also, even though Al was presented as socially awkward, it seemed like he was a bit out of her league. Yeah, she was rich and all, but I feel like a well-educated, decent-looking, handyman like Al who was on TV could have reached beyond his grasp a bit. Even as a heterosexual male I'm sitting there going "Al could land such a hotter woman"
So glad I picked up the whole series on DVD sets when they were on clearance at Walmart.
Streaming services are great in their own way but because stuff like this isn't on any of them they'll never fully replace physical media.
No mention of the show being in Detroit.. what the heck, bro!
The show finished number 1 on the ABC network when it finished. Disney wanted to do more seasons but tim had the final say. The fact is his on air wife who played Jill told Tim that season 8 was her last as she did not want to do anymore seasons Tim said the network still wanted to go ahead with season 9 and have Jill's character killed off and offered Tim alot of money per episode to continue but Tim said no.
Luckily he said no. Jill was such an important character in the show. The harmony and the acting between her and Tim was perfect. The series would not have been the same without her.
Used to love this show as a kid. I think however by season 5 I felt like it'd run its course and definitely felt it was on the decline. By then I was mostly invested in Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier and 3rd Rock from the Sun, all of which I felt had far superior comedy writing over Home Improvement which - as the narrator says - had become too reliant on 'eye roll' or groan humor instead of the more well crafted, situational humor of the aforementioned.
It was a fast paced era that fans tirering
I loved spin city which came on after home improvement
Used to love watching this while having dinner before my night shift started every weekday. Was part of my routine and put me in a good mood before work. I miss feel good traditional shows like this.
My absolute favorite show to watch in the 90s. As a kid it was a fun show. Watching it now as a adult it taught me family values 😅😂
Well stop watching after season six unless you want your family and family values to be destroyed. It gets trashy. 1-6 were fine.
@@SRose-vp6ewIt gets trashy?
The home improvement show always reminded me of how my uncles families were, and if my dad didn't pass, I'd have the same family outcome. Makes me sad watching it, cause it's something I could never have, unless I wanted to start my own family, but I am a broken man from not having a father growing up, and how poorly my uncles treated my mom and me.
And to me home improvement never died . Just my opinion of course but I still watch every season religiously
I’d love for this show to come back, but it wouldn’t be the same without Earl Hindman as Wilson. Having said that, they could cast John Bedford Lloyd, who was in the running for the role before Mr. Hindman got it, as Wilson’s cousin who inherits Wilson’s house.
I liked Wilson, the neighbor. He had wisdom to deal with guys like Tim. Poor Jill needed to go to chef school.
Wilson was their Mr Feeny
I can think of a lot of shows I watched growing up but Home Improvement is the only one that gives me vivid memories of being together with my family. Such good times.
For me it's Home Improvement, Full House, and Rescue 911.
Honestly, coming up with new ideas to hide Wilsons face was the right thing to do vs him just behind behind a fence most of the time (though iconic and never felt old when they did it) it was a smart way to do it.
And Im glad someone spoke up about the Halloween episodes, never really bad a bad one in the bunch honestly, some weaker, but never bad. And while the episodes about health scares and death are tough to watch, it was kinda an interesting take and seeing a show grow and talk about more serious issues, while some had been tackled in the past about loss, they really put it all on the table with these ones.
And I think one thing that did make the show a bit harder to watch was when the boys eventually grew up and hit the high school level. Especially for Mark as they really never found use for him when he got older, the goth part doesn't last for long for him, then he reverts to a normal teen, they did give a lot of focus to Brad, his soccer dreams, his knee injury, and Randy becoming an activist and that one episode he had dealing with the woman who was dying.
Also I'm glad someone also brought up relationships and such because they almost all go NOWHERE in this show. Jill's sister in that one episode with her husband Charlie (great episode) but nothing followed up with it, Tim and Jill's brother and sister dating goes nowhere, even writing out Art and Tim's mom's relationship as well (I do understand that was part of his actor passing away) but you think they could have made an episode out of that.
And as you pointed out, Al and Trudy just never really sold it for me, and many others too, because they barely had any chemistry or time on screen together. She never really became a friend to Jill like Eileen did, she had no connection really with any cast cast members, and the final episode, the wedding, she barely had anything to do in it.
