Tim Allen and Richard Karn of 'Home Improvement' Reunite for New Show on History Channel
Americans love watching shows about people learning, making and competing. Whether it’s following along as people purchase storage units sight unseen, flip a wreck of a house or race against the clock to bake up something delicious, there’s a show for it and a hungry audience.
“Pawn Stars,” “Forged in Fire” and “American Pickers” tend to appeal to the more mechanically minded viewers, and now their ranks are being joined by a new contender: “Assembly Required.”
While the show itself is new, the stars are not. For decades, Tim Allen and Richard Karn have been known for their handyman ways thanks to “Home Improvement,” and now they’ll be returning to the screen for a different format of show on a similar topic.
“Assembly Required” will follow the style of “Forged in Fire” but focus on contestants who are participating in the mechanical building challenges from their own shops. Karn will host and Allen will star in the show.
“Let’s face it, we’re living in a throwaway society,” Allen said in a statement Tuesday, according to Variety. “We buy, break, replace… rinse and repeat. Whatever happened to repair and rebuild?!
“There are some people who unfriend, unfollow and dispose of anything that offends, annoys or breaks — so I’ve created a show to remind people of the satisfaction and pride that comes from rebuilding something on their own.
“And who better to join me than my buddy from the old Tool Time days — Richard Karn! Now we’re talking More Power! Albert Einstein once said, ‘I’m not a genius, I’m just passionately curious.’
“Well, let’s get curious! Even a chimpanzee would at least show interest, right? Wait — I think I just came up with another idea for the show! R-R-R!”
The series is set to air on History.
“Our history is defined by the innovations of ordinary dreamers creating extraordinary things, from Thomas Edison’s light bulb to the Wright brothers’ first flight,” said Eli Lehrer, executive vice president and general manager of History.
“We look forward to partnering with Tim and Richard, America’s beloved duo, as they challenge a new wave of skilled individuals to think out-of-the-box to build upon the innovations of those before them.
“We hope this series will inspire viewers to think twice about throwing out that old item, roll up their sleeves and rebuild it better.”
Rob Sharenow, president of programming at A+E Networks, said during a Deadline-moderated panel that some of the popular shows they’ve seen may need to be replaced and that adding new shows would help with “contemporizing the voice of history.”
“I think we’ve had so many highly successful formats that we’ve grown a little fat on them and some of them could be sidled out and we need to replace some of those heavy hitters with new formats and that’s a big priority for us,” Sharenow said.
The show is expected to air sometime next year.
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