The BEST episodes of Home Improvement

Every episode of Home Improvement ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Home Improvement!

Home Improvement is a family sitcom about Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor, the host of a local cable home improvement show called "Tool Time." Home Improvement looks at Tim at work, and at home, as the husband of Jill and the father to three teenage boys. Having been married for almost 20 years, Tim and Jill have had their share of fights, but with the help of their wise, mysterious neighbor Wilson W. Wilson, Jr., things often turn out all right.

Last Updated: 1/31/2026Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
Home for the Holidays
star
7.88
342 votes

#1 - Home for the Holidays

Season 8 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/8/1998

Randy returns from Costa Rica for Christmas only to discover the changes that have taken place in his absence and that life has gone on without him.

Directors: Peter Bonerz
Watch Now:Amazon
The Long and Winding Road (2)
star
7.86
386 votes

#2 - The Long and Winding Road (2)

Season 8 - Episode 26 - Aired 5/25/1999

As Tim and the Boys drive to school, they reminisce about some of the memories they made over the past eight years.

Knee Deep
star
7.83
307 votes

#3 - Knee Deep

Season 8 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/2/1999

Brad blames Tim for possibly ruining his soccer career when he injures his knee on a piece of hardware during a Tool Time shoot at the house. The magicians Penn & Teller appear on Tool Time.

Directors: Peter Filsinger
Bye Bye Birdie
star
7.76
357 votes

#4 - Bye Bye Birdie

Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/17/1993

A woodpecker is a pecking pain in the neck for Tim. Brad blames a poor grade on Jennifer who refuses to let him copy her paperwork anymore.

Directors: Andy Cadiff
Young at Heart
star
7.72
337 votes

#5 - Young at Heart

Season 8 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/16/1999

Jill is angry when Tim spends too much time with his new female mechanic near their anniversary.

Directors: Geoffrey Nelson
Watch Now:Amazon
Trouble-A-Bruin
star
7.69
334 votes

#6 - Trouble-A-Bruin

Season 8 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/11/1999

Troubles brew on Tool Time when Bud mandates that no non-Binford products are to be used on the show. Brad has to decide whether or not to play soccer earlier than he is scheduled to when he has an opportunity to play in front of a UCLA scout.

Directors: Andrew Tsao
The Kiss and the Kiss-Off
star
7.67
324 votes

#7 - The Kiss and the Kiss-Off

Season 6 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/20/1997

Lisa, the old Tool Time girl, returns and Tim gives her her old job back without consulting Heidi, the current Tool Time girl.

Directors: Peter Bonerz
Watch Now:Amazon
Loose Lips and Freudian Slips
star
7.64
360 votes

#8 - Loose Lips and Freudian Slips

Season 8 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/4/1999

Jill's thesis is before the committee. During Mark's student film viewing, Jill's psychology professor sees Jill criticize him and Jill is worried that this will affect the thesis committee's decision.

Directors: Tim Allen
Writer: Kim Flagg
Watch Now:Amazon
Mark's Big Break
star
7.63
336 votes

#9 - Mark's Big Break

Season 8 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/9/1999

Tim commissions Mark to make a video to celebrate the completion of his hot rod. When Tim is disappointed with the result, Mark films a new version - with a dance number set to "Greased Lightning".

Directors: Geoffrey Nelson
Writer: Tracy Gamble
The Great Race II
star
7.63
402 votes

#10 - The Great Race II

Season 3 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/25/1994

After Bob Vila raises more money than Tim for Jill's library fundraiser, Tim challenges him to a race... in his unfinished hot rod.

Directors: Andy Cadiff
Watch Now:Amazon
Don't Tell Momma
star
7.63
474 votes

#11 - Don't Tell Momma

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/27/1994

Jill dents the car so Tim decides to fix it, but he accidentally drops a three ton beam on it and tries to hide it from Jill. Meanwhile, Brad and Randy are kicked off of the school bus for gluing Vinnie McGurn's, a bully's, butt.

Directors: Andy Cadiff
A House Divided
star
7.63
423 votes

#12 - A House Divided

Season 4 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/21/1995

Benny, Tim's friend, moves into his aunt's house while she's away, but a gas leak causes the house to blow up and Benny must stay with the Taylors.