Overall there's a lot of issues with later seasons, but the earlier ones have their golden moments.
I read that Richard Karn wanted some closure for Al, and I wonder if that led to the marriage to Trudy. I was so sorry when he and Ilene broke up; they were a wonderful match.
Just discovered your channel. Love looking back on the wealth of sitcoms we had back in the 90s. So much went on that I was not aware of because I watched most of them casually and as a kid didn't care to notice any of all these big changes happening all the time. ANYWAYS can you do a video on 3rd Rock From the Sun? I wonder where that show may have died in its run.
Can't believe how many random memories this video brought up. I haven't really thought about this show since the finale aired - and somehow retained all these random things. Like Tim not understanding Jill's dad using military time, or Brad setting off the crazy new alarm system trying to get test answers in the middle of the night, or it specifically being Randy's thyroid that's the problem... Makes me wonder how much else from my childhood is still up there somewhere lol
This was an amazing show. Modern shows need to go back to this
I remember Watching Home Improvement on ABC and I've seen the Show on Disney+
Was this the first show to feature a show within a show?
The Halloween episodes were always great! I wish more series went all in like Home Improvement.
I feel like all 90’s sit coms had good Halloween and Christmas episodes. Was kind of the bread and butter back in the day
Agree, I think Brooklyn 99 did a pretty good job with their Halloween Heist episodes
Almost the whole cast of Home Improvement guest starred in Last Man Standing, Home Improvement didn't just die.
That was beautifully done Rustin. Very well done sir. Your hard work really shines through.
I hope you're doing well. We haven't chatted in quite a long time.
Doing well Joshua, thank you for the compliments. What’s new with you?
@@FunFactFilms Glad to hear it. I'm in need of a job again. The last time we spoke, I was teaching middle and high school science. After 10 years, that school let almost everyone go 2 years ago, and I was included in that purge.
This last school year I was at a new place, teaching middle school Math, which obviously I had never taught before.
They decided not to renew my contract for this upcoming school year. As no real reason was given, I can only assume that they just felt I didn't communicate the math concepts in an effective way.
So, here I am again unemployed, and the problem is we are halfway through July, schools start in about 2 weeks, and I have nothing.
It's very stressful.
It was kind of you to respond. I do appreciate it.
I'm sorry to hear about your job. The public school system seems to be a rough place lately. I hope you find some work soon because being unemployed or under-employed is definitely stressful.
@@FunFactFilms I appreciate your kind words. I know you've been through several rough patches of your own the last few years, so I know you can understand where I'm coming from.
And ironically, I've never taught in a public school yet. I've always been in private schools up to this point.
So, you may be right that the public schools have been rough, but private ones aren't much better.
Take care sir, and thanks for the chat.
It died when Disney bought it and made it a "Family show".
I'd say it stood strong for all of it's seasons. Says a lot I'd still rather rewatch Home Improvement than... just about everything currently on TV.
Same, I prefer to watch the shows I watched as a kid in the 90s. 3rd rock from the sun, the Drew Carey show, old Simpsons, Futurama, King of the hill, and Scrubs. The 90s to the mid 2000s had some great shows
Says a lot about your "taste".
Tim is a legend. Buzz, Santa Claus, Home Improvement, For Richer or Poorer, Galaxy Quest. One of the best to ever do it. He was most of my childhood and that makes me happy cause he is hilarious.
Dude the only show that could of went on forever was Seinfeld,,,there was never any growth,they dated random people,, I guess George got engaged but he killed her with cheap toxic wedding invitations lol and as far as love stories they usually go through a series of misunderstandings and shenanigans and they’d break up by the end of the episode,,there was never a Jerry and Elaine ending up together.. there was the We can have this and do that episode but that was about it,,,
Paused at about the 10 minute mark… all those things described up to the that point, the high production values on location, is what made this show so great. I loved it as a kid and has been my main driving factor to return to the series over the years.
Remember, if it doesn't say "Binford," somebody else made it.
There actually was one episode where they showed Wilson's face. It was the one where he did a performance at one of the boy's schools. I think it was some kind of Native American or tribal thing, or something. I don't think the writers considered his face uncovered because he was wearing makeup or something, but it technically was.
Unfortunately Randy doesn't come back for the series finale
Ya that was very disappointing
Great breakdown. I can see what you're saying, but I still loved it. Networks are incapable of making good shows like this anymore for some reason.
