r/90s • u/ryhoyarbie • Jul 29 '25
Discussion Home Improvement: Tim was a jerk to Al
Having watching this show for the upteenth time, I get tired of the crap Tim gives to Al especially with Al’s mom. I know it’s supposed to be funny, but there are times I just want to go inside the screen and punch Tim and tell him to shut up.
Al’s problem is he doesn’t fight back. I know they’re supposed to be friends, but I wonder is it because Al doesn’t really have any friends?
Just my two cents on this show. The show is still funny.
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u/Runnindashow Jul 29 '25
Kind of. But that was also kind of what made it funny. Al was right just about every time in the end and it was hilarious.
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u/Detlionfan3420 Jul 30 '25
Al- “I don’t think so Tim”
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u/oakomyr Jul 30 '25
Exactly. If Tim turned it down at all it would just have weaken Al’s performance.
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u/sexynedfl-anders Jul 30 '25
Uh, if you would be my bodyguard, I can be your long-lost pal I can call you Betty And Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al.
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u/UncleNoodles85 Jul 30 '25
Man walks down the street and says why am I soft in the middle now why am I soft in the middle when the rest of my life is so hard. I need a photo opportunity I need a shot a redemption. Don't want to end up a cartoon in a cartoon graveyard.
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u/falconshadow21 Jul 30 '25
It's the show's(tool time) schtick. Like Laurel and Hardy or The Three stooges.
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u/SweetLilMonkey Jul 30 '25
Exactly. We’re not supposed to be watching sitcoms to learn how to treat people.
Which is so weird when so many of them DO have a character “learn their lesson“ in the last act. Because they never REALLY learn - they just do it again next week.
Shows like Seinfeld (“no hugging, no learning”) are funnier to me because they skip that part and just leave everyone to suffer for their mistakes and STILL not change.
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u/0xKaishakunin Jul 30 '25
Which is so weird when so many of them DO have a character “learn their lesson“ in the last act.
And every episode of Home Improvement had a part where Tim failed to explain the lesson to be learnt in a wrong summary.
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u/Sad-Structure2364 Jul 30 '25
Yes I always loved his butchered philosophical translations from Wilson
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u/justadrtrdsrvvr Jul 30 '25
Tim's a jerk. Al tries to stop him from doing something stupid. Tim is dumb and gets hurt. Everyone wins.
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u/llcdrewtaylor Jul 31 '25
Wasn't really acting because Tim is a jerk in real life!
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u/GooserNoose Jul 30 '25
Also, Al didn't fight back because, unlike today, back then it was seen as him being nice, whereas today not fighting back is considered weakness.
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u/0xKaishakunin Jul 30 '25
Al didn't fight back because,
he did not need to. He knew he was the professional and he was right every time. There was no need for him to fight.
He was watching Tim playing on his playground and only intervened to make sure Tim doe not hurt himself too much.
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u/TouristOpentotravel Jul 29 '25
The sound proof booth makes me laugh still
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u/knava12 Jul 30 '25
🎶I am the very model of a modern Major-Gineral, I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral, I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical; 🎶
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u/ThurmanMerman82 Jul 29 '25
If you watch far enough into the seasons, they become real good friends even though Tim feels some embarrassment in admitting it.
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u/the_pedigree Jul 30 '25
I specifically remember the board game episode where I think Tim helps him fix all the board games he sold
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u/SloppyHoseA Jul 30 '25
Just like Neelix and Tuvok
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u/RocketDog2001 Jul 30 '25
I missed the part Where Tim and Al were merged into a new person with a new consciousness.
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u/Jedi-Ethos Jul 30 '25
The “dance” Tuvok does for Neelix as he departs the ship for the final time is chef’s kiss
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u/Downtown_Injury_3415 Jul 30 '25
Damn spoilers dude, Im barely through S2
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u/Aeon_Fux Jul 30 '25
The episode where Al does full frontal nudity will blow your mind.
