Laff Lands ‘Home Improvement’; Debuts In Fall

Laff, the E.W. Scripps-owned comedy multicast network, has acquired the television rights to Home Improvement from The Disney/ABC Television Group.

In the multi-year licensing agreement announced today, Laff acquires the rights to broadcast all eight seasons and 203 half-hours of Home Improvement and will debut the multiple Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning series in September.

“Laff is becoming the sitcom hall-of-fame. Home Improvement adds to an incredible collection of iconic comedies already driving network growth of 60% year-over-year,” said Jonathan Katz, president-CEO of Katz Networks, which operates Laff.

Loosely based on the standup comedy of series star Tim Allen, Home Improvement ran on ABC-TV from 1991 to 1999 and was one of the highest-rated sitcoms for the entire decade.

In addition to garnering numerous awards, the popularity of Home Improvement made the series finale the fourth highest-rated comedy series finale of that decade behind Cheers, The Cosby Show and Seinfeld.

Home Improvement joins Laff’s collection of hit off-network comedies including Roseanne, That ’70s Show, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Drew Carey Show, Night Court, Spin City, Grace Under Fire, Ellen and more.