Ratings: Did Jonathan Taylor Thomas save ‘Last Man Standing’ finale?

There really was not too much to talk about in the way of ratings Friday night with “Shark Tank” and others in repeats, but there were two shows that in particular needed to turn in strong performances: “Last Man Standing” as well as “Malibu Country.” ABC put a lot of effort into trying to make these shows the new version of “TGIF,” and right now we have to say that the results of this were mixed at best.

When it comes the former series, the network seems to have made the right decision in having a “Home Improvement” reunion air during the finale with Tim Allen and Jonathan Taylor Thomas. The show brought in a 1.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which is up 14% from its 1.4 last week. There actually were nearly eight million viewers on the night, though, which is enough to make this the most-watched scripted show for Friday. (Admittedly, there were many repeats, and this may not matter much given that networks look at demo numbers more than anything else.)

We don’t want to see that the needle is necessarily pointing up for “Last Man Standing,” since Allen does come with a large price tag, but we would put its odds at renewal right now at slightly more than 50%. After all, ABC could pair it up with another comedy and air it in a similar timeslot next year.

We’re a little less optimistic about “Malibu Country,” mostly because a 1.4 for its finale is not great, even for a Friday. It was consistently the worst player on the network for the night this season among its regular programming, and if it survives it would be the lowest-rated ABC program to probably do so. (Sorry, “Happy Endings” fans: it’s just not happening.)

Do you want to see either one of these shows back for another season? If you want to read more news related to the show, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: ABC