Last Man Standing cancellation: Tim Allen still angry at ABC decision

It’s been months since the Last Man Standing cancellation was first made official, but one thing feels clear: Tim Allen is still upset over it.

Speaking in a new interview on Norm MacDonald Live (thanks to THR for the transcript) Allen made it clear that he was shocked by the decision, and definitely still believes that the show ended because of ABC’s sentiment towards having a conservative leading man:

“I always wanted Last Man Standing to be like [All in the Family’s] Archie Bunker. Archie Bunker pushed boundaries, but Carroll O’Connor was not that guy at all. I am a version of that guy. But there is nothing more dangerous, especially in this climate, than a funny, likable conservative character. He is mitigated on the show by a family of women who had a difference of opinions, but [Mike Baxter] was a likeable guy and a principled guy about work and ethics and all this stuff, I think.

“[In regards to the cancellation] I have no idea why they did what they did … [They] couldn’t have handled this worse. Second biggest show, [ABC] hadn’t won a Friday night in 15 years. They put us out to pasture on Friday and we won Friday. Big night for us. Big night for them. I would have put Roseanne after us. Use us just to launch shows, if nothing else.”

Do we think that Allen has some points here? Sure, but he neglects to really get into that Last Man Standing comes from an outside studio or that he commands a hefty salary than the majority of sitcoms out there. While it did get good ratings, it had to in order to offset just how much it cost to make the show happen. If it was a runaway success in terms of the bottom line, do you really think that networks would’ve turned up their noses at it?

Basically, the conclusion that we’re drawing when it comes to this show is rather simple: It’s ending for the most part because of how much it makes in terms of its profits. Maybe the conservative nature of the show played a small rose, but if there’s one thing executives love, it’s profits. This is why we’re not giving too much into conspiracy theories here. (Also, we feel like had CMT had a bigger audience base and could guarantee similar ratings to ABC if they brought the show over, Last Man Standing probably would have a home at the moment.)

Now, will Tim Allen find another major TV gig? That is one of the things we’re especially curious about right now, given that he’s bemoaned previously the ability of conservatives in Hollywood to get TV jobs.

Are you still upset about the Last Man Standing cancellation?

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