Characters / Home Improvement

The cast of Home Improvement.

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Taylor Family and Neighbor

Tim Taylor

MORE POWER!!!

Portrayed by: Tim Allen

Husband, father, home improvement TV show host. He is a caring family man, good friend and talented handyman when it comes down to it, but his macho behavior and overconfident attitude frequently gets him into trouble.

• Acquainted with Emergency Services: One episode has Randy get injured. When Tim takes him to the hospital, it turns out he's on a first name basis with the staff. He even has his own coffee mug there.
• Alliterative Name: Adding his own personal Red Baron, he's Tim "The Toolman" Taylor.
• Awesome, but Impractical: Most of Tim's "personal" improvements to things turn into this. He's actually a great mechanic when he's got someone or something to reel him in, otherwise his reach exceeds his grasp.
• Book Dumb: As he puts it once, intellectuals in high school thought he was nothing but a jock (while jocks didn't like him because he was uncoordinated).
• Bumbling Dad: Downplayed. He drives Jill up the wall with his various projects. However, he still strives to have a good time and they still love one another. He's also a very definite adult presence in his sons' lives who expects and enforces discipline in his house.
• Bungling Inventor: His accidents happen because he likes to experiment: If he's not inventing a new product, he's at least inventing a new and untried way of using an existing product.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Tim may be insane, but he's an awesome mechanic when it comes down to it.
• Catchphrase:
  • "More Power!"
  • "Uh-oh."
  • "Oh, no!" (spoken as a grunt).
• Crazy-Prepared: Played for Laughs in one episode where Al tells him he'll one day run out of flannel jokes. Tim responds by pulling out "The Big Book of Flannel Jokes" and begins reading from it. Al takes that away, prompting Tim to pull out the pocket edition, which Al also takes and slips into his own pocket for later.
• Disappeared Dad: Tim's dad died in a car accident when Tim was 11 years old.
• Doom It Yourself: A master at this. Jill tells him countless times not to tinker with things around the house that are already working fine. His attempts to surprise Jill by doing this usually result in failure and Jill receiving the bad kind of surprise. This extends to Tool Time where his demonstrations turn out worse for the wear after blowing off Al's recommendations.
• Epic Fail: Tim's comically over-the-top approach to technology and repair - or hell, just his own fumbling carelessness - has caused some truly spectacular mishaps. Let's see: he's dropped a steel beam on his wife's new car just while figuring out how to work a crane, he got his forehead superglued to a new table, he rewired a phone so badly it started smoldering while ringing, he activated a military machine gun just by touching it(?), nearly killed his audience with a 21 nail gun salute, launched a barbecue grill into orbit, inadvertently blew up Bennie's house, nearly brain-damaged Bob Vila, and so much more. Basically, Tim was the Super Dave Osborne of The '90s.
• Expy Coexistence:
  • Tim is an expy of Bob Vila, mentioned above. Vila has played himself on the show as Tim's rival.
  • Tim appeared for a Doppelgänger Crossover in the Last Man Standing episode, "Dual Time" where he meets Time Allen's character, Mike. Last Man Standing is a Creator-Driven Successor where Mike is basically Tim if he had daughters instead of sons and an outdoors show instead of a tool show.
• Freudian Excuse: In one episode, he feared finalizing his will because he was the same age his father was when he died.
• Giftedly Bad: If he could just bring himself to stop at repairs, he'd be quite competent. Unfortunately, he can't settle for anything less than 'maximized for power' and as a result is known less as a home improvement expert and more as a chronically injured bungler.
• Hidden Depths: Before Tool Time started, Tim was an incredibly gifted sales representative for Binford. That kind of charisma and charm lend themselves well to television. Additionally, he makes it clear he took the hosting job not for the money or fame, but because it meant he'd get to stay in town with the family instead of be on the road for months on end.
