About this Business
The 1990s tv sitcom Home Improvement is turning 30 this week, which is reason enough to rewatch one of the best shows of that decade. The show made Tim Allen a household name and a massive pile of cash, but he didn’t rest on his laurels afterward and kept on delivering family-friendly comedy with shows like Last Man Standing and movies like Christmas with the Kranks.
Despite his many acting credits, Allen started his career as a comedian, appearing in local TV commercials and comedy nights in Detroit before moving to Los Angeles where he became a regular performer at the Comedy Store. He also took part in a number of television shows and films before landing the role of Tim Taylor on Home Improvement, which he based partly on his stand-up material.
Home Improvement was sold into syndication after just three seasons, and it became one of the most-watched sitcoms in history. It earned a total of six Emmy nominations, and Allen won the first one for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He didn’t even know that he was supposed to submit his Emmy application, so he hand-delivered it to the Academy with the help of the USC marching band.
Allen and his co-stars, including Richard Karn and Casey Sander, had a reunion special in 2003 called Tim Allen Presents: A User’s Guide to Home Improvement (a terminally ill Earl Hindman did voice-overs for the never-seen Wilson; he died shortly after the special aired). They’ve also discussed a spinoff on multiple occasions, though no official plans have been announced.