Well, the last show has aired and now Home Improvement is over. I'm still wiping away my tears but I know that HI will live forever in syndication. The finale was a sad yet hilarious and great way to end such a successful run! With the first half hour airing on May 18th and the second half hour (a clips retrospective montage spliced with Tim, Brad, and Mark reminiscing about these moments), the last half hour of the final episode itself, plus a behind-the-scenes/cast interviews/bloopers special airing on May 25th, HI proved they can come out with more power once again!

Patricia Richardson said, "Tim and I were on one side, and the writers disagreed among themselves, but most of them were piling up on the side of moving. I thought people would be more comforted by thinking of us as not moving, and all of our lives going on in the same way. I didn't want to end with the cliche of us closing the door on an empty house." And so, for a compromise and also an ending that you could decide on for yourself, the idea for moving the house was born. "We didn't have the last two minutes of that show really decided until two days before we shot it," Pat recalls. "An idea came up, and we were waiting all week to find out if it was technically feasible." After finding out it was, HI "managed to have a very ambiguous ending. The kind that people would have to discuss the next day," she says. So did they stay or did they go? That's up to you to decide! (btw, if you are wondering, I would like to think of the Taylors all back to their day routine in Detroit...the idea of Indiana long past gone: Tim back at Tool Time in its original format with Al and Heidi, Jill at a great new psychology-related job she found close to home, Brad at UCLA, Wilson still dispensing his wise wisdom nextdoor, Mark filming it all, and Randy coming home from Costa Rica to find that almost everything has remained the same.)

HI's series finale, The Long and Winding Road, was #1 in the ratings for the week! What's more is that the finale will be remembered as the fourth highest-rated finale of the '90s, behind Seinfeld (1998), Cheers (1993), and The Cosby Show (1992)! HI ended with the second-best results for any series finale in six years. Only one other Home Improvement episode since 1994 was higher-rated than Tuesday's finale: The Longest Day. ABC also had its best showing on a Tuesday since March 3, 1992. (FYI: Back then, ABC won the night with a Happy Days reunion, Full House, Roseanne and a this new little show called Home Improvement. :-) HI's finale ratings power carried over to Spin City, which had its best showing since October 1996. And NYPD Blue had its best numbers since Jimmy Smits's departure last November. The final national ratings give the show a 21.6 rating, 34 share in homes and a 16.0/43 in adults 18-49, meaning a third of the television sets in use at the time were tuned in to the finale!! About 35.5 million viewers saw the last episode, but ABC estimates 55 million people watched at least some of the episode! By comparison, NBC's "Mad About You," which had its series finale on Monday night, drew 19.8 million viewers (#4). The same night, Fox's "Melrose Place" only had 10.4 million viewers (37th place) for its finale. Because of the ratings power of the series finale, HI was the 10th most-watched program overall for the entire season! HI is still the #1 family sitcom and ABC's top rated entertainment program.

PATRICIA RICHARDSON (JILL)
Currently Pat has a deal with Disney for acting in two movies. She says she would like to act in more independent films, and has already turned down her own eponymous series. "If I do television again, I want to do drama," Pat recently said. What Pat really hopes to do in the future is direct and write, but she would also like to continue to act. Long term plans aside, what Pat mainly wants to do is spend time with her family. "What I mostly want to do is be with my kids this summer -- and have a life next fall." That life includes maybe taking directing courses in the fall at UCLA in preparation for possibly setting up her own production company.

ZACHERY TY BRYAN (BRAD)
Having recently graduating from high school, Zach (like his character Brad) has a few soccer scholarship offers. But he may take a few years off from school for his career. Zach will star in two Disney movies, the first of which will start filming in the next few months. Zach told The Calgary Sun a few months ago that, "They've pitched me an idea for a war film and I've been reading several scripts Disney has in various stages of preproduction." He would also like to direct in the future. He told TV Guide he would like to travel in Europe for two months sometime soon "to chill, relax and see the world."

JONATHAN TAYLOR THOMAS (RANDY)
Jonathan will star in two upcoming films: "Speedway Junky" and "Walking Across Egypt", which will be heading for theaters sometime this year. "Speedway Junky" is the story of a runaway teen who becomes obsessed with becoming a racecar driver in Las Vegas. In the independent film, Jonathan portrays Steve, a street wise drug dealer that tries to teach race car-obsessed Johnny (Jesse Bradford) how to survive on the Las Vegas streets. "Walking Across Egypt" tells the story of a rebellious 17-year old boy orphan boy named Wesley Benfield, played by Jonathan, whose life becomes crossed with a seventy two year old religious widow from the deep south. Ellen Burstyn will star as the elderly widow, Mattie Rigsbee. It is reported (but not confirmed by Jonathan) that he will be attending Stanford University next fall, graduating high school early. Jonathan hopes to direct, produce, and/or write films sometime in the future.

TARAN SMITH (MARK)
Taran is a sophomore at a Los Angeles private high school and will return there as a full time student. In the future he hopes attend UCLA or New York University to study filmmaking. Taran also has directing ambitions.