  • Tim has shown considerable skills in both cooking and grief counseling. Which makes sense when you consider he lost his dad at a young age and the resulting depression his mother suffered forced all of the Taylor boys to pitch in.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Tim could come off as incredibly insensitive and even chauvinistic at times, but it always seems to boil down to him not understanding the other person's point of view. Every time Tim would be given insight by Wilson he would almost immediately feel regret about hurting the other person's feelings.
• The Klutz: Usually, Tim's screw-ups are due to his signature brand of overclocking. However, there are sometimes when he gets into trouble out of just plain klutziness, especially on Tool Time.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Tim is usually known for Epic Fails that come from trying to get "more power." When he's really motivated by something, such as building his own Hot Rod as a labor of love or figuring out how to fix a defective Tool Time board game to save Al from going broke, his real skill shines through.
• Made of Iron: Has survived sizable electrocutions, falls, etc. that would kill any mortal man... but not the Tool Man.
• Malaproper: Almost Once an Episode, Tim would hear an old saying from Wilson, and get it completely ass-backwards once he brought it up in conversation later.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: Tim is the second-oldest of seven brothers, though only Jeff and Marty would appear in the show.
• Men Are Uncultured: And boy does he revel in it. A prominent example would be the Binford Men's X-Room skits where regular rooms are reworked for the tastes of manly men.
• Never My Fault: Any accident or problem he causes is usually met with him making up a flimsy excuse that it was someone else's fault.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Tim with his Tool Time show is an expy of Bob Vila and This Old House.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Jill's father died, Tim made all the necessary arrangements for her and was consistently attentive.
• Open Mouth, Insert Foot: And often digs himself deeper whenever this happens.
• Parental Favoritism: He tends to inadvertently favor Brad. He shares a snarky tongue with Randy, and he was very protective of Mark in the earlier seasons, but he got along better with Brad due to having more shared interests and working on hot rod projects. Tim realizes he screwed up when Randy feels slighted over Brad getting to fill in for Al on Tool Time.
• Parental Substitute: Because his brother Marty was only a baby when their dad died, Tim was the closest thing to a father figure Marty had.
• Real Men Hate Affection: Played with. Tim is not very emotional or heartfelt, and brushes off most things that would get a deeper reaction out of other people. But even though Tim wants to be as manly as possible, this trend isn't a conscious effort; it's just the way his personality is wired. He doesn't have any problem with other guys, specifically Al or Wilson, being emotional, and tries to support them however he can.
• Self-Made Man: When his father died, he stepped up to help provide for the rest of the family. He later worked two jobs to put himself through college. He once noted he was a junior salesman at Binford, so he spent quite a bit of time low on the totem pole before landing his dream job.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Al's Sensitive Guy.
• Signature Laugh: "Oh ho ho ho!"
• Small Name, Big Ego: He tends to think highly of himself, especially during a competition.
• Snark Ball: Tim's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's consistently clever with quips and insults.
• Straight Man and Wise Guy: Wise Guy to Al's Straight Man (but occasionally inverted).
• Technician Versus Performer: He's the Performer to Al's Technician, often inventing some creative ways to improving one's household, while Al sticks to proven methods of being a handyman.
• Testosterone Poisoning: An extremely macho "man's man" obsessed with his imagined DIY prowess, even though he's incompetent at it seven times out of ten.
• Tim Taylor Technology: The Trope Namer. Tim loves to overpower machines for a better performance, which almost never actually works out for him. "More power!" is even one of his catchphrases.
• Verbal Tic: His apelike grunts, which he voices in a range of tones and inflections to convey various emotions such as pride, irritation, and (as heard in the opening theme) complete bewilderment.

