With 2025 just beginning, a whole new year of possibilities lies ahead, not to mention a slew of new TV shows! One of the most anticipated new series on the network front is Tim Allen and Kat Dennings’ Shifting Gears. The three-camera-style sitcom is a return to roots for Allen, who previously starred in Last Man Standing and, of course, the monumental hit Home Improvement. As one of the most popular shows of its day, Home Improvement was one of ABC’s top-rated endeavors for eight seasons before coming to an end. After so many years, one might assume that the series had simply run its course, but according to one of the show’s most influential stars, Home Improvement concluded for far more tumultuous reasons.
Behind the Scenes Discrepancies Created Issues
The 90s gave viewers some of the most popular sitcoms of all time. From Fraiser to Friends, it remains one of the most iconic and creative decades for the format. Home Improvement, in particular, was insanely popular. Its family-friendly format and unique brand of humor not only made a star out of Tim Allen but the entire cast, including actress Patricia Richardson, who portrayed Tim’s wife, Jill Taylor. The two had remarkable chemistry and portrayed a realistic and admirable marriage, even when the show was at its most zany. Behind the scenes, however, things weren’t always so amicable.
According to an interview with the Los Angeles Times, pay discrepancies derailed the otherwise hit show from continuing. Richardson had been signed to a contract with the Walt Disney Company when Home Improvement was gearing up. However, Jill wasn’t exactly the character viewers came to know and love. Richardson and co-executive producer Rosalind Moore told the LA Times that Richardson often pushed back against the show’s higher powers when it came to the script to make Jill a more nuanced and interesting character. Both she and Allen often participated in the practice during table reads to improve their characters, an effort that (thanks to the show’s legacy) worked. However, Richardson was long denied the producer credit she sought for her contributions, something Allen did receive. And as the series reached its eighth season, those behind-the-scenes incongruities reached a breaking point.
Patricia Richardson Refused To Return for ‘Home Improvement’ Season 9
As the series went on, several creative changes hurt Richardson’s enthusiasm for the show, and she was ready for the popular series to end. Following Season 8, Richardson says she “[…] told everybody, there’s not enough money in the world to get me to do a ninth year.” ABC, however, wasn’t ready to let go of their hit sitcom. Allen was offered a whopping $2 million per episode salary for an additional season, which would have consisted of 25 installments. Richardson, on the other hand, was offered half of that. While $1 million an episode was still a sizable sum for the time, it was a prime example of Hollywood’s ongoing pay gap issue. Richardson, already ready to move on from the show, made a counteroffer to Disney. She asked for the same salary as Allen and a producer credit, which the Mouse House denied. However, Richardson claims that she knew it would be a lost cause. “I knew that Disney would in no way pay me that much,” she explained. “That was my way to say ‘no’ and was a little bit of a flip-off to Disney.”
In a way, Richardson ultimately won the war for fair treatment. Several ideas were proposed to keep the show going after Richardson’s departure, such as killing off Jill. However, Disney decided there was no way to continue the show without her. Thus, they didn’t just lose one of the show’s most integral players but their hit series altogether. Unfortunately, the fallout led to issues between Allen and Richardson, though the two would reunite years later for Allen’s Last Man Standing. While Richardson never did receive the treatment she’d long deserved while on the show, the series ending because of her departure remains a shining example of how important fair treatment is in Hollywood. It not only makes success, but it can also break it as well. All these years later, Richardson’s legacy remains a significant part of the era’s history.
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