Last Man Standing’s latest episode paid tribute to a beloved character from Tim Allen’s former sitcom, Home Improvement.
Allen reprised the role of Tim Taylor for an episode of Last Man Standing. In the special crossover event, Allen played both Taylor and Mike Baxter, who bore an uncanny resemblance to each other. The show contained a fair amount of doppelgänger hijinx, but the episode also paid tribute to another former character.
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In the episode, Allen’s characters have a conversation with a piece of wood covering most of Baxter’s face. While chatting, Taylor mentions Wilson, an iconic character from Home Improvement. On Allen’s hit ’90s sitcom, Wilson played a neighbor who only showed half his face during conversations between a backyard fence.
In the scene, Baxter asks, “Who was Wilson?”
“One of my neighbors, actually,” Taylor replies in a sentimental tone. “For many, many years, I shared a lot of stuff with him. He passed away.” He later adds, “I miss Wilson. I miss a lot of stuff.”
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For 202 Home Improvement episodes, Wilson was played by actor Earl Hindman. Unfortunately, Hindman died of lung cancer in 2003. He was 61.
“Earl meant the world to me and everyone at Home Improvement. It was an organic moment to settle on, both on the set and in our hearts,” Allen explained in a touching statement to EW.
The episode, named “Dual Time,” is part of Last Man Standing’s final season. Watch the teaser for the show below.