Tim Allen blames 'stuck' Home Improvement reboot on co-stars' 'personality problems'… amid onscreen son's string of arrests

Tim Allen shed light on the stalled plans for a Home Improvement reboot, placing the blame squarely on his onscreen sons' 'personality problems.'

The hit sitcom ran eight seasons from 1991 to 1999, led by Allen, 72, and Patricia Richardson, 75, as a suburban couple with three young sons played by Zachery Ty Bryan, 44, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, 44, and Taran Noah Smith, 42.

Smith left show business entirely after the show ended in 1999, and in the intervening decades has pursued such varied professional ventures as a vegan restaurant and a company that teaches people how to pilot submarines.

Thomas quit acting in 2006, briefly returning to the screen only for a four-episode guest shot on Allen's sitcom Last Man Standing from 2013 through 2015.

Bryan's post-show life has taken the most fraught trajectory, and he is now in jail after a string of arrests for offenses like domestic violence and DUI.

Now Allen has remarked that his co-stars' 'issues' have made the prospect of a Home Improvement revival 'difficult, to say the least,' via Us Weekly. 

'They keep talking about how it could move forward, but they get stuck [because] there are some personality problems right now with the boys,' he said.

'They’ve got their own issues. 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.' 

Home Improvement proved to be one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s, marking Allen's emergence as a star actor after years as a stand-up comic. 

Allen led the cast as a suburban father who hosts a TV show called Tool Time with a friend played by Richard Karn and a female foil, who for part of the series' run was a character portrayed by Pamela Anderson.

Other than Allen, the actor on the show who achieved the greatest celebrity was Thomas, who in 1994 was also the voice of young Simba in The Lion King.

However his career fizzled after Home Improvement ended and he gave up on acting altogether in 2006, with the exception of his four episodes on Allen's subsequent hit sitcom a decade later.

A couple of years ago, Allen claimed he had been 'talking about a spinoff' of Home Improvement with his onscreen sons and Richard Karn, per Entertainment Weekly.

Patricia Richardson, however, disputed his story, saying she had spoken to Thomas and he denied Allen had contacted him about a new show.

Richardson noted further that Thomas was 'not really interested in acting' any longer and rather 'wants to direct and write,' on the podcast Back to the Best. 

Allen's remarks come less than three months after it emerged Bryan is looking at even more jail time, following his sentencing in March for a probation violation. 

Bryan received a 19-month jail sentence in Oregon after previously pleading guilty to violating his parole, according to the state's KEZI News.

He was forced to appear virtually at the sentencing hearing, as he was already serving time in a California jail after being sentenced to 16 months over a 2024 DUI conviction.

Bryan 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, according to KEZI.

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.

Bryan's latest 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.'

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 re-arraignment following a pact he reached in the case with the prosecution, TMZ, citing court documents.

Bryan, who played Brad Taylor on the ABC sitcom from 1991–1999, 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.

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 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 Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Taran Noah 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.'