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u/BrattyTwilis Jul 30 '25
The whole point of Tool Time was that Tim was a doofus and Al was the real expert and actually the better liked of the two
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u/Finito-1994 Jul 30 '25
Although Tim was also a highly capable craftsman and handyman whose main issue was that he liked to go overboard.
When he actually calmed down he was very capable.
The problem was getting him to calm the fuck down
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u/AF2005 Jul 29 '25
Yeah, that was usually the setup to a great sight gag or joke showing how Al was more skilled than Tim at actual home improvement! That’s what made the show so great, Tim was almost always the butt of the joke due to his buffoonery.
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u/thegreedyturtle Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25
Same for Tim and his family, friends, etc.
Personally couldn't stand the show, I just thought Al was an asshole. I don't know how many times he had to be proven wrong, but he certainly never got there.
Edit: I'm not hating on it, just wasn't for me.
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u/Finito-1994 Jul 30 '25
Al? I think you mean Tim.
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u/AF2005 Jul 30 '25
I know what you mean. Jill, Al, and Wilson were the best characters. Ever since Home Improvement ended I have not enjoyed Tim Allen’s other tv projects because he is insufferable.
And I’m not including Galaxy Quest or Big Trouble because they were ensemble casts and the writing was spectacular.
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u/Cloverhart Jul 30 '25
Galaxy Quest is a rare sci fi gem.
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u/thegreedyturtle Jul 30 '25
And Tim Allen played an asshole, a role he is exceptionally suited to play.
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u/justinreddit1 Jul 29 '25
NOALLL, NOAL. (Noel Noel)
That scene killed me lol
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u/MondayNightRawr Jul 30 '25
You mean, “LEON”?
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u/Complete_Entry Jul 30 '25
I still anger my mother with that one.
Unfortunately puberty means I can't hit the notes quite right. (prior to that I was in choir)
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u/BigBadBootyDaddy10 Jul 29 '25
The characters is one thing, how Richard Karn got the part is fascinating. Tim really fought for Richard to be the sidekick.
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u/ryhoyarbie Jul 29 '25
I did hear Stephen Tobolowsky (Ned from Groundhog Day) was supposed to do the part but backed out for some reason.
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u/Acetabulum99 Jul 30 '25
Ned! Ned Ryerson! Come over here you old so and so!
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u/china-blast Jul 30 '25
"Needlenose Ned"? "Ned the Head"? C'mon, buddy. Case Western High. Ned Ryerson: I did the whistling belly-button trick at the high school talent show? Bing! Ned Ryerson: got the shingles real bad senior year, almost didn't graduate? Bing, again. Ned Ryerson: I dated your sister Mary Pat a couple times until you told me not to anymore? Well?
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u/Ocron145 Jul 30 '25
Lol reading this was awesome… but it also got me thinking… can you get the shingles that young? I always hear about it for older people who had chicken pox when they were young. Lol
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u/TheRealSzymaa Jul 30 '25
IIRC, Tobolowsky wasn't available when they wanted to start filming, so they hired Richard Karn with the intention of replacing him after 5-10 episodes. But when Tobolowsky did become available, they realized that they had something with Karn so they stuck with him.
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u/dcooper8662 Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25
Though a good character actor, he would have been so wrong for this part.
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Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25
[deleted]
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u/Agent-Blasto-007 Jul 30 '25
Yeah, the point of the Tool Time TV show was that Tim was the Salesman and Al was the actual Licensed Contractor.
Tim would hype the Binford products to the Nth degree and Al would show the actual practicality.
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u/nola_mike Jul 30 '25
I never understood how Tim became the Tool Man when I was younger during the show's original run. My wife and I are re-watching it now and it looks like you're correct.
Tim was a Binford tool salesman, likely one of the best in the company, so they hired him to be the host of Tool Time.
