I remember seeing Benford Tools baseball caps, t-shirts, etc. for sale at MGM Disney Studios in the late 90's. I went there fairly often for a while because I had a seasonal pass, and always told myself I'd buy one of the caps on my next visit. I never did.
Also Little Giant Ladder System! We have one, it came with a DVD with Karn demonstrating the system IIRC. We never watched it but I remember them on TV. The ladder is handy but very heavy, in case you were curious. I think they make them out of lighter aluminum now. dan c
‘I Needed to Quit’: Actress Patricia Richardson Explains Why She Walked Away from Hit Show ‘Home Improvement’
Was anyone not a fan of the later seasons? Seems like towards the end, it wasn't as fun due to the boys getting older and the plots weren't about the boys as much anymore. The twin girls were not a great addition either along with JTT leaving the show.
I'm skeptical of her reason she gives in the interview "to be with my kids more" and give more support to her elderly parents. Those same pressures and concerns were there for the previous season or two that she worked on the show.
I think you can apply this to pretty much most sitcoms that last close to a decade though. Usually, the first 5-6 seasons are really good then after that depending on what show it is the quality begins to dip slowly each season.
Generally, it's 1-2 seasons to establish the characters, then seasons 3-5 or 6 where the show clicks on all cylinders. It's easy to tell when the writers have run out of ideas - you get cast additions that really don't fit, kids grow older, and a lot of "very special" episodes with "serious" subject matter, the ultimate kiss of death. Like your said, Home Improvement had run its course after six seasons, and the signs were easy to spot - the Jill character, never a show highlight, suddenly becoming more front and center and not in a good way, and the oldest one in the book, the kids getting older.
I don't know if we even made it to season 5. 1) Tim says or does something dumb or the kids do something dumb or stupid 2) Jill whines 3) Tim or kid digs hole deeper 4) Jill whines and lectures 5) Time goes to fence, receives words of wisdom from the mountain 6) Jill whines or yells 7) Tim uses newly gained wisdom to resolve problem