RICHARD KARN (AL)
Richard's new book, House Broken, a comedy about his "misadventures" in home renovation, is now available at stores (For more info, see my what's happening page). The 6th Annual Richard Karn StarDays, which is a celebrity golf tournament that benefits cancer research starts on June 18 in Settle (once again, see what's happening for more info). Rick is also talking with Disney about the possibility of a TV series of his own. He said on an AOL chat that "As far as TV is concerned, I would like to take a year off... and come back in the fall of 2000 with a new show." As to whether it will be a spin off based on the character of Al, Richard told TV Guide, "I would prefer to move on to something else."

DEBBE DUNNING (HEIDI)
Debbe is hosting an upcoming special for E! Entertainment Television on Cabo San Lucas. I have a feeling she will continue acting and modeling.

EARL HINDMAN (WILSON)
Earl is currently looking for his next part. He will likely work in live theatre off-Broadway.

Eight years is a long time and so that emotion is understandable. The cast and crew on a family sitcom or any long-running TV series become a family themselves. "I don't think I realized what I had, how special it's been," Zachery Ty Bryan said. "I was only 8 when I started on the show. I grew up here. Tim and Pat have been like second parents to me." Patricia Richardson told The Detroit Free Press, "That's the great thing about being an actor. You're always creating a family. The work is so intimate, so deeply personal and revealing that you quickly develop a bond with people." These bonds were definitely sensed every day on the set of HI and couldn't have been any more apparent than on the day of the last taping.

But before the final and 201st taping began at 7pm on April 9th, the cast rehearsed, joked around, and said their farewells. Members of the cast and crew brought video recorders and cameras to remember the people and moments. Throughout that day, they all stopped to exchange hugs. Occasionally, during breaks in rehearsal, they gathered small groups for a photo. Shawn Shea said the biggest challenge was "trying to keep them from becoming too emotional. This is worse than the day before Christmas, where everyone gets crazy and has to exchange gifts." Actually, just like Christmas every year, gifts were given to everyone from Pat and Tim. Every cast and crew member received a "Home Improvement" ring and a yearbook. The gold ring is embossed with the show's logo on the top and the years it aired (1991-99) on the sides. Inside, the inscription reads, "Love, Tim and Pat."

They rehearsed until the last moment, making sure to get everything just right. Of course Tim and the rest of the cast goofed off on the set; laughing and trying to forget that this taping was the last. Without a doubt that thought was what was at the back of everyone's mind and the emotions were still felt at the taping. At one point, Tim became a little uneasy about placing his hand on a red-hot waffle iron. Tim told John Pasquin, the director, "You know what it is, John. You've seen me do it a thousand times." What Tim was referring to is that signature accident prone Tim Taylor double take, which would get a big laugh at the taping when he stares in pain at his "burned" hand.

By 6:30 p.m., the studio audience was in place, bearing finale tickets and special access wristbands. The cast was introduced by an enthused standing ovation for the final time. A few minutes later, during a soundcheck and a special thank you to the audience, Tim Allen was crying. So he told a long, silly joke to break the tension, stop the sobbing, and get his mind focused. Everyone laughed and the show was taped without a hitch (well, I wouldn't say without a hitch, I'm sure the cast flubbed a few lines in their classic way!). He told Entertainment Tonight after the taping that he really wanted to keep from crying because he and Pat wanted to be professional about it, saving the emotions until the end. However, he just couldn't keep them in. "I looked at Pat [backstage] and we almost broke up, but we decided to be pro about this. We decided backstage, this is gonna get... we were crying...every time we looked at each other. And then I tried to do "Tool Time," and it was a big funny "Tool Time" and I couldn't get out there. I was like a little kid weeping out there. This is a great, great family here, and I'm really going to miss this."

A little more than two hours later, the sobbing began again as the cast shared tears and hugs. It was time for the last Home Improvement curtain call, where as each cast member's name was announced, they walked onto the stage for the final time. The cast was greeted by a standing ovation that lasted for more than fifteen minutes as Pat and Debbe were each given gorgeous bouquets of roses. Emotions were running high, that was for certain. Pat bit her lip to keep from crying. However, it became apparent that her feelings took over by the tears that flowed down her cheeks as she took her last bow and hugged costars. Both Zach and Tim were crying. Zach said an emotional "I love you Tim" to his TV dad as his eyes overflowed with tears. He later told tvplex.com, "You know when it hit me was when we were doing our final bow, the curtain call. And they introduced us to the crew, and we ran through the entrance of the door, and looked at the audience there. They were standing up, applauding for us. Tears were flowing, man, I was crying and crying. It was pretty insane, man." The rest of the cast was emotional but wanted to smile for the memories. Later, the rest of the cast would say that it just hadn't hit them yet, that it probably wouldn't hit them for a while. As Taran explained it to ET, "I'll do all the crying, I'll do all that next week, because I know it's going to hit me [then]--hard." They then waved to the audience, as a way to thank them for everything, and walked off the stage for the final time.