Jill Taylor

Portrayed by: Patricia Richardson

Tim's quick-witted wife, who is frequently exasperated by his antics. They are Happily Married all the same. Also likes to meddle in other people's problems, which usually makes it worse.

• Dating What Daddy Hates: Tim repeatedly joked that the General offered him money to go away.
• Deadpan Snarker: Surrounded by Tim and the boys, you'd have to be.
• Destructive Savior: More on an interpersonal level. Jill's an infamous meddler.
  Jill: You know what my problem is, I am the kind of person who is so eager to fix things that I don't take my time and they just blow up in my face.
  Randy: You married the right guy.
• Embarrassing Nickname: Was called "Jilly Dilly" as a kid.
• Enraged by Idiocy/Hair-Trigger Temper: Jill getting pissed off at Tim has formed the basis of a ton of plots.
• Lethal Chef: Even she acknowledges that her cooking can be pretty subpar.
• Military Brat: Her father was a Marine.
• Not So Above It All: While she often reins Tim in, Jill can get pretty out of control and obsessive herself - and mangles one of Wilson's aesops on at least one occasion.
• Parenting the Husband: Tim can get so ahead of himself that Jill has to lasso him back. She also has to guide Tim on scolding their kids most of the time.
• Pursue the Dream Job: Spends a good portion of the series in pursuit of a degree in psychology.
• Sports Widow: Boy howdy.
• Stage Mom: Shows some shades of this. She never pushes the kids into any school productions, but she really gets into helping them practice and stand out. In the first Christmas Episode, she got Randy so worked up for the nativity play that a rehearsal ended with him getting demoted from inn keeper to sheep. Understandably, the kids get to the point where they refuse to let her help.
• Women Are Wiser: She is the only female in most situations and in the family, and this is one of the most prominent examples in 90s sitcoms, in fact. But often enough she turned out to be, well, Not So Above It All.

Brad Taylor

Portrayed by: Zachery Ty Bryan

Tim and Jill's oldest son, who goes through typical teenage problems. Popular and athletic, takes a lot after his dad.

• '80s Hair: Sports a mullet in the earlier seasons.
• The All-American Boy: Blond, into sports, real go-getter type. Played with in that he's sometimes a bit of a Jerk Jock.
• Big Brother Bully: Early on, towards Mark. Gets toned down later, but when necessary, he's still quick to remind his brothers who's the strongest.
• Big Eater: In some of the later seasons. In one episode he's seen eating a huge sandwich after he scraped the cheese off an entire pizza.
• Book Dumb: Keeping his grades up was often a major struggle. He gets better later on, though, and is even accepted into college.
• Dumbass Teenage Son: A pretty mild case, but he's often a little dense.
• Dumb Jock: Not quite as dumb as is often the case with this trope, but he's still not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The foolish to Randy's responsible one (in later seasons).
• Gasshole
• Hidden Depths: He's actually quite sensitive underneath all his macho posturing and stupidity.
• Jerk Jock: In his worse moments.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Brad was a temperamental jock, but he definitely had a conscience.
• KidAnova: Had the most success with women out of the three boys.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Manly Man to Randy and Mark's Sensitive Guys.

Randy Taylor

Portrayed by: Jonathan Taylor Thomas

The middle child. Starts out as a smart, mischievous, loudmouthed kid. As a teenager he gains a liberal conscience and becomes a journalist for the school newspaper. Doesn't share many interests with his father, although they have the same sense of dark humor and a similar penchant for self-assuredness.

