Tim Allen is giving an update on the status of a proposed Home Improvement revival that’s likely to disappoint fans of the classic sitcom.
The 72-year-old comedian – who had a sweet run-in with Taylor Swift at Tuesday’s world premiere of Toy Story 5 – revealed that ‘personality problems’ with other members of the cast have kept the series from taking off, according to an interview with Us Weekly that was published on Wednesday.
In particular, he claimed that issues with his original on-screen sons were making it difficult to get the whole gang back together.
‘They keep talking about how it could move forward, but they get stuck [because] there are some personality problems right now with the boys,’ Allen said.
‘They’ve got their own issues,’ he continued, without offering specifics. ‘I always thought it would be cool if it was a story about them. That’s a little challenging right now, to put it mildly.’
The most obvious issue would be 44-year-old former actor Zachery Ty Bryan’s ongoing legal issues.
Tim Allen, 72, gave a disappointing update on the future of a Home Improvement revival while speaking to Us Weekly. He blamed the hold up on the ‘personality problems’ of multiple actors in the original cast; pictured Tuesday in Hollywood at the Toy Story 5 world premiere
In particular, he claimed that issues with his original on-screen sons were making it difficult to get the gang back together. ‘They’ve got their own issues,’ he said. ‘I always thought it would be cool if it was a story about them. That’s a little challenging right now, to put it mildly’; (L–R) Zachery Ty Bryan, Allen, Taran Noah Smith, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Patricia Richardson
Bryan, who played Brad, the oldest of the Taylor sons, was sentenced to 19 months in prison in March after he pleaded guilty to violating his parole.
Bryan was forced to appear virtually at the sentencing hearing, as he is currently serving time in a California jail after being sentenced to 16 months over a 2024 DUI conviction.
The former child star – who tried to reinvent himself as a right-wing pundit before his struggles with addiction led to multiple run-ins with police – had been on probation since a 2023 domestic violence conviction, with the arrangement stipulating that he not consume alcohol, leave the area without advance permission, commit any new crimes, or contact his victim.
However, Bryan was subsequently arrested five times in three different states, violating his parole terms each time.
Even as he serves time for his DUI conviction, which violated his parole, the former actor went on trial for violating his parole in Oregon.
Bryan is facing more legal troubles, as he also faces DUI charges in Oklahoma, where authorities reportedly intend to extradite him once his sentence in California has been completed.
While he has been the most publicly troubled of Home Improvement’s former child stars, Allen’s other on-screen children may not be any more likely to return for the proposed revival.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas, 44, was once a heartthrob with a promising career beyond Home Improvement, which included voicing young Simba in the Lion King.
The most obvious issue would be 44-year-old former actor Zachery Ty Bryan’s ongoing legal issues. Bryan, who played Brad, the oldest of the Taylor sons, was sentenced to 19 months in prison in March after he pleaded guilty to violating his parole; seen in his mugshot
Jonathan Taylor Thomas, 44, was once a heartthrob with a promising career; seen in 2003
However, Taylor’s film career failed to take off, and following a string of guest appearances on TV through the mid-2000s, he took a break from acting
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However, his film career failed to take off, and following a string of guest appearances on TV through the mid-2000s, he took a break from acting.
Ironically, his last acting credits are for a handful of guest appearances he made on Allen’s series Last Man Standing from 2013 to 2015.
Taylor reunited with both Allen and his on-screen Home Improvement mother, Patricia Richardson, in a 2015 episode.
Taran Noah Smith – who played the youngest Taylor son, Mark – gave up acting almost as soon as Home Improvement ended after eight seasons in 1999.
‘I started Home Improvement when I was seven, and the show ended when I was 16. I never had the chance to decide what I wanted to do with my life,’ he said in 2001. ‘When I was 16, I knew that I didn’t want to act anymore.’
Smith hasn’t appeared on screen in a significant role since, and there’s been no indication that he would be interested in returning.
Even Allen’s onscreen wife, 75-year-old Richardson, has signaled that a revival is unlikely to come to pass, as she claimed even she wasn’t given proper notice.
In a 2024 appearance on the Back To The Best podcast, she said Allen had been speaking about the proposed project as if it had already been greenlit.
Ironically, his last acting credits are for a handful of guest appearances he made on Allen’s series Last Man Standing from 2013 to 2015;Taylor (R) is pictured with Allen, Amanda Fuller and Jordan Masterson on Last Man Statnding
Taran Noah Smith (front center) – who played the youngest Taylor son, Mark – gave up acting almost as soon as Home Improvement ended after eight seasons in 1999
Even Allen’s onscreen wife, 75-year-old Patricia Richardson (pictured in 2023 in LA), has signaled that a revival is unlikely to come to pass, as she claimed even she wasn’t given proper notice
‘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, via People.
‘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?’
In addition to making it clear that the project was of little interest to her, she listed all of the reasons it would be difficult to get off the ground.
