Assembly Required

Hosts Tim Allen, Richard Karn, and their own internal disturber April Wilkerson , welcome their audience each week to watch how they pit three (3) inventors, mechanics, welders, hobbyists, and down right wack-a-doodles compete in building some very unique contraptions that no one but Tim Allen and Richard Karn could ever think of, let alone be responsible for testing these contraptions to see who wins their weekly grand prize of $5,000 each week.

In their very first episode the hosts find three unlikely guinea pigs to test their skills in first building a projectile fire extinguisher that must be able to put out a candle's flame from ten (10) feet away. the contestants have a defined timeline of five (5) days to build their contraption and then we get to see whose device/contraption worked the best. The one contestant does the worst is eliminated and then the two surviving creators are pitted against each other to commence their next assembly.

In this first episode Tim and Richard have assigned the two remaining contestants to build a leaf blower turned into a flame thrower that must be able to melt a block of ice attached to a chain in record time. These two contestants are provided a shipment of objects, a motor, and some other apparatus to help build their unique "leaf blower turned into a flame thrower" or they can choose not to use some of the shipped container and use what's available in their own workshops. Again, they are given five (5) days to complete their task, but for this the final event after the five (5) days have elapsed, the contestants are required to ship their creations back to Tim and Richard and this is where the fun REALLY begins. Oh and by the way, when the two contestants receive their packages from Tim and Richard ,April tells us that she has provided another challenge via sabotage for these two contestants that will show us if they can repair their contraptions before they can actually complete the contraptions.

We then get to witness how brave (or stupid) Tim and Richard are just like when we used to watch them test their own contraptions/creations on their previous TV comedy show (1991-1999) Home Improvement,

This show is a blast no pun intended. Mrs. Shullivan also was captured by this shows "what's next?" approach so I am giving it a much deserved 9 out of 10 IMDB rating.

Like the builds featured on the show, some extra polish and finishing touches are needed. The premise is solid and the best part is watching what the contestants can take from their mind's eye and put into action. I think one of the difficulties for the show is that it is done remotely. That can't be easy for social interaction between the contestants the hosts, which, if improved, would be beneficial for the show. The banter with Tim, Richard and April is good. More April would be nice. She has talent and I'm sure has more than her simple hacks they show. Maybe show how she would fix the purposely sent problem to the builders in the second round? Seeing her fix would be cool. One annoyance I have is the obvious product placement with Google and iFixIt. Google has been used for verbal internet searches, setting a timer, and simple math. Wow, so amazing... not. I'm sure the small tools/bits from the iFixIt kits are useful but viewers don't see that shown explicitly.

What happened to Tim Allen? I'm a big fan, and only on episode 1, but Tim seems drunk or sedated on pain meds. He's slow, his eyes are bloodshot, and his eyes are glassed over and don't blink in sync. I had to check IMDB to see if he's had any recent medical issues such as a stroke.

The content of the show just seems to drag on, and the banter between Tim and Karn is painful to watch. I'm not sure of their purpose, other than to just give a play-by-play analysis. Also don't like the format, as mentioned, the play-by-play and the remote aspect of the show. Maybe if Tim and Karn had more interaction and hands-on.

I have been a huge fan of Tim Allen ever since "Home Improvement". Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I was very disappointed with this new show. It sounded like a very interesting concept, and I still believe it could work. But the banter between Tim and Richard was horrible. It sound forced, the jokes were lame, and the timing seemed off. And product placement is one thing, but a whole scene about the sponsor's pickup was just excessive.

I have to start by saying I was a producer on 2 episodes of Assembly Required. It's not often that I watch the content which I produce. In this case, I couldn't wait to see the show. Sean T French was one of my makers. To see this episode lead off the series was thrilling to say the least. To me, the cast and crew of this show has been nothing short of phenomenal. These are the projects I find to be a true joy to be involved with. At times in the television and film business, our careers reach a point of near 'stalemate'. It's shows like these which breed new life into a tired career. I cannot thank Justin Healey enough for allowing me to be a part of this show, I truly enjoyed my experience. Thank you for the opportunity to be involved with such a fun production! Cheers!!