• Big Brother Bully: More so than Brad, as he was almost always the instigator when they picked on Mark, and unlike Brad still always took shots at him when they were teenagers.
• Bratty Half-Pint: Till puberty happened, of course.
• Characterization Marches On: Justified by the fact that he went from a child to a teenager during the course of the series. That said, it's still a bit strange how in an early episode, him getting detention is apparently so common that Jill just assumes he'll get it before he even leaves for school, whereas a few years later Randy getting detention draws baffled "You?!" reactions from the family as if they couldn't fathom the idea that Randy would possibly ever get detention.
  • You would find it hard to believe in later seasons that this was the same boy who came up with the idea to steal money from a charity for orphans.
  • Fridge Brilliance: Randy is later skipped ahead two grades in school, implying that the trouble he got into as a child might have been the result of academic boredom.
  • Seeing both Brad and Randy regularly bullying Mark in the earliest seasons is a little jarring, as by Season 3, Randy matured enough to know that pestering his younger brother was wrong. He would occasionally tease him about certain things, but he was pretty much above bullying him, as opposed to Brad who continued being a Jerkass to Mark as late as Season 7!
• Deadpan Snarker: Discussed in a few episodes. In one, Tim notes that he and Randy are the most alike in personality, due to their smartaleck attitudes. Another has Tim noticing that Randy's cranking the snark to high as a coping mechanism following his grandpa's death (something Tim himself had done before) and offers himself as an outlet so Randy doesn't offend the more serious mourners.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The responsible to Brad's foolish one (in later seasons).
• Height Angst: In an episode later in the show's run Randy complains to his father that his "little" brother is taller than he is.
• Insufferable Genius: Even though he's gotten much smarter as a teenager, he still keep his snarky demeanor.
• Middle Child Syndrome: Feels like this and once complained in "The Longest Day" that bad things happen to him.
• Put on a Bus: In season 8, he leaves for Costa Rica. The Bus Came Back once more for that season's Christmas Episode.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: He's one of each to his brothers.
  • Sensitive Guy: To Brad's Manly Man.
  • Manly Man: To Mark's Sensitive Guy.
• Smug Snake: Does have a high opinion of himself.
• Soapbox Sadie: In his teenage years. Most notably, he once wrote a scathing article on Binford in his high school newspaper.
• Stranger in a Familiar Land: When The Bus Came Back, Randy was surprised by how much things had changed around the house (e.g. Marty and the girls moving in, Brad and Mark becoming best buds).
• The Topic of Cancer: "The Longest Day" has his parents and himself fearing about having cancer in his throat that may force him to undergo surgery and take medicine for the rest of his days to keep it in check. It turns out to be benign, much to their relief.

Mark Taylor

Portrayed by: Taran Noah Smith

The youngest son. Originally an innocent little boy who was frequently picked on by his brothers and used to fall for all of their pranks. Grows into a bit of a dork, goes through a Goth phase and later takes up an interest in filmmaking.

• The Baby of the Bunch: And Brad and Randy wouldn't let him forget it for the first few seasons.
• Big Little Brother: By Season 8, he winds up the tallest of the Taylor sons. Granted, he's only about an inch taller than Brad, who also has a considerably more athletic build while Mark remains fairly lanky.
• Children Are Innocent: And extremely gullible.
• Deadpan Snarker: He does occasionally deliver some good snark, especially after Randy leaves.
• The Dog Bites Back: Anytime he gets revenge on his brothers for their bullying. Plus he gets pretty good at snarking them when he's older.
• Emo Teen: In season 7.
• The Generic Guy: After he stopped being a cute little kid, he didn't have much of a personality aside from being slightly awkward. Turning him into an Emo Teen was an attempt to do something about this, but it didn't last. His final personality was as the cast AV Club nerd.
• Kiddie Kid: His initial characterization was this.
• Out of Focus: He was the most prominent of the boys early on, as he idolized his dad and was often around him. But after he grew out of the cute stage the writers didn't find much to do for him, and he spent several seasons delivering only Mandatory Lines in most episodes. After hitting puberty, his screentime increased a little again.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Brad and Randy's Manly Men.

Wilson W. Wilson, Jr.

Portrayed by: Earl Hindman

Hidey-ho, neighbor!

Tim's wise old neighbor who gives good advice from the other side of the fence.

