Laffing with "Home Improvement" This Fall on Laff

[stevearino]

As many of you are aware, last week, the Over-the-Air Digital Channel Laff made a multi-year agreement with The Walt Disney Company for Laff to air reruns of the hit '90s Walt Disney Television sitcom "Home Improvement."

For those unfamiliar with the show--doubtful, but just in case--here's the Inside Scoop on Disney's most profitable TV show ever (according to Ultimate Disney via http://ultimatedisney.com).

The year is 1990. George "Daddy" Bush, age 66, is U.S. President; the War of the Gulf is in full effect; and stand-up comic Timothy Allen "Tim" Dick (born on June 13, 1953 in Denver, Colorado) is the hottest Comedy ticket in town.

In Summer 1990, veteran TV producers Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra and David McFadzean (under the Wind Dancer Productions, Inc. banner) decided to create a situation comedy pilot for The Walt Disney Company titled "Hammer Time," a spoof on Bob Vila's "This Old House." Eventually, after seeing the Comedy special "Men are Pigs," Disney CEO/Chairman Mike Eisner suggested that the trio re-tool the show as a vehicle for Tim, rechristening the series "Home Improvement."

Joining Tim in the cast by January 1991 were a slew of veteran actors--among them Patricia Richardson as Tim's wife of 12 years, Jill; 9-year-old Zachery Bryan as eldest Taylor son Brad; 9-year-old Jonathan Thomas (real name: Jonathan Taylor Weiss) as middle Taylor son Randy; and 6-year-old Taran Smith as youngest Taylor son Mark, whom Brad and Randy picked on relentlessly; the pilot for "Home Improvement" was taped on Stage 4 at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California on April 19, 1991.

Soon afterwards, a major tabloid threatened a major revelation about Tim Allen's past: in October 1978, Tim, then age 25, was arrested for attempting to sell Cocaine at a local Airpor in Kalamazoo, Michigan (near his adopted hometown of Detroit, Michigan); Tim pled Guilty to criminal charges in connection with the case, and cooperated with local authorities, and while awaiting sentencing, worked at a local Sporting Goods store and began straightening his life out.

In November 1979, a local judge sentenced Tim to a maximum 7 years in Prison, to be served at the Sandstone Federal Prison in Minnesota; Tim was Paroled in March 1982 after spending 2 1/2 years behind bars.

In 1984, Tim and his college sweetheart, Laura Deibel, got married; the following December, they became 1st-time parents to a baby girl, Katherine Deibel "Kady" Dick, and Tim began working as a Commercial Male Model while doing stand-up comedy on the side along with working at a Detroit ad agency.

Rather than allow a tabloid to reveal Tim's past, Tim decided, along with Disney, to reveal the information HIMSELF; on September 17, 1991, at 8 P.M. ET / PT (right after the Season 5 debut of the '80s sitcom "Full House," moving from Friday nights at 8 P.M. that season), "Home Improvement" made its TV debut on the ABC Television Network to the top of the Nielsen ratings.

By year's end, the show tied with NBC/Paramount Television's "Cheers" at #4 in the Nielsens; the following Fall, however, ABC moved "Home Improvement" to Wednesday nights at 9 P.M. opposite the then-struggling NBC/Castle Rock Entertainment sitcom "Seinfeld," with "Home" beating "Seinfeld" regularly so much that NBC moved "Seinfeld" to Thursday nights at 9 just to be given a chance--a move making "Seinfeld" the classic it is now and forevermore.

"Home," meanwhile, moved back to Tuesdays at 9 in September 1994 (switching timeslots with the '80s sitcom "Roseanne") to continued ratings gold--so much so that on September 11, 1995, a special episode of "Home Improvement" aired exclusively in first-run syndication, with the episode airing later that TV season on ABC as well mid-season.

Big changes, however, came along in September 1998, when Jonathan Thomas, by this time a bonafide Teen Idol, decided to leave "Home" to concentrate on his impending real-life College Studies, eventually graduating from Harvard in 2004; despite continued ratings success in a new timeslot, airing Tuesday nights at 8 P.M., Tim Allen decided, in January 1999, that Season 8 of "Home Improvement" would be the last after he and Pat Richardson jointly turned down an offer for a ninth and final season.

ABC celebrated the series' success with a 2-hour Finale Telecast on May 25, 1999 from 8-10 P.M. ET / PT that night--a finale that would, in September 1999, be released on VHS by Walt Disney Home Entertainment; in the years since, reruns have continued to flourish in syndication, as well as on basic cable networks such as TBS, WGN, Nickelodeon and Hallmark Channel.

And now, "Home" has a new Home this Fall on Laff.

"Home Improvement" was produced by Wind Dancer Productions, Inc. in association with Walt Disney Television.

[MA]

Hopefully the show won’t be crunched.

[BigManMike]

Originally Posted by MikaelaArsenault

Hopefully the show won’t be crunched.

I was thinking the same thing. I haven’t watched a lot of this show and would like to see more. If I remember correctly, I don’t remember this show having much of a closing theme song and usually had the credits playing over a scene of bloopers. If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be crunched as this channel only seems to crunch closings with music. I could definitely watch this if it’s on in prime time.

[Svenfan1234]

This is good news. Hopefully they add Blossom, also from Disney, in the near future.

[JO Sweet Heart]

Originally Posted by thebigcookie

I was thinking the same thing. I haven’t watched a lot of this show and would like to see more. If I remember correctly, I don’t remember this show having much of a closing theme song and usually had the credits playing over a scene of bloopers. If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be crunched as this channel only seems to crunch closings with music. I could definitely watch this if it’s on in prime time.

I loved watching the show's endings. To me, seeing the actors mess up only made the show better.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

[icecream]

Great move for LAFF. Ideal slot for me would be 5-8PM replacing Drew Carey and That 70s Show, with Night Court leading into it. plus some good weekend times

[MA]

I really wish Laff wouldn't air these block marathons anymore. Two episodes is plenty and the schedule should just be changed around.

[Svenfan1234]

Originally Posted by MikaelaArsenault

I really wish Laff wouldn't air these block marathons anymore. Two episodes is plenty and the schedule should just be changed around.

The thing is that they can only do block marathons because they have too little shows. I imagine that's why they do it.

[MA]

New shows need to be added and the existing shows should move around.

[storrs19]

Starts Monday June 4 according to the promos. Fast replacement for Roseanne I assume.