(ABC / Tony Rivetti)
Ever since ABC cancelled Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing TV show last week, fans have wondered if the family comedy series got the axe, partially in reaction to Allen’s conservative politics. ABC entertainment president Channing Dungey told reporters today, that the Last Man Standing cancellation came down to a business decision.
The Last Man Standing TV series follows straight-talker Mike Baxter (Tim Allen), a man surrounded by women. The ABC cast also includes Nancy Travis, Molly Ephraim, Kaitlyn Dever, Amanda Fuller, Jordan Masterson, Flynn Morrison, Jonathan Adams, Christoph Sanders, and Hector Elizondo.
TV Line reports:
[In] a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, ABC entertainment president Channing Dungey waved off the suggestion that Allen’s politics informed the axing.
“Look, sadly, a large part of these jobs [as network bosses] is managing failure. We have to make the tough calls and cancel shows that we otherwise would love to stay on the air,” she said. “But I cancelled Last Man Standing for the same business and scheduling reasons that I cancelled The Real O’Neals, Dr. Ken, The Catch and American Crime.
“Last Man Standing was a challenging one for me, because it was a steady performer in the ratings,” Dungey acknowledged, “but once we made the decision not to continue with comedies on Friday, that was where we landed.”
ABC this fall will open Friday night with Once Upon a Time‘s seventh season. Marvel’s Inhumans will follow at 9/8c, then cede that time slot to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. after its 8-episode run ends. Explaining that combo, Dungey said the network was curious to see how Once performs away from Sunday night football, and that there has always been viewer interest in seeing the fantasy drama paired with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Of course, Last Man Standing was also a pricey sitcom, fueled by TV vet Allen’s salary, and it also is produced not by ABC but 20th Century Fox TV. Addressing the ownership issue, Dungey said, “I wouldn’t say that that was the sole factor in not bringing Last Man Standing back.”
Last Man Standing: A Look at the Ratings
The sixth season of Last Man Standing averaged a 1.15 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 6.41 million viewers. Compared to the fifth season, that’s down by 5% only in both measures. That’s not a big decline for a show six years into its run.
Although when sorted by ratings demo numbers Last Man Standing ranks 12th among the 25 scripted ABC TV shows we’re tracking, in terms of average total audience size it’s a top three show.
Remember, the sitcom racked up those numbers on Friday nights, when the audience is smaller. Since Last Man Standing was the Alphabet Network’s 2nd most-watch sitcom (following Modern Family), fans were understandably surprised by the cancellation.
What do you think? Were you a fan of the Last Man Standing TV series? Should it have been cancelled or renewed for a seventh season on ABC?
Yes. Out of all the comedy shows, I only watch three, this one is cancelled and one will be last season. What a shame.
Last Man Standing will be missed! Tim Allen and crew are bright and irreplaceable. I decide to watch a tv show or movie by asking myself if it’s a good trade, my time for that show. Life is too short to sit through mind-numbing shows or other poor forms of “entertainment” so we’ll find something else to do with our time.
I feel like I have lost a member of my family! This is a sad example of why the “big three” are in trouble. If you have a great show with a steady fan base why would you cancel it?! At worst one would expect it to be moved to a different day. We now have even fewer reasons to turn on ABC.
I Quote : Of course, Last Man Standing was also a pricey sitcom, fueled by TV vet Allen’s salary, and it also is produced not by ABC but 20th Century Fox TV. Addressing the ownership issue, Dungey said, “I wouldn’t say that that was the sole factor in not bringing Last Man Standing back.”
Why is it ALWAYS Salaries that are the cause of most people not being taken serious? Allen IS THE BEST and has a good track record! Give him maybe NO increase next Season – he will understand, because we LOVE him!
My husband and I loved Last Man Standing and are very upset that it has been canceled. I hope another network picks it up. Our Friday nights will no longer include ABC. Most shows are so stupid and ridiculous with no life lessons – LMS was not only entertaining, it made us think, the fact that Mike was so soft hearted and moral was refreshing. Vanessa kept him in line. Their happy but realistic marriage was a tribute to staying together. We are huge fans at 67 years old despite the reported demographics. The casting was spot on. We will… Read more »
I loved Last Man Standing. It was a great show. I sure hope seasons 5 and 6 come out on dvd soon. Sad to see it go.
Ladt man standing always had a good life lesson attached to the shows. It is one of the last really moral shows left on tv. Please reconsider your decision.
I think Channing Dungey should get the axe. Be gone you stupid woman.
Last Man Standing should never have been cancelled. This show is loved by so many and had great ratings. It would be great for another network. I pray it will be picked up by someone else.
a. the show’s ratings among 18-49 were low. b. it is costly to make and Allen gets paid a lot. c. unlike Modern Family and some of its other comedies, ABC gets nothing in syndication. d. For another season, ABC would have had to pay the production costs. e. Lastly, if it was so great, Fox, whose parent company is making the profits of syndication, would have picked it up. It passed. f. Networks are all clearing space for cheaper, non-scripted shows. g. With the exception of Modern Family, which it owns, the comedies it kept are far cheaper to… Read more »
I think that’s bull the rating were doing good it’s just the climate where living in now and it’s not a good one no one seems to be able to separate politics from our social lives.
I think they need to find a spot for “Last Man Standing “. It is a great show with a great following .
loved the show. don’t think it should have been cancelled.
I love this show. Yes, Tim Allen is a conservative, but, he is balanced by a number of more liberal characters on his show. Like many others I truly believe that even though this show is popular, it was cancelled because of his very open conservative views.
Love this show. This was 100% politically motivated; I have no doubt. It’s obvious with other shows I’ve seen that abc has a leftist agenda that they push. this was the icing on the cake for me. I am done with them. I read this morning that the FOX network will likely be picking this series up.