‘Last Man Standing’ Revived by Fox for Season 7
“Last Man Standing” is back on its feet.
Fox Broadcasting has given a series order to a revival of the 20th Century Fox Comedy, which aired on ABC from 2011 to 2017. The multi-camera comedy stars Tim Allen as a man living in a house full of women.
The series also starred Nancy Travis, Hector Elizondo, Jonathan Adams, Christoph Sanders, Kaitlyn Dever, Molly Ephraim, Amanda Fuller, Jordan Masterson and Flynn Morrison. Airing on Friday nights, the show was a solid performer for ABC, averaging a 1.2 rating in adults 18-49 and 6.4 million viewers per episode in Live+Same Day. If the show was able to match those numbers, which would be likely given the fan interest in its return, it would rank among Fox’s highest-rated shows.
“’Last Man Standing’ ended too soon and the outcry from the fans has been deafening,” said Gary Newman and Dana Walden, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group. “We’ve wanted to put the show back together since its final taping a year ago, and Tim never gave up hope either. Thanks to its millions of devoted viewers and the irrepressible Tim Allen, we haven’t seen the last of ‘Last Man Standing.’”
Created by Jack Burditt, “Last Man Standing” had been the subject of revival speculation since it was canceled by ABC last year. Despite the show’s solid ratings, ABC balked at the rising costs typical of an aging sitcom — particularly one owned by a rival studio. Speaking ahead of her network’s upfront presentation last year, ABC entertainment president Channing Dungey denied that that the cancellation of the show was motivated by the personal politics of Allen, who is a Republican supporter of President Donald Trump.
On Thursday, in a move that many perceived as designed to clear schedule space for “Last Man Standing,” Fox canceled veteran comedies “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Last Man on Earth,” and “The Mick.”
“Excited?” said Allen. “Team ‘LMS’ was in the sixth inning, ahead by four runs, stands were packed and then for no reason, they call off the game. It leaves you sitting in the dugout, holding a bat and puzzled. Now we get the news from Fox that it’s time to get back out on that diamond – hell yes, I’m excited! When I heard the offer to create more episodes of ‘Last Man Standing,’ I did a fist pump so hard I threw my back out. It’s the fans! I could not be more grateful for the fans who wrote petitions and kept up the passion and incredible support for the show. And a fist pump, ouch, for Dana Walden and Gary Newman at Fox for not only listening to the fans, but for making the bold move to bring ‘Last Man Standing’ back. I’m sure audiences will be curious to see what we look like after all these years. Oh, has it only been one year? Well, just goes to show you – a lot can happen in a year.”
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