What I would have liked for the ending of the Tim Taylor/Bob Vila feud is a situation where Tim saves Bob’s life, and although Bob is grateful and later asks Tim why he did it, Tim simply says “You would have done it for me…so you could lecture me on what I did wrong!” or some kind of joke such as that.
To be fair, unlike the cartoony humor the tool time show getting crazier and crazier was worked into the show. Enjoyable video, thanks, i never mind hearing about this gem of a series.
This show was pretty corny but I still liked watching it anyways. Also still remember renting the awful video game from a local supermarket back in the day 😂
I watched this show the whole entire time it was on between 91-99 when I was growing up but strangely never had one conversation with one kid at school about this show the whole time.
They recently put this on Disney Plus, and I am watching it now. I love the Halloween episode.
Yes!!! I started binging it when they added it, already half way through. This show DEFINETLY wouldn't fly lol.
@@jjrod2988 just goes to show how far Disney has fallen
I also love the Halloween episode 🙂
@jr2904 current disney channel sucks.
Talk about memories. I was 12 years old when the first season aired. I lived in Los Angeles at the time, sadly never did get to see Home Improvement, but I did get to see Full House, Cheers, Woops, and The Tonight Show.
This seemed to be a 90s sitcom thing....start off incredible, creative and hilarious only to drop off in pushing dramatic storylines and "tackling" societal issues.
"Roseanne" definitely did the same...later seasons of that show are soap operatic hot garbage.
Home Improvement is one of my favorite shows from the 90's.
The highlights of the show were seeing which tool was Tim gonna get hurt with
Genuinely adore this show and it is something i often think back on as a major part of my childhood
Season 1-5 are amazing. Hilarious show!
the show had more seasons in it. i know the actors agreed it was time to go though. network wanted more.
but after watching this and thinking u be a hater in ways. which admitedly u were.
i have to agree with everything u said. i feel if i went back and rewatched this today as a 40 year old. not a teenager i would loose interest around season 5 as well.
overall great video. i went in expecting to disagree and or click off 2-5 mins in. watched it all. still brought back good memories. from what i can tell i must of seen all or most of the series. almost everything u put on screeen looked familiar.
I didn’t realize it when I was watching it as a kid but enjoy now how the show approached toxic vs. positive masculinity in a comedic and wholesome way. I wish there were more shows like this today.
"toxic"
@@SFTaYZa yeah “toxic” I feel like is strong for what I was trying to sum up? But I think you get what I mean? Like how Tim would kinda approach things in a somewhat “caveman” manner initially, and then upon reflecting, often after being given advice from Wilson, would see how there are better ways of dealing/communicating that don’t require him to feel like less of a man.
The colossal accidents were hilarious
The only joke I remember from that show is from the vasectomy episode.
Doctor: We start with a local anesthetic.
Tim: Local? Like, here in Detroit?
Doctor: Local, like directly into your testicles.
Doctor: that does sting for a few minutes.
Tim: YA THINK!???!
"She's droolin', she's droolin' down the river,"......
The overreaction to Brad smoking weed, and the whole "Mark is goth 3 years after goth was a big thing" is what killed it for me.
What killed it for me was when Jonathan Taylor Thomas left,it wasn’t the same show after that.
I still love how he used Jill's drivers license photo and blew that up for everyone to sign.
When the boy left the show
I had an uncle like this my dad would fix things to work, my uncle would break things to "make them better".
And his wife runs the house not him.
Like most sitcoms, it got stale once the kids got older and the only one they would acknowledge for the longest time was Jonathan Taylor Thomas since he was the "heartthrob" of the three.
Definitely agree with the show getting staler once the kids got older. They distanced the kids from each other as they got older and gave them completely different personalities. I wouldn't say they only focused on JTT. The oldest son got plenty of screen time especially when JTT left. The youngest son got the short end of the stick but mostly because he was more limited as an actor than the other two.
@@blueblur2273but it helped to tell their story
@@lexkanyima2195 And exactly how did it help do that?
@@blueblur2273 to grow as teenager
@@lexkanyima2195 😒 That doesn't explain how it helps tell their story
My family loved this show. I still do. My dad is a far more competent tim, and being 3 boys made the whole show feel right for us.