Why Home Improvement Stopped Seinfeld From Creating An Animated Episode

While “Seinfeld” and “Home Improvement” couldn’t have been more different, they shared some great sitcom DNA. They both premiered around the same time — “Seinfeld” coming first in 1989 on NBC and “Home Improvement” arriving two years later on ABC in 1991 — during an era when sitcoms were part of the upper echelon of entertainment, highly regarded for their influence on popular culture. Believe it or not, one show influenced the other in an indirect but significant way.

Here’s the story: The later seasons of “Seinfeld” ended up in somewhat experimental territory, and the writers considered doing an animated episode for the last season of the show.