As the HI cast and crew taped the finale on Stage 4 of Disney Studios, guests arrived for the wrap party, following a quarter-mile of red carpet to Stage 2 on the same lot. This sound stage had been transformed into the word's largest cocktail lounge for over a thousand guests, which included the cast, Disney and ABC network executives, crew, family, and friends. The walls were covered with red velvet and Home Improvement and Tool Time signs. The room also included a dance floor, dinner tables, a few pool tables, and a stage. The guests that had not attended the taping were even able to comfortably watch the filming of the episode in the "Zebra Room" which was a living room-like area with a martini bar and a huge monitor. Every guest at the party would later receive a miniature designer chocolate Binford Tool Box filled with edible tools, including a white chocolate wrench.

Once the cast, crew, and audience (remember, this audience was friends and family only) returned from the taping at 10pm, the party really got going. A special video was shown of memorable clips and bloopers (many of which Disney would never be able to air in primetime if I know Tim correctly! :-). This video ended with a touching salute to Home Improvement's crew. Afterwards, Lloyd Braun, chairman of Buena Vista TV Productions, walked onto the stage to announce that a bronze plaque will forever remain on Stage 4 to commemorate HI's run.

Around 11:15pm, Tim, Pat, Rick, Zach, Taran, Earl, and Debbe took the stage where Tim gave an emotional and, like always, hilarious speech. "Michael Eisner [Disney’s chairman] couldn't be here. But I remember when he would call. He thought my name was 'Pat Allen' and kept asking me how Home Depot was doing," Tim joked to the audience. "He's not my boss anymore, is he?" As the audience roared, Tim added his fond farewell. "I thought today, as I drove to work, that I'm going to start looking at Home Improvement as a university where we all went, because I wouldn't know anything without all of these co-workers who have made me what I am. I have forever thought of this as a love affair with the show and all of you. I just want you to know that every battle Disney put us in, we won. And I want to thank you and say that if we were to go into battle again, I would want it to be with you. It never gets any better than this. I was privileged to be a part of this [show] and you guys have taught me maybe every single thing I am in this business is because the support and love and affection from you people." He then concluded by wishing everyone to have fun--and they did. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Tim's favorite band, was at hand to literally get everyone into the swing of things until 3am. While professional swing dancers took center stage and the swing band provided the music, everyone involved with the production of Home Improvement danced, talked, laughed, and reminisced the night away.

Tim-"Don't Tell Mama" (Where Tim drops a 3 ton beam on Jill's car and tries to hid that fact from her.) and "Forever Jung" (Tim accidentally glues his head to a table on Tool Time. Since the hospital is busy, he has to come home with part of the table glued to his head, creating jokes all around. Karen, Jill's friend, is visiting which makes life more stressful for Tim.)
Pat-"Howard's End" (Where Jill opens her own checking account with her name, leading to a fight between Tim and Jill over who owns what and why. Also, Brad tries to take care of Jennifer's fish, Howard, while she is on vacation but ends up killing him.) and "Room At The Top" (Where Jill wants Tim to build her an office in the attic, since everyone is bothering her while she is trying to study. Later in the episode she changes her mind, staring another fight.)
Jonathan-"The Longest Day" (Where the family finds out there is a possibility that Randy could have cancer.)
Taran-"A Taylor Runs Through It" (Where the Taylors head off to Traverse City, Michigan to attend Jill's cousin's wedding. The boys and Tim end up turning it into a vacation packed with fishing, golf, water skiing, and more, much to the dislike of Jill.)
Zach-"At Sea" (When Jill finds Brad making out with Angela in his bedroom, Jill forces Tim to have a talk with their eldest son.)
Earl-"Wilson's World" (When Wilson's performance art at a coffeehouse gets a bad review, he decides he would like to become more "normal.")
Richard-"Too Many Cooks" (Where Al hosts "Cooking with Irma" and Tim tries unsuccessfully to assist him)
Debbe-"Futile Attraction" (Where Tim suspects that Heidi and Al are having an affair.)

One of those charity golf tournaments happens to be the 6th Annual Richard Karn StarDays which raises money for cancer research! Richard (of course :-), Pat, Zach, Peter Bonerz (HI director), Blake Clark (Harry the Hardware man), Mickey Jones (Pete of K&B), and Casey Sander (Rock of K&B, and also on Grace Under Fire) will all be there! Shawn Shea, HI's stage manager, is even managing Richard's "Richard Karn Celebrity Golf Classic" (for more info, see my what's happening page).

Pat also feels they will run into each other all the time anyways. She told TV Guide Magazine (Canada version) that "I don't feel a kind of finality of, 'Oh, I'm never going to see these people again.' Zach is planning to go to UCLA which is just down the street from me. Taran is talking about ending up at UCLA too. Rick and I will see each other because we have a lot of mutual friends. Earl is going to be the tough one, because he lives on the East coast. I'll miss the crew, but I feel like LA is a small place. I'll run in to them on other shows, particularly if I start to direct. I'm hoping I can use a lot of these people again. Leaving Tim is not that hard because we both live in LA and I know he'll continue to be an ongoing person in my life." At the taping the cast never really said goodbye. Tim thinks that Pat put it best when she said, "There's no closure for us. It's just see you later."