By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 43 seconds ago

In a world where “okay, Boomer” became the cynical default response to what older generations have to say, more and more youngsters are discovering that the Boomers were right about things like the importance of real menus (get those QR codes out of here!) and the stupidity of paper straws (literally the worst way to enjoy a drink). Furthermore, Boomers were right about something else: the quality of Home Improvement (1991), which was one of the highest-rated sitcoms of the ‘90s.

If you’re ready for serious laughs courtesy of Tim Allen (the Boomer-in-Chief himself), you can now stream this throwback classic on Netflix.

The Tools and the Talent

The premise of Home Improvement is that Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor must navigate hosting a successful home improvement show and being a good provider for his family. That family includes a spunky wife who gives as good as she gets and two rambunctious children who have the kookiest guy in all of Michigan as their father. An excellent family cast, along with a solid supporting cast of coworkers, neighbors, and friends, come together to create a vibrant, lived-in world whose nostalgic humor is even funnier now than it was when the show first premiered over three decades ago.

The cast of Home Improvement includes Patricia Richardson (best known outside of this show for the Strong Medicine series) as a strong-willed patriarch who won’t take any guff from her carefree husband or their two sons. Those sons are played to sassy sibling perfection by Zachery Ty Bryan (best known for The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), Taran Noah Smith (best known outside this show for Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home), and ‘90s heartthrob Jonathan Taylor Thomas (best known outside of this show for The Lion King). Meanwhile, the wise neighbor is played with gentle sagacity by Earl Hindman (best known for The Parallax View).

Outshining them all, though, is Tim Allen, who successfully transformed his comedy routine into a television show that dominated ‘90s airwaves. His performance is consistently funny, and while he (like Jerry Seinfeld before him) doesn’t take many creative risks, he always knows exactly how to make his audience laugh. Home Improvement is definitely Allen’s best performance, and it’s one that holds up quite impressively decades later.

The Most Complex Sitcom Relationship

After it hit the airwaves, critics decided that Home Improvement offered reliably entertaining chuckles, week after week. On Rotten Tomatoes, Season 1 has a rating of 64 percent, with critics praising the killer chemistry between lead actors Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson. Their sitcom marriage is almost shockingly complex in all its give-and-take glory, and their nuanced relationship is just as sweetly affecting now as it was back in the ‘90s.

General audiences enjoyed the show even more than the critics, which is why the debut season has an audience score of 84 percent. Those audiences praised the show for its relatable characters and humor fit for the whole family to enjoy. Of course, the show’s outsized popularity speaks for itself: it got a whopping eight seasons on network television, meaning that its terrific, Tool Time laughs absolutely dominated the ‘90s.

Tim “The Trophy Man” Taylor

Over those eight seasons, Home Improvement earned enough serious awards attention to fill more than a few toolboxes. For example, it was nominated for seven different Primetime Emmys (including multiple nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series), though it didn’t take home any trophies. It was also nominated for nine Golden Globes, with star Tim Allen ultimately taking home the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series—Musical or Comedy, along with other trophies ranging from a TV Guide Award to 12 People’s Choice Awards.

Growing up, Home Improvement was a staple of my childhood, and I enjoyed Tim Allen’s larger-than-life personality and the cozy world of his kooky family. Now, I think the show is better than ever, thanks to its tightly-written punchlines, fully realized characters, and off-the-wall chemistry between the actors. If you’re someone who’s always complaining about how there’s nothing new to watch, why not turn back the clock and embrace one of the most iconic sitcoms in television history?

Will you agree that Home Improvement is an evergreen Boomer classic, or will you want to slam the back button while doing your best Tim Allen grunt? The only way to find out is finally walk away from your neighbor’s fence to stream the vintage sitcom on Netflix. Afterward, you may join Allen himself in calling for a return to the good old days (at least, of television!).