DID ANYONE else feel like he or she was transported back in time while watching TV this week?

First came Tim Allen playing a sometimes gruff father who doesn't understand his kids, works with all sorts of man-centric stuff and rants about what's wrong with the world today.

That was followed by a show with an dad who looked a whole lot like Theo Huxtable in a household in which both parents are black doctors, are challenged by cute kids and live in a upper-class New York neighborhood.

The show starring Tim Allen is ABC's "Last Man Standing," a re-creation of the longtime Allen hit "Home Improvement," which transformed the one-time comic into a household name and launched his successful film career.

Allen hasn't denied that this new sitcom is an attempt to recapture the spirit--and in so doing, hopefully the success--of his earlier comedy.

Allen's new character, Mike Baxter, is the marketing director for a sporting-goods company called "Outdoor Man." He spends his days in a man-cave of a store where testosterone rules and the toy of the day is a crossbow or a GPS for your hunting dog.

He's been off for years shooting catalogs in exotic locations, and has come home because his wife (the excellent Nancy Travis) has gotten a promotion at work.

Suddenly, this man's man who could stare down a Bengal tiger or the most troublesome airport security guard is facing a real challenge: managing a household of five in which he's the only male.

As a fan of "Home Improvement"--yes, it was hokey, but also sweet and funny--I'd love to be able to say this show was as good or better.

It's neither so far, as Allen's Baxter is more grumpy than hilarious and his one-liners are more likely to be offensive or silly than the humorous and often self-directed barbs he tossed out on "Improvement."

And yet there's something here, a foundation for a show that could get better.

Travis is a consummate pro, as lovely and funny as she needs to be for the role as the gracious wife of this modern-day caveman.