In 1991, ABC introduced us to the Taylor family on their hugely popular series “Home Improvement.” For eight seasons the classic show brought us the stories of Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, his family, and friends.
Fans and stars of the show alike are confused as to why “Home Improvement” is no longer available on paid streaming services. In fact, one of the stars of the hit ABC series took to Twitter on Sunday afternoon to discuss his concern regarding the fact Disney+ isn’t airing reruns of the show.
“Disney won’t play “Home Improvement “ on Disney+ for some reason… not sure why,” Karn wrote on the Sunday afternoon tweet.
“Home Improvement” stars Tim Allen as Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor. In the series, Karn played Al, Tim’s always loyal and often tortured sidekick.
“Home Improvement” Brought Fans A Family Sitcom and a “Show Within A Show”
In the show, Tim Taylor and Al starred in the “Home Improvement’s” “show within a show” a local home improvement series called “Tool Time.”
“Home Improvement” also stars Patricia Richards as Tim’s wife, and Zachery Ty Bryan, Jonathon Taylor Thomas, Taran Noah Smith as his three sons. The hit ABC series also featured Earl Hindman as Tim’s neighbor and sort of wise council. Tim the “Tool Man” would often step outside to seek advice from his neighbor who remained partially obscured during the show’s run.
The series had a massively successful eight-season run from 1991 to 1999. While the show ended before the turn of the millennium, it has always held a very large fanbase. Tim “The Tool Man’s” persona remains a popular pop culture icon. Prior to the introduction of streaming services such as Hulu, Disney +, and Netflix, “Home Improvement” enjoyed quite a productive tenure in syndication. However, once streaming services became more common, the show found a home streaming home on Hulu. That is until it disappeared from the services in 2020 without a trace.
Now, this disappearance seemed to coincide with the launch of Disney+. Loyal “Home Improvement” fans speculate that maybe this is the reason their favorite show was no longer on Hulu. Perhaps, “Home Improvement” which is owned by Disney, will find a new home on Disney+.
However, much to the dismay of the fans, the show did not show up on the streaming service. In fact, “Home Improvement” hasn’t appeared on any other subscription-based service since, either.
The show is available for purchase, however, through Amazon Prime. Individual episodes cost $1.99 or entire seasons for up to $19.99 each.
Could A Former Lawsuit Be to Blame?
While it is simply speculation, some sources have wondered if the lack of “Home Improvement” on Disney+ is related to a lawsuit that was filed nearly a decade ago.
The lawsuit involves the “Home Improvement production company, Wind Dancer Production. The suit alleged the Disney had cut Wind Dancer’s profits earned via the show’s run in syndication. The deal was that the production company would receive 75% of the syndication products. The suit alleges that Disney cut out a portion of this principal when paying the company.
The suit was officially settled in 2019. However, it is possible that even though the issue was resolved in court, the two companies may still be battling the profit issue. And, the two companies may be deciding how to split the pie once the series does find its new home.