• An Aesop: Wilson's specialty, though more for Tim and the rest of the cast than the audience.
• Alliterative Name: Times three!
• Almighty Janitor: The kooky next-door neighbor, and easily the wisest and most prosperous person on the show.
• Catchphrase: His welcoming "Hidey-ho!", his understanding "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm", beginning his sage advice with "Tim, I'm reminded of...", and his gentle "No no no no" when the person on the other side of the fence misunderstands him.
• Characterization Marches On: Wilson was always an odd character throughout the show, but for the most part he was still wiser, and a bit Closer to Earth than Tim. However, in the early Season 1 episodes, Wilson comes off a little flaky. Such as in one episode where he builds a porcupine trap in his backyard. After Tim informs him that there's no porcupines in their state, Wilson responds with a gleeful, "If you build it, they will come!" He looks a bit like a madman while saying this.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: In his stranger moments, particularly when he dresses up.
• The Confidant: Everyone turns to him when they need advice.
• Cool Old Guy: To a fascinating extent.
• Expansion Pack Past: Wilson has been all over the world and met with many famous people, in addition to having the most obscure hobbies. In one episode, it's even revealed that he's related to Brian Wilson.
• The Faceless: Famously, the audience only sees half of Wilson's face. Sometimes the top half, sometimes the bottom, other times just obscured. Earl Hindman would even hold a miniature fence in front of his face so that the studio audience wouldn't see what he looked like during the cast bows. His face is finally revealed in the final cast bow.
  • There are moments where his whole face is seen. But he's usually too covered in makeup (or, in one episode, a fake beard) to be recognizable.
• Foreign Queasine: Wilson made all sorts of strange foods from foreign cultures.
• Freudian Excuse: His parents never let him talk to the neighbors, which is why he's thrilled to talk to the Taylors and others.
• Killed Offscreen: Not during the series itself, but on the TV series Last Man Standing, Tim Taylor made an appearance and talked about Wilson, mentioning that he had since died (Earl Hindman had died in 2003).
• Never Bareheaded: Most of the time, Wilson is wearing a floppy brimmed fisherman's hat, so only his nose and eyes are visible between the fence and the hat brim. Any time he is not wearing the hat, he has something else on his head, like a knight's helmet.
• Nice Guy: Wilson is a kind, wise, and always helpful neighbor.
• Noodle Incident: He often shares many fantastic stories from his youth. His home is also full of various artifacts and antiques.
• Not So Above It All:
  • He can prank with the best of them.
  • Even he's bitter when Tim is awarded an honorary doctorate from Western Michigan, since he put in years of study to earn his own doctorate the traditional way.
• Parental Substitute: To Tim, being an older male figure who often gives him advice.
• The Philosopher: He knew and studied the works of many historical figures so well that he can quote them word for word. His sage advice can be pretty mind-bending at times.
• Prima Donna Director: In one episode, he got to direct Randy's high school Shakespeare play. However, his perfectionist approach to direction irritated the cast and Tim (who was building the set). Wilson insists it's all because of his adoration for Shakespearean works, but Tim helps him see that he's risking turning kids off to the material.
• Repetitive Name: Tim had quite a time wrapping his head around that one at first.
• The Reveal: His face, during the final bow on the series finale.
• Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Not an extreme case, but then, it doesn't take much to confuse Tim.

Tool Time

Al Borland

Portrayed by: Richard Karn

"I don't think so, Tim."

Tim's assistant on Tool Time, who proves to be a more competent handyman than Tim. Joined the opening credits in Season 2.

