Beloved '90s Sitcom Is Coming to Netflix for the First Time
Tim “The Toolman” Taylor and the rest of the Home Improvement gang are headed for Netflix!
All 204 episodes from the hit ’90s sitcom’s eight-season run will be available on the streaming platform for the first time beginning Feb. 1, according to What’s on Netflix. The series, which starred Tim Allen, is the last of 14 Disney-owned shows to join the Netflix library for an 18-month window as part of an agreement with Disney Entertainment, first reported by Deadline in December 2023. As part of the non-exclusive licensing deal, Home Improvement will continue to stream on Disney+ as well.
The show followed Allen’s Tim Taylor’s antics on both his home improvement show Tool Time and at home with his family, consisting of wife Jill (Patricia Richardson) and sons Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and Mark (Taran Noah Smith).
During its original run on ABC from 1991 to 1999, Home Improvement was a bona fide hit, earning multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and making major stars of its cast, including Allen, Thomas and Pamela Anderson.
In recent years, Allen, 71, has fueled rumors of a reboot of the series, telling Entertainment Tonight in 2018 that other cast members had told him that it “would be cool to do it years later, like Roseanne.”
Allen even reprised his Home Improvement role on a 2021 episode of his show Last Man Standing, which Taylor and Richardson have both appeared on.
Last year, however, Richardson, 73, who scored four Emmy nominations for her role as Jill, shut down the idea of a Home Improvement revival.
“I’d hear that he was coming out publicly and saying this stuff about how everyone was on board to do a Home Improvement reunion,” she said of Allen on the Back to the Best podcast in April. “But he never asked me, and he never asked Jonathan [Taylor Thomas] who I talk to. So I called Jonathan one day and I said, ‘Has he asked you about this?’ And he went, ‘No. Why is he going around telling everyone that we’re all on board when he hasn’t talked to you or me?’ I think that’s weird.”
“It would be very weird,” she said of a reboot. “It makes me sad to think about it. I think — we did it. We did it well. We quit at the right time before it got really bad. And it should just stay as it is.”
Richardson also noted that neither Smith nor Thomas act anymore, while Bryan, 43, has been arrested repeatedly in recent years. In 2020, the former teen heartthrob was arrested for allegedly strangling his girlfriend, pleading guilty to two domestic violence misdemeanor charges. He was arrested again in 2023 and charged with fourth-degree felony assault as well as third-degree robbery and misdemeanor harassment, again pleading guilty to felony assault in the fourth degree and serving a seven-day jail sentence.
He has been arrested twice in the past year on DUI charges, and on Jan. 1, Bryan was once again arrested on charges of second-degree domestic violence.
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Meanwhile Anderson, who appeared in the first two seasons of Home Improvement as Lisa "the Tool Time girl," alleged in her 2023 memoir Love, Pamela that Allen flashed his penis at her on her first day on set.
“I walked out of my dressing room, and Tim was in the hallway in his robe,” Anderson wrote. “He opened his robe and flashed me quickly — completely naked underneath. He said it was only fair, because he had seen me naked.”
Allen has denied the allegation, writing in a statement that “it never happened. I would never do such a thing.”
Tim Allen's new sitcom, 'Shifting Gears,' is all about fixing cars and healing families. For the star, it hits close to home.
If something needs fixing, Tim Allen’s your guy — but make sure you have a backup plan.
“I’m good at diagnosing,” Allen told Yahoo Entertainment. “I usually eff it up before I fix it.” Case in point: He recently tore apart his daughter’s rowing machine to troubleshoot a problem, only to realize all it needed was the push of a button.
That mix of good intentions and learning as he goes is Allen’s signature, and it’s what cemented him as one of TV’s most beloved dads. From the tool-wielding Tim Taylor on Home Improvement to the wisecracking Mike Baxter on Last Man Standing, he’s built a legacy of relatable father figures known for being both handy and hilariously misguided.
Now, Allen is back in Shifting Gears, a new sitcom premiering Jan. 8 on ABC. Only this time, things look a little different.
Unlike his past sitcom roles, Allen’s Matt Parker is a gruff widower whose estranged daughter, played by Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls), moves in with her two kids in tow. Together, the family faces the challenges of navigating grief, rebuilding their relationships and healing old wounds.
It’s a plot that hits close to home for Allen, who lost his father in a car accident as a child.
“My dad was a doer,” Allen said. “He always worked hard, and we would do stuff with him, whether it’s gardening or working on his car. So, I’ve always appreciated men that know how to do stuff.”
That’s evident in the roles he plays.
“In every sitcom I’ve done I've always wanted the men and women to be best friends and affectionate,” he said. “Both my parents, my father and mother, were like that before he passed away. I always thought that set the tone for the family.”
Allen knows sitcoms don’t reflect real life entirely.
“Ultimately, this show is about how wonderful people have horrible things happen to them, and they stay human. They don’t fall apart,” he said. “Nobody’s family gets these things settled in 24 minutes. Matt is dealing with grief. He restores cars, but what he’s really restoring is his relationship with his daughter.”
