Home Improvement Stars Reunite for Building Competition Series on History

Andy Swift
·3 min read

History is giving Home Improvement fans the next best thing to a full-blown reboot, reuniting Tool Time duo Tim Allen and Richard Karn for a building-themed reality competition series, TVLine has learned.

The 10-episode series, tentatively titled Assembly Required, will “spotlight the best and brightest builders from across the country, at their home workshops, as they compete to breathe new life into everyday household items in desperate need of fixing. This new series will push each contestant to their limits while testing their ability and ingenuity to not only rebuild it but to build it better. In each episode, Allen and Karn will also dive into the unique history around these items to celebrate the men and women who crafted them, and the techniques used.”

Karn will serve as host, executive-producing alongside Allen. Assembly Required is expected to premiere sometime in 2021.

“Let’s face it — we’re living in a throwaway society,” Allen said in a statement. “We buy, break, replace… rinse and repeat. Whatever happened to repair and rebuild?! There are some people who unfriend, unfollow and dispose of anything that offends, annoys or breaks — so I’ve created a show to remind people of the satisfaction and pride that comes from rebuilding something on their own. And who better to join me than my buddy from the old Tool Time days — Richard Karn! Now we’re talking More Power! Albert Einstein once said, ‘I’m not a genius, I’m just passionately curious.’ Well, let’s get curious! Even a chimpanzee would at least show interest, right? Wait — I think I just came up with another idea for the show! R-R-R!”

Speaking with TVLine in February about a potential Home Improvement reboot, Allen said, “I always think about it because I still talk to everybody involved. … I like the idea of doing it as a one-off, like a one-hour movie [versus a full-fledged revival series]. I like the idea of finding out where the boys are now, and where … Tool Time would be in today’s world. I just think it’s a marvelous idea, and all the actors think it’s a great idea.”

Karn previously reunited with Allen when he appeared in two episodes of ABC’s Last Man Standing in 2013. (Click here to see more mini Home Improvement cast reunions.)

Are you putting Assembly Requited on your watch list for 2021? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.

Launch Gallery: <i>Home Improvement</i> Reunion Photos

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