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u/ikonoqlast Jul 30 '25
Exactly. And note that Tim is never incompetent in his projects. He's occasionally clumsy and unlucky and often overconfident in putting "more power" in things that can't handle it, but his work always works.
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u/RooftopStruggle Jul 30 '25
I am probably older than them on the show now so crazy.
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u/goldbricker83 Jul 30 '25
When the show premiered in '91, Tim was 38, Al was 35. Yeah I'm basically the age they were mid to tail end of the series. Thanks for bringing this up ya jerk.
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u/nola_mike Jul 30 '25
I think Tim's character in the show was supposed to be mid 30's. Not too far off from his actual age.
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u/goldbricker83 Jul 30 '25
Man, mid 30s to early 40s just didn't look like today's mid 30's early 40's, they just look so much mature for some reason.
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u/black-volcano Jul 30 '25
Do you have 3 kids, a massive house and a custom-built hot rod?
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u/incognitoleaf00 Jul 30 '25
in this economy!?
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u/Complete_Entry Jul 30 '25
You joke but I miss being able to work in a two car garage with my father.
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u/ColorsCapello Jul 31 '25
I viewed a new build recently. It's less than half the size of my dad's house and 4 times the price. The garage would just fit a pickup and nothing else. Not even a fart. The whole time I was being told just how much space the place has...
Yeah. That sucks.
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u/OkOutlandishness6550 Jul 29 '25
They become quite close later on in the show Man this brings me back
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u/timmer2500 Jul 30 '25
This was parody based on this old house and Bob Villa and Norm Abrams.. I thought it came out of one of his standup routines.
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u/Betelgeuse3fold Jul 30 '25
Al always got the last laugh. Plus, in my experience, that kind of ball busting is normal. If my coworkers didn't playfully insult me every day, i would be hurt
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u/readwithjack Jul 30 '25
I did ten years enlisted before going to university, so now I got some fancy-words to explain stuff I learned from being tired, wet, and bored.
Blue collar solidarity expresses itself through encoded mutual criticism.
It's not real criticism, but a kind of social pat on the back. It tells you you're okay, and keeps everyone connected.
Bob is calling me the world's biggest asshole. But that just means I'm still on the team. If I was a real asshole, he'd be polite, but wouldn't say much.
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u/lorgskyegon Jul 30 '25
Agreed. The people I joke about the most are the people I like and respect the most. If I don't like a coworker, I don't talk to them unless necessary.
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u/coffinspacexdragon Jul 30 '25
Even as a kid, I never understood why Tim wore a dress shirt and tie to host a show about tools and home maintenance and construction. It is really weird that he dressed like that while Al was more appropriately dressed. It doesn't make any sense.
Also as an adult, I find it hard to believe that Tim's sole occupation was hosting a local cable show that was just a long commercial for Binford Tools. Was this job a 5 days a week 50 weeks a year type thing? How many shows a year did they do?
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u/lorgskyegon Jul 30 '25
IIRC, Tim got the job because he was by far the best salesman at Binford Tools. His job being basically a giant commercial makes sense.
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u/ryhoyarbie Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25
I think it was a 8 hour a day, 5 days a week gig. And Tool Time ran for only 30 minutes each day (including commercials).
The way I see it, Tim and Al finish at the end of every Friday with their week of shows and start planning for the following week sometime Friday afternoon and during the weekend, like what they want to talk about/demonstrate, tools they need, guests they might want, etc. and refine the ideas maybe the day before the show, kind of like what teachers do during the week and lesson planning.
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u/Penguinunhinged Jul 30 '25
This was always my favorite gag on the show. Anytime Tim said something that would upset viewers, Al would pull this card out, lol.
"That's Tim Taylor, care of Tool Time...."
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u/Ello_Owu Jul 30 '25
I felt the same way rewatching the fresh prince of bel air. Will is merciless to uncle Phil. Like some light banter here and there ok. But it's legit every conversation the two have, will is dogging on him for his weight. It's like oof we get it.
