‘Home Improvement,’ ‘Friends’ & More Cast Reunions Coming to TV

There’s never been a better time for nostalgic TV reunions and there are plenty coming to viewers in the future. Here are four big cast reunions we can’t wait for:

Home Improvement

It’s Tool Time again! Sort of.  Home  Improvement‘s Tim Allen and Richard Karn, who played Tim Taylor and Al Borland, respectively, on the 1991–99 ABC sitcom, are rejoining forces for Assembly Required, a 10-episode competition coming to History next year. Contestants will rebuild common household items, trying to, yes, improve them. The duo, who cohost and judge, will also dig into the products’ history. Says Allen: “I’ve created a show to remind people of the satisfaction and pride that comes from rebuilding something on their own.”

(Credit: James Sorensen / ©NBC / Courtesy: Everett Collection)

The West Wing

“#TheWestWing team is getting back on the field!” Rob Lowe excitedly tweeted in late August. President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and his staff will reunite in October for a theatrical performance of the NBC drama’s 2002 episode “Hatsfield’s Landing,” which is set on the eve of the first presidential primary; HBO Max airs A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote before November’s election. The aim: encouraging viewers to head to the polls. Sheen and Lowe, as Sam Seaborn, will be joined by Allison Janney (C.J. Cregg), Dulé Hill (Charlie Young), Janel Moloney (Donna Moss), Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler) and Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman).

Saved by the Bell

Class is back in session at Bayside High — 31 years after the sitcom debuted on NBC. In the update, which streams on Peacock later this year, a fresh round of high schoolers create mischief — Zack Morris’ son is now the big man on campus! — but fans will see some familiar faces roaming the halls: Mario Lopez‘s Slater is the gym teacher, while Elizabeth Berkley’s Jessie has graduated to guidance counselor. Plus, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani Thiessen will recur as the popular Zack and Kelly. Now governor of California, Zack launches an education program that sends low-income students to high-performing schools, including Bayside.

(Credit: Warner Bros./Courtesy: Everett Collection)

Friends

They’ll be there for you…just not quite yet. The much-anticipated HBO Max reunion of Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey and Ross will be filmed when the cast can perform in front of a live audience. Stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer were originally set to tape the special in March. “We all want it to happen,” exec producer Marta Kauffman told ET in August, adding that the nonscripted event needs a studio audience. “It really is a huge part of what Friends is,” she said. “We cannot do it without them.”