• Allegedly Dateless: In early seasons Al often admitted to having trouble meeting women, despite nearly every woman who sees him expressing attraction towards him. In later seasons, he does have a few long-term relationships and gets married in the series finale.
• Beleaguered Assistant: Al gets mocked by Tim and he always has to insist to Tim that his more improvised ways will break something or someone.
  • The trope's played straight in some of the middle seasons when Tim always has a funny nickname for Al with each "Tool Time" episode. But the trope's averted when "Tool Time" becomes more popular; when Tim introduces Al he's greeted with applause.
• Big Eater: A bit of a glutton. Not proud of it.
• Boring Yet Practical: Lacks Tim's flair, but his straightforward approaches always work as intended.
• Catchphrase:
  • "I don't think so, Tim."
  • He salutes the audience at the start of every Tool Time episode after Tim welcomes the audience and introduces him.
• Characterization Marches On: In the earliest episodes, Al was pretty much a Jerkass and openly didn't care for Tim. This was presumably because the writers expected Richard Karn to be a temporary addition to the show. Once it was clear he'd be sticking around, Al retained his sarcasm, but he became a much nicer guy and was sincerely interested in being Tim's friend.
• Chick Magnet: Many women love him a lot, despite the fact he is a nervous wreck around them all. Somehow, though, none of the relationships he seemingly seems to tie the knot with last in the next episode, but his relationship with Ilene is the one the lasts a lot longer until they call off their wedding on a good note.
• Deadpan Snarker: Started out as one, but eventually most the snarking went to Tim. He still had a sharp tongue when the situation called for it.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: In-Universe; he's the most popular of the Tool Time cast. Whenever someone recognizes Tim on the street, they usually add "We really love Al!" to Tim's frustration.
• Freudian Excuse: In one Christmas Episode, he reveals that his father insisted that he look after his mother.
• Happily Married: He and Ilene do not get married but decide to stay friends anyway, but he later ends up married with Trudy in the series finale.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: And he knows it.
• Limited Wardrobe: Flannel shirts runs in his family.
• Momma's Boy: He once even made a song for his mom on Tool Time.
• Nice Guy: Kindhearted to a fault.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: With his shirts and beard, he's a parody of Norm Abram from This Old House.
• Not So Above It All: When he and Tim sub in for a cooking show on their network with Al as the host and Tim as the sidekick, Al's arrogance about his cooking skills results in him causing an on set accident not so different from Tim's usual screw ups.
  • In the episode "Be True To Your Tool", before he realizes it's a subpar product, Al reacts to getting a new tool to play with like a kid with candy, same as Tim.
    You're forgetting something very important just happened here...WE GOT A NEW TOOL!
• Promotion to Opening Titles: In Season 2.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Is an accomplished cook and seamstress and quite proud of it.
• The Reliable One: He usually fixes what Tim breaks.
• Sarcastic Devotee: Al is all too aware of what Tim's egotism and clumsiness can result in and constantly has a snarky aside about it, but they are professionally inseparable.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive Guy to Tim's Manly Man.
• Small Name, Big Ego: While Al's popularity is much larger than Tim's and Al doesn't ride on it too much, his ego can get the better of him when the roles are switched or when things don't go his way. He discretely likes to mention his qualities to others out of the blue.
• Straight Man and Wise Guy: Straight Man to Tim's Wise Guy (but occasionally inverted).
• Technician Versus Performer: He's the Technician to Tim's Performer, relying on well-tried and traditional ways of home improvement while Tim likes to experiment with creative yet untested options.
• The Quiet One: Al's more reserved personality makes him an ideal Sarcastic Devotee and Hypercompetent Sidekick, but when he tries hosting Tool Time himself, it makes him uncomfortable and awkward.

Heidi Keppert

Portrayed by: Debbe Dunning

"Does everybody know what time it is??"

Tim and Al's assistant on Tool Time, whose main purpose is to introduce the hosts while dressed in tight clothing. She became a part of the main cast in Season 7.

• Ascended Extra: Eventually her role was expanded both in Tool Time and the show itself, as she got A Day in the Limelight every so often.
• Brainy Brunette: She's a handywoman to match Tim or Al, with the smarts and skills to become a master electrician.
• Catchphrase: "Does everybody know what time it is? - That's right! Binford Tools is proud to present...Tim the Tool Maaaaaan Taylor!! Woohoo!!" Said the exact same way every single time.
• Character Tics: Mentioned, but not seen. In the season 8 episode "Dead Weight" Heidi tells Tim that her breasts twitch when she's nervous.
• Deadpan Snarker: Developed shades of this in the later seasons.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: In-Universe; Bud Harper says this to Tim:
  Bud: Oh, audiences love you. Of course, they don't love you as much as they love Heidi.
  Tim: You're not kidding? Heidi tested better than me.
  Bud: Heidi tested better than Santa Claus.
• Hidden Depths: Although Heidi's mostly there for the fanservice, she's a skilled handywoman and electrician in her own right and occasionally gets a chance to show her stuff on Tool Time.
• Lovely Assistant: Just ask Brad, if you can put his tongue back in his mouth first.
• Ms. Fanservice: Tends to wear shirts that show off her cleavage.
• Promotion to Opening Titles: In Season 7.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Lisa, the original Tool Girl.
• Wrench Wench: Shows off her own construction knowledge from time to time. It's also mentioned that Heidi is a master electrician (master electricians have graduated beyond apprentice electrician and journeyman electrician status, and possess the knowledge and experience to tackle the most complex electrical jobs).