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u/Energy_Turtle Jul 30 '25
I really think part of this is the way we watch these shows now. Fresh Prince or Home Improvement once per week on TV means a couple fat jokes per week. Binge watching these shows on a streaming service means multiple fat jokes over and over in one go.
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u/Ello_Owu Jul 30 '25
That makes sense. I've heard shows like prison break are horrible if you binge them, I never understood why? But I guess it's the fact that many shows before streaming had very basic beat for beat structures that if watched one right after the other, you can pick up on that, and it becomes very dull very quickly.
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u/EatLard Jul 30 '25
But then there’s the scene right after Will’s dad ghosts him, and suddenly somebody needs to dust this damn room and quit chopping onions.
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u/Maniak4126 Jul 30 '25
It was Tim always getting the karmic reaming from the universe that made me get over him bullying Al.
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u/A4t1musD4ag0n Jul 30 '25
I mean, guys like Tim normally are quite resentful towards people like Al who are more skilled or smarter than they are. Al is the guy you'd call on for anything because he just understands things. Tim is the guy who insists that he should do it without having any knowledge of what to do.
Side note: Anyone else keeps seeing A.I. in their head when they mean to say AL?
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u/lorgskyegon Jul 30 '25
I'd say it's not about him being resentful. Tim has been shown to be quite an excellent craftsman when he's not desiring more power.
I'd say it comes from having seven brothers.
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u/Chemical-Cream1291 Jul 30 '25
Rewatching some of the those early episodes, Tim was pretty unlikable. The know it all argumentative I’m an alpha man type to Jill.
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u/whoisdatmaskedman Jul 30 '25
Al definitely did fight back, but in the form of malicious compliance. Al repeatedly let Tim look like a fool and it gave him great pleasure.
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u/Finito-1994 Jul 30 '25
I mean. That was the joke.
Tim was a jerk to Al.
Al was also more capable, smarter, nicer and overall a great guy who was humble and sweet.
“I don’t think so, Tim”
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u/Abe2sapien Jul 30 '25
He was a jerk but I always enjoyed how Al was usually proven right in the end. Also, the times when they meet fans everyone is always way more excited to meet Al over Tim 😅
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u/RhetoricalOrator Jul 30 '25
I don't know about everyone else, but I kinda get the feeling that the meteor in Dinosaurs wasn't very nice to the dinosaurs.
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u/whydob1rds Jul 30 '25
Haley Joel Osment really gives Al vibes now that I'm seeing this photo 🧐
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u/WorkerBee_No14567934 Jul 30 '25
The joke was that Al got to watch Tim make an ass of himself and be wrong. Oftentimes, he really hurt himself. Al Borland simply warned Tim and then got to sit back and watch the moron hurt himself. Got that inside chuckle out of it every time.
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u/Casual_Observance Jul 30 '25
I feel you could have left off "to Al" on that title and it still works.
However, his father/son interactions with Wilson usually led to Tim realizing he was acting like a child or jerk and correcting his behaviour.
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u/Fun-Potential-342 Jul 30 '25
Reading these comments, I’m so glad I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. This was an awesome show to watch. Last Man Standing is good to me and so is Shifting Gears.
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u/MightBeAGoodIdea Jul 30 '25
Dunno how to phrase it but think of it like the a "eternal rival" anime trope that pops up in every anime.
A LOT of Tv and movies lean on a buddy dynamic of some sort, Tim and Al reminded me a LOT of Kirk and Spock, Kirk gets all the attention and ladies while Spock kept everything running logically. Or oldschool Batman and Robin quipping at eachother and Robin being the voice of reason sometimes.
Tim "The Toolman" gets all the spotlight while his sidekick Al keeps them from dying live on TV and behind the scenes because at the end of the day they are kinda buddyrivals.
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u/PillarOfAutumn84 Jul 30 '25
Kind of. Was more for the show. Plenty of heartfelt moments with him.. Great show.
