By Emily Morgan | Jan 02, 2015 02:01 AM EST
Tim Allen will welcome his first TV wife Patricia Richardson to guest-star in an upcoming episode of his current show “Last Man Standing.”
The “Home Improvement” reunion will occur on Friday, Jan. 9, according to TV Guide. It’s the first time Richardson has appeared on a half-hour sitcom since the end of her and Allen’s former ABC series.
Richardson will play Mike’s (Allen) neighbor Helen Potts, who is good with tools but annoys nearby homes with her loud power tools. Mike “feels the need to step in” when Helen and his wife Vanessa (Nancy Travis) become friends.
Allen wanted the writers to create a strong character for his former co-star, who the comedian credits with teaching him the art of acting.
“They all said, ‘How would you feel about Pat coming on?’ I learned a lot about acting from her. I can do comedy, but she’s good at the craft of acting. I said it would be great, but I didn’t want it to be like an ex-girlfriend or something like that,” Allen told TV Guide.
Allen and Richardson played Tim and Jill Taylor, for eight seasons on “Home Improvement.”
Richardson will be the third “Home Improvement” star to guest on “Last Man Standing.” Richard Karn, who played Allen’s former assistant and friend Al Boreland, appeared as an architect on two episodes during season two.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who previously played one of Allen’s three sons, recurred as a potential love interest for the eldest daughter, Kristin, in season three. Thompson also has directed a couple episodes.
“As gimmicky as this kind of thing is, we didn’t want it to be too gimmicky. When had Richard Karn and Jonathan Taylor Thomas on, they played real characters, we gave them something to do,” executive producer Tim Doyle told TV Guide. “We wanted to make sure that was the case here too, not just a star cameo. But there definitely are references to ‘Home Improvement’ in the story.”
Doyle has left the door open for Richardson to return if she wishes.
“If Pat has a good time and wants to come back, we’d be more than happy to have her back,” he said. “She’s been great. She came in, and she’s funny and a very different energy than Nancy Travis. Immediately the voices and their manner are very interesting contrast. If this works, I would fully expect we could have her back.”
“Last Man Standing” airs on Fridays at 8 p.m. on ABC.