For Dennings, acting alongside Allen is a full-circle moment.
“It feels like we’ve been doing this for a very long time,” she told Yahoo Entertainment. “Everyone was really excited to see Tim doing this again.”
Dennings’s character Riley is as stubborn and strong-willed as her father. Riley is ideologically progressive, while Matt leans more conservative. Despite their frequent clashes, they share an openness to learning from each other.
“Their belief systems are very different, but she is his daughter,” Dennings explained, adding that the moments where their differences come to a head are some of her favorites.
A little on-set humor also helps. Referring to Allen as a “dad joke aficionado,” Dennings said she and the crew are often at the receiving end of his practical jokes — like when he routinely pretends to run into walls to make them laugh.
“It gets me every time,” she said. “It’s hilarious. He keeps the set very fun.”
Riley is a far cry from Max Black, the snarky, wisecracking waitress Dennings brought to life on 2 Broke Girls.
“I’m having such a different experience with this show, in a good way,” she said. “Now, in my 30s, I feel much more laid-back.”
Also rounding out the cast are Seann William Scott and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Gabriel and Ed, a duo working in Matt’s car shop. They lend humor to the show and play a subtle role in helping Matt forge his relationship with Riley, each in his own way.
“We’ve got two different strengths, and it works perfectly,” Mitchell told Yahoo Entertainment about the duo’s onscreen chemistry: Scott’s knack for “dissecting scripts” and Mitchell’s talent for “pushing for the joke” in their scenes.
Scott joined the show after the pilot had already been shot, replacing a character played by Froy Gutierrez in the pilot. Scott said the cast and crew welcomed him with open arms on set.
“Chill embraced me. He was so kind and so warm,” Scott recalled.
“And starstruck!” Mitchell interjected. “I was over the moon, dude. You came in that door, I said, ‘Yo, it’s about to go down.’”
“I think that’s exactly what you said,” Scott replied, noting that he and Mitchell often add their own “special sauce” to the script.
“There’s stuff that happens in the car shop that’s just for [our characters], selfishly,” he said. “We’ve been having fun doing that.”
One moment showcases Mitchell, who uses a wheelchair, playfully schooling Allen’s character on the importance of using respectful language when referring to people who use wheelchairs.
“It was a very good teachable moment,” Mitchell said. “A lot of times, [people] say things, and they don’t mean to be mean, but I’ve learned that people are just ignorant to the facts.”
As for Allen, he said the car shop setting on Shifting Gears is more than just a backdrop. It’s a metaphor for the show’s deeper message.
“I want Matt Parker to be for everybody,” he said. “He lost the love of his life, his daughter comes back, and in the middle of all that, there is something about this man that thinks restoration is possible.”
Shifting Gears premieres Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Tim Allen's New Sitcom Has Nostalgic Nod to 'Home Improvement'
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Ever since news of Tim Allen’s new sitcom, Shifting Gears, has come out, fans have been flocking to the show’s Instagram in anticipation of premiere day. In doing so, some fans have noticed yet another parallel between the soon-to-debut ABC show and Tim’s OG 1990s ABC sitcom, Home Improvement.
In the promo imagery and videos for Shifting Gears, Matt (Tim) and Riley (Kat Dennings), as well as some of the other cast, are seen huddled around a nostalgically familiar burgundy convertible.
“I spy a hotrod from Home Improvement,” one fan pointed out on Instagram. “Is that the same car from Home Improvement,” someone chimed in. “Yup, it’s one of Tim’s personal cars,” another fan commented.
The car in question is a 1946 Ford Convertible—and it’s just one of Tim’s personal cars featured on the show.
In a BTS shot posted on Instagram, Tim can be seen on set amongst a few cars, including a green 1956 Ford F-100 pickup truck, which he worked with in his role on Last Man Standing.
“Ahhhhhhh🥰 it’s Mike Baxter’s truck,” one fan exclaimed on Instagram. “Hey…Mike found the green truck that was stolen in the last episode of Last Man Standing,” someone else wrote. “Love this! I hope to see homages to past shows in this one. It just screams Tim Allen,” another fan remarked.
Shifting Gears premieres on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, on ABC, with next-day streaming available on Hulu.
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‘Last Man Standing’ Cast: Check-In with Tim Allen and Crew
Last Man Standing is a Tim Allen classic, featuring the actor as Mike Baxter, a happily married father to three daughters, who is dealing with being the only male in his household. Mike tries to maintain his manliness in a female-dominated home by escaping to work as a marketing director at the Outdoor Man store. Check-in with the cast of Last Man Standing and see what the stars have been up to!
Character Played: Mike Baxter
Born: June 13, 1953, in Denver, Colorado
Best Known For: TV series including Home Improvement (1991-1999), as well as such movies as The Santa Clause franchise (1994-2006), the Toy Story franchise (1995-2019)
Thoughts on Last Man Standing“To be very honest, I have had problems letting go of this one. It’s just been three or four weeks and I’m literally just feeling better… This crew, from the guy at the gate to Radford inside to people we ate with, I loved every second of this experience.”