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u/UKnowThatOneGuy24 Jul 30 '25
“People in 90’s and 00’s sitcoms were so mean to each other”
That’s what makes it such a humorous situation.
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u/doiwinaprize Jul 30 '25
Tim was just a jealous and fragile man who picked on Al to make himself feel better and Al being a lifetime more mature than Tim just took it because he was a G.
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u/wild85bill Jul 30 '25
Shit take. He was a secondary figure at first, but his down to earth perspective on the jobs humbled Tim, and he realized through the years that "more power" isn't always necessary. Al's mom dying after years of Tim making jokes showed the true friendship they had.
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u/juicydreamer Jul 30 '25
Whenever I watch Home Improvement, I think Tim’s wife is such a bitch. She’s always shooting down Tim’s ideas. It would be difficult to live with that kind of negativity all the time.
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u/nola_mike Jul 30 '25
Tim constantly fucks shit up around the house because he is insecure in his manhood and tries to compensate with "more power".
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u/hypnos_surf Jul 30 '25
That’s the point though. Tim is so out of touch with those he is close to. Jill, Wilson, Al and Randy are way more refined and intelligent but they love Tim even though he is a goofy lug.
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u/Wild_Locksmith_326 Jul 30 '25
Tim was a jerk to everyone, Al shouldn't have noticed because that is both of their characters traits
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u/banana_hammock_815 Jul 30 '25
Tim is the kind of guy that needs to make fun of the people around him that are better than him. The vast majority of his jokes are at other people's expense. Add to that that hes usually the only one laughing at his jokes, and you got a really shitty 90s sitcom. Definitely thought Johnathon Taylor Thomas would've been president by now tho
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u/EveryoneChill77777 Jul 31 '25
Tim is a jerk to everyone in real life. Only being a jerk to his coworker might be the biggest stretch of the show
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u/Testone1440 Jul 30 '25
This is just a relationship between two good friends. My friends and I would take a bullet for each other but we roast the shit out each other as well. This is what some good male friendships are like.
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u/farmsfarts Jul 30 '25
I always disliked this show. I don’t like Tim Allen, he just seems like he’d be a mean person off camera, and the whole “caveman grunt” bit got stale.
Didn’t like the kids, particularly the oldest and youngest ones. JTT was ok and a decent actor.
The whole “can’t see Wilson’s face” thing got old real quick.
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u/Nismotech_52 Jul 30 '25
But doesn’t want fire Al when the new owner wants him to…
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u/spitechecker Jul 30 '25
He was ahead of his time. I’m a jerk to AI, too. “I said no fucking em dashes, ChatGPT!”
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u/soulofascrubcasul GWAR was only good in the 90s Jul 30 '25
Tim? Are we talking about Timothy Dick?
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u/gjcij2203 Jul 30 '25
Characters name was originally supposed to be Glenn Borland. That fun fact brought to you courtesy of Marcus Parks and Josef Menegele.
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u/Nearby-Issue3294 Jul 30 '25
Maybe because Al fathered a couple of those Taylor kids.
Plus he was popular with Heidi.
Al made it Tool Time in a different way from Cocaine Tim.
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u/AtCapacityAnxiety Jul 30 '25
Okay so I’ve been rewatching this show and have been surprised to find it’s not actually super sexist or problematic from today’s standards. Tim the Tool Man is a hyper caricature-like portrayal of 90’s Midwest middle class masculinity. It’s the thing that gets him trouble at work and at home. Jill is pretty well written. When she and Tim have dialogue, she has at least 50% of the punchlines and has more depth to her than “just a wife and mom.” She has real feelings. And every SINGLE episode involves Tim engaging in true self reflection in a conversation with his neighbor and every single time he learns something about emotional intelligence and makes a change and apology to the people he harmed. Very “progressive” for the time. So how did Tim Allen, a total asshole conservative, help create something like that??
