Uuuuahhhhhhhhh?!? Patricia Richardson is perplexed by Tim Allen’s recent claims about a Home Improvement reboot series. Richardson played Jill Taylor, the wife of Tim “The Toolman” Taylor in the 1990s sitcom, whose iron grip on the Taylor household helped keep the family unit from falling into disrepair. Expressing confusion about Allen’s claims that the entire cast is ready to reunite for a reboot series, Richardson confirmed she’s disinterested in reprising her iconic role.
“It was so weird, I would hear he was coming out publicly and saying this stuff about everyone was on board to do a Home Improvement reunion, but he never asked me and he never asked Jonathan [Taylor Thomas],” Richardson said on Thursday’s episode of the Back to the Best podcast.
“I called Jonathan one day and said, ‘Has he asked you about this? He went, ‘No.’ So why is he saying everyone is on board when he hasn’t talked to you or me?” Richardson added, squashing rumors about a Home Improvement reboot script circulating online.
“I wrote a big thing on Twitter and said I’m not involved in any series with Jill and I’ve also never even been asked to do another Home Improvement reunion thing, but I would not want to,” Richardson said.
For several reasons, Allen saying the entire cast is returning for a reunion series is bizarre. For starters, Zachery Ty Brayn, who played Tim and Jill’s eldest son, Brad Taylor, is now a felon after getting arrested on charges related to domestic violence and a DUI. Meanwhile, Earl Hindman, who played the Taylor family’s faceless, advice-giving neighbor, Wilson, has passed on. How you could make a Home Improvement reboot work without either of those characters is beyond me.
“I mean, Zach is now a felon,” Richardson pointed out. “Taran [Noah Smith] hasn’t acted since he left the show; he’s not an actor anymore. And Jonathan’s not really interested in acting. He wants to direct and write. And we don’t have Wilson.”
Speaking with The Messenger last year, Allen said, “One of the conversations we’ve had recently is how weird it would be if Home Improvement would be about the kids’ kids,” Allen said. “Like if all of them had children, and I’m a grandparent. Home Re-Improvement or something like that. It’s come up.”
While Allen’s idea for a follow-up series sounds like something ABC could cook up, I don’t see the project happening without several original players returning. Would Richard Karn strap on his toolbelt again to play the lovable Al Borland? What about Debbe Dunning’s Heidi Keppert? From the sound of things, Patricia Richardson is more in touch with the status of a Home Improvement reboot than Allen.
Would you watch a Home Improvement reboot without the involvement of cast members from the original series? What if Tim Allen launched a solo sequel series with new actors? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.