Character Played: Vanessa Baxter
Born: September 21, 1961, in New York City
Best Known For: Movies Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), The Vanishing (1993) and Greedy (1994)
Thoughts on Last Man Standing“You can watch it with anybody in your family and you can be entertained by it, and you can also be stimulated by it,” Nancy says. “It’s nice that it speaks to so many people.”
Character Played: Ed Alzate
Born: December 22, 1936, in New York City
Best Known For: Pretty Woman (1990), Runaway Bride (1999), The Princess Diaries (2001) and The Princess Diaries 2 (2004)
Thoughts on Last Man Standing“The thing about Ed that’s interesting is that when they need to fill up a hole, they have Ed. [Laughs.] He can be the generous guy or the stingy guy; the hard-ass guy or the easy-going guy; the soft-hearted guy or not.”
Character Played: Kyle Anderson
Born: April 21, 1988, in Hendersonville, North Carolina
Best Known For: The TV series Ghost Whisperer (2008-2010) and the movies Hounddog (2007), Big Kill (2019) and Faith Based (2020)
Thoughts on Last Man Standing“The show has always been so good at showing a nice picture of an American family,” he said. “People come in and out of your life. Good and bad things happen. If we can continue that growth and show people we have grown and haven’t just been standing still, that’s what I want to see.”
Character Played: Kristin Baxter
Born: August 27, 1984, in Sacramento, California
Best Known For: Movies including Red White & Blue (2010) and Starry Eyes (2014)
Thoughts on Last Man Standing“It’s nice when you’re on a show for so long that’s about a family that you can actually track the amount of time it would take for a house full of kids to be all not in the house anymore… [that] gives it a whole other level of heart, which I think is nice.”
Character Played: Eve Baxter
Born: December 21, 1996, in Phoenix, Arizona
Best Known For: The TV series Justified (2011-2015) and Unbelievable (2019), as well as the movies Short Term 12 (2013) and Booksmart (2019)
Thoughts on Last Man Standing“I was 13 when I started the show, so I grew up there. Over time he [Tim] taught me a lot about comedic timing and not being afraid to ad-lib and make up your own thing.”
Character Played: Mandy Baxter
Born: May 22, 1986, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Best Known For: The TV series Halt and Catch Fire (2017) and Brockmire (2017). Also known for the movie The Front Runner (2018)
Thoughts on Last Man Standing“I think I'm more relaxed doing comedy and I like being able to play a character so much different than myself, so it's been a nice change of pace for me personally.”
Character Played: Ryan Vogelson
Born: April 9, 1986, in Long Island, New York
Best Known For: The TV series Greek (2010-2011) and the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
Character Played: Chuck Larabee
Born: July 16, 1967, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Best Known For: TV series including American Dreams (2002-2005), Bones (2005-2006) and Green Lantern: The Animated Series (2011-2013). Also known for the movies Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010) and Diablo III (2012)
Thoughts on Last Man Standing“I had comedy in my DNA. It was something I had done a great deal of and when I came to Hollywood all they wanted me to do was dramatic roles… It was really nice to get a chance to actually stretch all those comedy muscles that I developed over the years with Chuck.”
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Fact Check: CBS not working with Tim Allen and Richard Karn on 'non-woke sitcom'
CBS Entertainment has not offered $1 billion to actors Tim Allen and Richard Karn for a “non-woke sitcom,” a spokesperson for the broadcaster said, contrary to a false headline shared online.
Posts on social media , opens new tab featured the headline, “Breaking: CBS Offers Tim Allen and Richard Karn $1 Billion for a Non-Woke Sitcom, ‘Bound to Make Waves’.”
There is no credible reporting on such a deal, however. Links accompanying the posts lead to articles published by click-bait websites , opens new tab and sites that redirect , opens new tab to malicious content.
The headline originally appeared on an April 9 article , opens new tab on the Essposts website, which describes itself , opens new tab as “your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary.”
A similar headline , opens new tab , “CBS Invests $1 Billion In Richard Karn And Tim Allen’s New Non-Woke Sitcom, ‘It’s Bound To Make Waves’,” was posted with a satire label on Facebook on June 28 by a satire/parody page called SpaceX Fanclub, which is affiliated with Esspots , opens new tab .
A spokesperson for CBS Entertainment told Reuters via email: “There is no truth to these posts and reports.”
Representatives for Allen and Karn did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Allen and Karn have previously worked together on several shows such as Home Improvement , opens new tab , Assembly Required , opens new tab , and More Power , opens new tab . Karn also appeared in an episode of the Last Man Standing , opens new tab series which featured Allen in a lead role.
Reuters has previously addressed false narratives surrounding “wokeness” that stemmed from Esspots.
False. CBS has not offered $1 billion to actors Tim Allen and Richard Karn to work on a non-woke sitcom, the suggestion originated on a satirical website.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