Directors: Andy Cadiff
Watch Now:Amazon
The Long and Winding Road (1)
star
7.62
336 votes

#13 - The Long and Winding Road (1)

Season 8 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/18/1999

Tool Time's new producer, Morgan, stages a Jerry Springer style fight on the show. When he refuses to stop degrading the show, Tim quits. Jill's psychology professor offers her a great job - in Indiana.

Directors: Andy Cadiff
Dead Weight
star
7.62
360 votes

#14 - Dead Weight

Season 8 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/18/1999

Tool Time continues to be a "jewel" despite the continued excessive presence of the Binford name. Things rapidly turn sad when Al decides to take his mother out to dinner to tell her he's going to get married... and she has a heart attack and dies.

Directors: Geoffrey Nelson
Crazy for You
star
7.61
405 votes

#15 - Crazy for You

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/27/1993

It's Halloween and as usual Tim is up to his old tricks, however Jill plans a prank of her own. Tim gets flowers from a fan named Rose, but soon strange things start happening. She keeps calling him, Wilson thinks she is obsessed with him. Tim tries to hide, but it's no use.

Directors: Andy Cadiff
Pilot
star
7.61
1184 votes

#16 - Pilot

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/17/1991

After Jill explicitly tells Tim not to touch the dishwasher, he breaks it in an attempt to make it more powerful; more of a "man's" dishwasher. Jill has a job interview, but she doesn't get it and when Tim tries to comfort her, he only makes matters worse. After talking to Wilson, Tim tries again and succeeds.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
I'm Scheming of a White Christmas
star
7.60
469 votes

#17 - I'm Scheming of a White Christmas

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/16/1992

Brad and Randy start collecting money for charity, but they get in trouble from Jill for spending some of the money they raised. Maureen Binford makes more changes on Tool Time.

Directors: John Pasquin
Writer: B.K. Taylor
Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble
star
7.59
599 votes

#18 - Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/19/1991

Tim decides to put in another sink in the bathroom so his shaving junk won't be in Jill's way, but the project takes longer than he expects.

Directors: John Pasquin
Watch Now:Apple TV
A Marked Man
star
7.58
412 votes

#19 - A Marked Man

Season 4 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/9/1995

Al tells Tim and Jill that one of their boys may have stolen a pocket knife. They don't believe their boys would steal, but they find the knife in Mark's pocket in the laundry.

Directors: Peter Filsinger
Workshop 'Til You Drop
star
7.58
406 votes

#20 - Workshop 'Til You Drop

Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/1/1996

When Bud gets divorced, Tim and Jill go to a couples therapy workshop.

Directors: Andrew Tsao
The Longest Day
star
7.58
335 votes

#21 - The Longest Day

Season 5 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/2/1996

After a routine medical checkup, the family discovers that Randy may have cancer.

Dances with Tools
star
7.57
473 votes

#22 - Dances with Tools

Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/3/1993

Tim gets Jill ballroom dancing lessons for her anniversary present.

Directors: Andy Cadiff
A Hardware Habit to Break
star
7.57
360 votes

#23 - A Hardware Habit to Break

Season 8 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/30/1999

Harry announces that he is retiring and selling the hardware store. Tim organizes a fundraising party for the store, but ends up buying it himself. But when the customers dry up, Tim begins to wonder what he is doing wrong.

Directors: Peter Bonerz
Watch Now:Amazon
Heavy Meddle
star
7.57
473 votes

#24 - Heavy Meddle

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/14/1992

When Tim throws a party to celebrate putting in the hot rod's engine, Jill decides to hook her friend Karen up with one of the guys coming to the party and ends up ruining Tim's day with a barbeque. Meanwhile, the boys have problems with the McGurn brothers.

Directors: John Pasquin
Stereo-Typical
star
7.57
519 votes

#25 - Stereo-Typical

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/5/1992

Tim and Jill have a fight over the volume of the stereo, until the speaker blows.

Directors: John Pasquin
Watch Now:Amazon