‘I mean, Zach is now a felon,’ Richardson stated. ‘Taran 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,’ she added, referring to actor Earl Hindman, who played the Taylors’ neighbor, who was almost always seen speaking on the other side of a wooden fence with his face obscured below his eyes.
Bryan’s latest prison sentence originates from his arrest in Eugene, Oregon, in November. After police received a reckless-endangerment call, they discovered Bryan in a truck with his fiancée, Johnnie Faye Cartwright — whom he was prohibited by his probation from contacting — along with their three young children.
While speaking to TMZ, Bryan’s attorney, John Kolego, criticized the judge’s sentence as being overly harsh.
‘The sentence was excessive. It was ridiculous,’ he said. ‘Zachery has experienced a lot of trauma.’
After his latest sentencing in March, Bryan’s attorney criticized the judge for sentencing him to more jail time, which he called a ‘poor use of resources’ because it did nothing to treat Bryan’s ‘alcohol problem’; Bryan is pictured with his fiancée, Johnnie Faye Cartwright
Bryan (pictured in 1998) is also facing DUI charges in Oklahoma, and authorities in California reportedly plan to extradite him after his first sentence is complte
Kolego admitted that his client had an ‘alcohol problem’ and argued that the judge’s focus should have been on getting Bryan into a treatment program.
‘Putting him in jail or prison is not going to help the situation. Poor use of resources,’ he continued. ‘I’m very disappointed in the judge.’
Kolego noted that Bryan made sure to attend the hearing remotely since he was currently incarcerated.
‘He apologized to the court, he said he wants to be the best father he can be, acknowledged he needs help with his alcohol problem and the judge slapped him with this sentence,’ he added.
Bryan was sentenced to 16 months in custody in February in connection with his 2024 DUI arrest.
He received his sentence at a rearraignment following a pact he reached in the case with the prosecution, TMZ, citing court documents.
Bryan entered a guilty plea to DUI, with an admission that he had a BAC (blood alcohol content) of 0.15 percent, almost twice the legal limit of .08.
The latter part came with an enhancement due to the severity of the offense, according to the outlet. Compounding problems for the former sitcom star were a pair of past DUI convictions, which made his dealings in this case considerably more difficult.
Bryan received his previous sentence at a rearraignment following a pact he reached in the case with the prosecution, TMZ in February, citing court documents; Bryan was seen in 2016 in LA
The presiding judge declined to give Bryan probation and sentenced him to one year and four months in the county jail, the outlet reported. Bryan was credited with 57 days served.
Bryan last year pointed to a difficult transition from childhood fame to adulthood responsibility in explaining his most recent arrest in connection with domestic violence.
Bryan was taken into custody by police in Riverside County, California, in the early morning hours of February 17, 2024, in connection with driving under the influence with three or more priors.
Authorities said that a misdemeanor contempt of court charge was also linked to the arrest.
‘Deputies assigned to the La Quinta Sheriff’s Station conducted a traffic stop in the area of Washington Street and Calle Tampico in La Quinta on a vehicle suspected of being involved in a recent traffic collision,’ Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez said in a statement at the time.
Brito-Gonzalez said that ‘when deputies contacted the driver, they observed indications of impairment, leading to the driver’s arrest for driving under the influence with priors.’
Bryan told TMZ in November that ‘fame as a child actor left scars’ in his life and psyche, leading to a number of legal issues he’s dealt with as an adult more than two decades later.
Bryan said that ‘being thrust into the spotlight at nine years old brought pressures I wasn’t equipped to handle — but that’s no justification for my choices as an adult.’
Bryan played Brad Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement from 1991–1999 and appeared on 203 episodes
Bryan said he is embarking on ‘a journey toward personal growth’ in an effort to avoid these types of situations moving forward.
Bryan made clear he understood that ‘domestic violence in any form is unacceptable,’ telling the outlet that he ‘deeply’ regrets wrongdoings spurred by immaturity stemming from his unconventional childhood.
‘The truth is, I’ve struggled with the lasting effects of early fame, addiction, and poor decision-making, which have hurt people I care about and led to repeated legal issues, including DUIs and past domestic incidents,’ Bryan told the outlet.
Bryan said that ‘this latest situation, involving a restraining order and serious accusations, has been a painful wake-up call.’
He told the outlet that he was especially hurt by how his legal issues have led to people judging him as a parent.
‘Being labeled a “bad dad” cuts deep,’ Bryan said, ‘because my children are my world, and I know I’ve fallen short.’
Bryan, who played Clay in 2006’s Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift, said he is looking to correct course with therapy and by enrolling in drug rehabilitation and anger management programs.
Bryan appeared with Allen, Richardson, Thomas and Smith on 203 episodes of Home Improvement.
‘I don’t know what’s going on with him,’ Allen told The Hollywood Reporter in 2022 of Bryan. ‘Zach is a great kid who has grown into a complex man.
‘All you can do is step aside and let somebody go through their process. At a certain point, he deviated from the guy I know to somebody who is reacting to situations that I had nothing to do with and can’t control.’