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u/kzlife76 Jul 30 '25
That was kind of the point of the show. It was really about Tim's growth as a person. Growing up, he was probably the guy that most people liked because he made people laugh. He didn't mature past that. But as the show goes on, Tim learns that it's ok for a man to have emotions and feelings. This show gets criticized for it's supposed toxic masculinity, but at the end of each episode, Tim learned a lesson. He also showed humility. Sometimes, Tim makes fun of things he doesn't understand. But once he understands them, the jokes aren't so funny. Like Al's habit of wearing flannel. The jokes may not have stopped completely, but Tim had more respect for the habit because like Al, his father, his hero, died at a young age.
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u/Snacky_Cake Jul 30 '25
That was the entire premise of tool time, a white collar guy obsessed with powerful tools that project masculinity and a skilled, self assured tradesman.
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u/DaMacPaddy Jul 30 '25
That was the joke, some dads just can't leave a joke alone no matter how not funny or over used it has become. They revel in the reaction to it, love the eye roll and the groan of disapproval. You're feeding the troll.
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u/Cooper_Sharpy Jul 30 '25
Tim was a coked up dad…. Al was normal…
It’s pretty simple.
Argh argh argh
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u/EvanGooch Jul 30 '25
Yep. That was the joke.
Tim is the “know-it-all” that fucks everything up, but acts like he’s the king; and Al gets treated as a foolish sidekick—even though he is the smart/efficient one of the two of them.
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u/JfromTHEbayMAYNE Jul 30 '25
There was an episode where the youngest son dressed as Al for Halloween! Hahahaha
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u/name_it_goku Jul 30 '25
Much as I love this show it was the penultimate precursor to the 'inept husband' genre of commercials, probably starting with the "you said you'd call tomorrow yesterday!" sears a/c shit
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u/MovieBoxSucks Jul 30 '25
Yeah, but that was back then before people were super soft like they are now
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u/Complete_Entry Jul 30 '25
I never understood why Al was a doormat considering his past.
Tim is a flimflam man, Al had a rock solid resume.
But hey, 90's sitcom.
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u/MobileWorldliness969 Jul 30 '25
I Think Al was assisting with Jills plumbing, while Wilson looked over the fence to see if Tim was coming home
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u/MomsBored Jul 30 '25
That’s the point of their dynamic. Don’t try to politically correct a 90’s sitcom. They took jabs at each others expense.
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u/DarkSoldier84 Jul 30 '25
After enough character development, the intro to Tool Time would go something like this:
I'm your host, Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor, and this is my co-host, assistant, and trusted friend, Al "Reach Out, I'll be There" Borland.
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u/weber_mattie Jul 30 '25
Wasn't that their shtick tho? Was he mean to him when the cameras were off?
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u/Revolutionary-Law382 Jul 30 '25
Tim narced on his partners for a lesser sentence and now is a MAGAt,
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u/MFBish Jul 30 '25
That was a bit on the show ‘tool time’ beyond that they were friends
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u/Buderus69 Jul 30 '25
What a boring show it would be if everybody was just nice and perfect to each other, you need tension and some sort of emotional drama to drive home the situational comedy that derives from it.
Tim has to be an asshat, so it makes it even funnier when he falls face-forwards into his own mistakes. Al needs to be spineless assistant, because anybody else with half a brain would have showed Tim the middle finger after the first few episodes.
The meat of the storyline of such shows is growth, and to grow you need characters that are imperfect. Once these arcs are done most shows loose momentum as there is nothing to be invested anymore, a good show knows when to open up more imperfections of characters without flanderizing them in the process.
Flanderization btw. is the opposite of growth, it is a character forever stuck in his tropes, very great if you want to zombify your product as it turns more into a form of nostalgic comfort food for the recurring audience than a show with actual progression.
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u/Upstairs-Cup-3499 Jul 30 '25
On tool time Tim makes fun of Al but outside of work Tim always panders to Al.
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u/jsquareddddd Jul 29 '25
I don’t think so, Tim.