Tim Allen is bringing Tim Taylor fromHome ImprovementtoLast Man Standing. It’s been 21 years since Allen last portrayed Allen on the small screen. The comedian starred as Tim “The Toolman” Taylor in ABC’sHome Improvement, which aired for eight seasons from 1991-1999 and became one of the most-watched American sitcoms of all time.Last Man Standinghas featured some of Allen’s former co-stars over the years, but he has never reprised the role of Tim Taylor for the hit series.
The ninth and final season ofLast Man Standingpremieres Sunday, January 3rd with an episode titled Dual Time. The Baxters see double when Vanessa hires a home improvement repairman who bears an uncannily resemblance to Mike, who is struggling with an idea for his Outdoor Man 10th Anniversary vlog. In a preview for the episode, Tim Allen can be seen on screen playing both Tim Taylor and Mike Baxter. “They call me the toolman,” says Tim Taylor in the teaser, while wearing a Binford Tools T-shirt. He then does his famous grunting noise, in which Mike admits is “a little annoying.”
TheLast Man Standingpreview also teases another one of Tim Allen’s iconic roles fromThe Santa Claus.Mike Baxter’s beardhas grown very long in the clip and he can be heard saying, “I won’t shave until we get through this… I could play Santa Claus.” Allen fans are sure to get a kick out of the episode preview.
Home Improvementcast members Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Patricia Richardson have made cameos onLast Man Standingover the years. When asked whether or not the final season of his Fox sitcom would feature any nods to his days with ABC asTim Taylor, Tim Allen teased that anything was possible. “I can’t say, because some of this is in negotiation, but I always love stunt casting,” he said back in January of this year. “There’s a whole bunch of people we’ve reached out to. So yes, that’s always fun. When it’s kind of relevant, we will do that!”
Could fans end up seeing more of theHome Improvementfamily at some point down the line? As it turns out,Tim Allenhas been pretty vocal about wanting to reunite the cast for a revival series, or at the very least, one episode. In February of this year, Allen said, “I like the idea of doing it as a one-off, like a one-hour movie [versus a full-fledged revival series]. I like the idea of finding out where the boys are now, and where… Tool Time would be in today’s world. I just think it’s a marvelous idea, and all the actors think it’s a great idea.”
TheHome Improvementrevival series comments were made earlier this year, before the public health crisis put a stop to a lot of plans. As for whether or not that happens now is anyone’s guess, but other cast members are more than willing to reunite with Tim Allen to get the gang back together. TheLast Man Standingteaser can be seen above, thanks to theFox YouTubechannel.
