There's no more reliable engine for comedy than the differences between men and women; Home Improvement puts that topic front and center. Launched from the stand-up comedy of Tim Allen (The Santa Clause, the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story), this sturdy sitcom rests on the endearing, befuddled machismo of Tim Taylor (Allen), the host of a how-to-build-stuff show called Tool Time, who finds raising three sons and being a supportive husband isn't always as easy as sanding down a door frame. In the show's first season, the tried-and-true domestic plotlines (for example: wife wants to have a romantic dinner, husband wants to watch the big game--the fodder of every family sitcom since the dawn of television) are given a fresh spin by Home Improvement's embrace (and gentle mockery) of the men's movement that flourished in the early '90s.
Tim's neighbor Wilson (Earl Hindman), whose face is always obscured by the fence between their yards, proves to be a font of Iron John-style wisdom--wisdom that Tim comically garbles when he puts it into practice. Allen and Patricia Richardson (as Tim's prickly but tolerant wife, Jill) immediately established a cozy but smart banter with enough bite to rise above the bland bickering of too many sitcoms. Some jokes degenerate into schtick--Tim's manly grunting becomes rote by the second episode--but Allen and his writing team consistently found surprises in this familiar territory. The capable supporting cast also includes Tim's sensitive and woefully single assistant Al (Richard Karn), his three cute sons (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Zachery Ty Bryan, and Taran Noah Smith), and Tool Time's eye-candy (future Baywatch sex bomb Pamela Anderson).
Cast and Characters
Tim Allen as Tim Taylor
Patricia Richardson as Jill Allen
Zachery Ty Bryan as Brad Taylor
Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Randy Taylor
Taran Noah Smith as Mark Taylor
Earl Hindman as Wilson Wilson
Richard Karn as Al Borland
Pamela Anderson as Lisa (1991-1993)
Debbie Dunning as Heidi (1993-1999)
Broadcast History First Telecast: September 17, 1991 Last Telecast: May 25, 1999 Number of Episodes: 203
Number of Seasons: 8
Original Network: ABC
September 1991- August 19992, ABC, Tuesday 8:30-9:00pm
August 1992- September 1994, ABC, Wednesday 9:00-9:30pm
March 1994- May 1994, ABC, Wednesday 8:00-8:30pm
September 1994- May 1999, ABC, Tuesday 9:00-9:30pm
Shows 
There's no more reliable engine for comedy than the differences between men and women; Home Improvement puts that topic front and center. Launched from the stand-up comedy of Tim Allen (The Santa Clause, the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story), this sturdy sitcom rests on the endearing, befuddled machismo of Tim Taylor (Allen), the host of a how-to-build-stuff show called Tool Time, who finds raising three sons and being a supportive husband isn't always as easy as sanding down a door frame. In the show's first season, the tried-and-true domestic plotlines (for example: wife wants to have a romantic dinner, husband wants to watch the big game--the fodder of every family sitcom since the dawn of television) are given a fresh spin by Home Improvement's embrace (and gentle mockery) of the men's movement that flourished in the early '90s.
