Tim Allen Says Cast Issues Block Home Improvement Revival

When the possibility of a Home Improvement reboot surfaced, Tim Allen made it clear that the show’s return is unlikely—an assessment he shared in an interview with Us Weekly. Allen said that “issues” involving former co‑stars Zachery Ty Bryan and Jonathan Taylor Thomas are the primary obstacles.

The 1990s sitcom, which aired on ABC from September 17, 1991 to May 25, 1999, followed Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor as he hosted a home‑improvement program while juggling life with wife Jill (Patricia Richardson) and their three sons. Over eight seasons the series produced 204 half‑hour episodes and became one of ABC’s most‑watched comedies of the decade. By 1996 the show had generated more than $500 million in syndication revenue.

Bryan, who portrayed Brad Taylor, has faced a series of legal troubles. He was arrested for a DUI in late 2020, again in December 2025, and in February 2026 was sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to a felony DUI. An additional 19‑month sentence followed in March 2026 after he admitted to three probation violations. Thomas, who played Randy Taylor, retired from acting in 2006. He returned briefly to the profession in the mid‑2010s for a handful of episodes of Last Man Standing, another Allen‑starring series, but a 2024 interview with Patricia Richardson revealed that Thomas has shifted his focus to directing and writing.

Other original cast members are also unavailable. Taran Noah Smith, who played Mark Taylor, left acting in 1999. Earl Hindman, the actor who portrayed the Taylors’ neighbor Wilson, died in 2003. The only remaining regulars from the original lineup are Richard Karn (Al Borland) and Debbie Dunning (Heidi Keppert). Dunning retired from acting in 2006, though she appeared as a guest star alongside Richardson and Karn in the season 2 premiere of Allen’s current sitcom Shifting Gears last year.

With these obstacles in place, the series remains a snapshot of 1990s television. The original episodes are currently available for streaming on Netflix and Hulu. Allen is set to return to television as auto‑restoration shop owner Matt Parker in Shifting Gears season 3, which ABC has announced will debut in 2027, though an exact date has not yet been released. He will also reprise his role as Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 5, which premieres on June 19.

In short, Tim Allen’s desire to revive Home Improvement is hampered by the unavailability of key former cast members, ongoing legal and personal issues that have kept Zachery Ty Bryan and Jonathan Taylor Thomas from participating, and the retirement or death of other original actors. The series remains accessible through streaming platforms, and Allen’s current projects keep him in the public eye.