Here’s the actor who nearly played Home Improvement’s Al, before Richard Karn was cast. Tim Allen had very few acting credits to his name prior to starring in Home Improvement and was best known as a stand-up comic. In fact, the sitcom itself was based on his “primitive man” routine and it cast him as Tim Taylor, host of a popular DIY series called Tool Time. The format of the series usually saw Tim or one of his family – including his wife Jill and their three sons – having to untangle some mess of their own making and learning a lesson in the process.
The Taylor’s kindly neighbor Wilson – whose face was finally seen in the finale – was often there to give sage advice too. Home Improvement was one of the biggest TV shows of the ’90s, and propelled Allen to a movie career with the likes of Toy Story and The Santa Clause. The show was so popular that Allen and co-star Patricia Richardson turned down huge paydays to return for another season, which they rejected after feeling it had naturally run its course.
Home Improvement gave an early career boost to Pamela Anderson too, who played Tool Time girl Lisa for the first two seasons before departing to join Baywatch. Before Anderson was cast, however, an up-and-coming actor named Ashley Judd was up for that part. Another key supporting player on Home Improvement – which Jonathan Taylor Thomas left after season 7 – was Tim’s co-host and assistant Al, played by Richard Karn. Al appeared in every season with Karn bringing a real warmth to the character. However, before he was cast, veteran character actor and Groundhog Day co-star Stephen Tobolowsky was close to signing on.
During a 2012 conversation with Vulture, Tobolowsky explained that he was being over $16,000 per episode for Home Improvement, which was a very attractive sum. His wife was also expecting a baby at the time, but while the offer was tempting, the deal being offered would have excluded Tobolowsky from taking any other film or TV roles. He had recently auditioned for a couple of movies he was waiting to hear about, and made the tough call to pass on playing Al.
Acknowledging that the sitcom became a huge success, Stephen Tobolowsky had no regrets about passing. Had he taken Al in Home Improvement – where Wilson MIGHT be in Witness Protection – this would have prevented him from landing parts like Groundhog Day’s Ned Ryerson or the other roles he’s best known for. Karn was soon cast as Al, and the rest is sitcom history.
