This show was an instantaneous hit among both audiences and critics, garnering numerous accolades during its eight-season run: Golden Globe Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, Kids’ Choice Awards, ASCAP Award nominations and more were among its many honors and nominations. Furthermore, its massive home video success continued well past its initial air date; holding top positions for years after broadcast.
Although Home Improvement wasn’t exactly groundbreaking, it was nonetheless an engaging sitcom with outstanding writing and an engaging cast. The show featured characters with real chemistry that’s hard to replicate with modern TV actors; even though its humor may have been over the top at times, Home Improvement could still appeal to both adults and children.
Home Improvement was one of the highest-rated shows during its initial run in the ’90s, drawing over 40 million viewers each week when new episodes premiered. It competed and even outshone popular shows like Friends, Seinfeld and Roseanne in viewer ratings; yet over time it seems to have faded from public consciousness; its sole existing fan page on Angelfire now only draws less than 430,000 followers and was last updated over 10 years ago; similarly, most users do not engage with its sporadic Facebook page.
Home Improvement’s main flaw lies in its ageing: while it was popular during its original run in the ’90s, its tone now seems less relevant in an age where Fuller House and Broadcast Smut have taken precedence. Home Improvement was nominated as one of TV’s greatest family sitcoms of its time; yet its jokes about bumbling dads struggling with cooking skills while dealing with annoying wives seem almost obsolete in comparison.
Another possible contributor may be Home Improvement’s inconsistent performances from its cast members. Tim Allen stood out as the true star, while Zachary Ty Bryan and Jonathan Taylor Thomas struggled with keeping up their performances. Karn was good as an actor but never made an impressionful character; Mark, however, never advanced beyond initial introduction; regardless, Home Improvement made for an enjoyable sitcom worthy of its status as one of America’s favorite television series of all time.