Lisa

Portrayed by: Pamela Anderson

Heidi's predecessor and the original Tool Time Girl. Lisa was a minor recurring character in the show's first two seasons. Pamela Anderson left Home Improvement when she was offered a starring role on Baywatch and her character was written out of the show.

• Dumb Blonde: Inverted. She's smart enough to become a fully qualified paramedic.
• Hospital Hottie: Lisa quits her job after season 2 to enter paramedic training. She returns in the season 6 finale, where it's mentioned that she became fully qualified.
• Ms. Fanservice: Perhaps even more so than Heidi. While Heidi got some character development in the later seasons and even had a few episodes that focused on her, Lisa mainly served as a pretty face to introduce episodes of Tool Time.
• Put on a Bus: At the start of Season 3, Tim explains to the Tool Time audience that Lisa quit her job so that she could train to become a paramedic. He then introduces the new Tool Time Girl, Heidi.
  • The Bus Came Back: Lisa returns to guest star in the Season 6 finale episode "The Kiss and the Kiss-Off". By this time, Pamela Anderson's role on Baywatch had turned her into a world-famous sex symbol. So Anderson's guest role in the season 6 finale was advertised heavily by the network to draw bigger ratings.

Tim's Extended Family

Martin "Marty" Taylor

Portrayed by: William O'Leary

Tim's younger brother.

• Awful Wedded Life: His wedded life with Nancy was often seen with them arguing with each other, which eventually led them to file for divorce.
• The Baby of the Bunch: He's the youngest of the Taylor sons and their mother treated him accordingly.
• Generation Xerox: Marty is very similar to Mark as they are both the youngest son in their family, were frequently pranked by their older brothers as kids, and share the closest relationship with their mothers.
• Pride: Following his split with Nancy, he preferred sleeping in a back room at the hardware store rather than impose on Tim's hospitality. Even when Tim bends over backwards to accommodate him, Marty gets antsy about his circumstances and wants to move out after seeing his daughters get along so well with Tim.
• Rock Bottom: The end of his marriage hit him hard financially, leaving him sleeping in the hardware store's back room and having to work whatever job he can to stay afloat. As Harry says, Marty feels he hit this.
• The Sixth Ranger: By the show's final season, due to his divorce with Nancy, he and his daughters moved in with Tim's family (as a way to replace Randy's empty spot).
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: A big reason why his marriage ended was because Nancy felt he lacked ambition to try for something better than scraping by with random jobs. He wonders in "Thanks, But No Thanks" if she was right, but Tim points out a newly single father working whatever job he can to support his kids has nothing to be ashamed of.

Jeffrey "Jeff" Taylor

Portrayed by: Thom Sharp

Tim's older brother.

• Baldness Angst: He's sensitive about his hair loss, which is not helped by Tim's frequent jokes about it.
• Failure Is the Only Option: He's a serial entrepreneur whose businesses regularly fail.

Others

Benny Baroni

Portrayed by: Jimmy Labriola

One of Tim and Al's friends, if he can be called one.

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• The Ditz: Lacks proper knowledge of social communication and can't tell how ironic he is in some stuff he does.
• Fat Bastard: He's overly petty, annoying, lazy, a freeloader, and an alcoholic.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: No one likes hanging around with him, because he takes advantage of others so casually. It comes to a boiling point when he is turned down to come at anyone's Thanksgiving celebration and he is seen going to the homeless shelter to eat...because he likes the soup there. He does have enough money to buy his own food but he'd rather bet hundreds of dollars in wagers. He also is absolutely confused what it means "to give." It says a lot he also almost drove his former shop teacher to quit being a teacher.
• Irony: He goes to Alcoholics Anonymous one day, yet the next he goes to drink.

Harry Turner

Portrayed by: Blake Clark

One of Tim and Al's friends, and owner of Harry's Hardware Store, where Tim frequents and Al has partial ownership for.

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• Henpecked Husband: To his wife Delores.
• Remember the New Guy?: Is introduced in season 4 as an old friend of Tim's and his hardware store becomes the Local Hangout, and is implied to have been so for a long time.