Last Man Standing’s Thursday repeats: What they mean for larger future
Related Last Man Standing video – Be sure to check out more thoughts on the series’ future in our video below. Meanwhile, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for some other updates, and check out our Last Man Standing playlist for more.
While we have enjoyed having the sitcom back on Friday nights, one of the things that we’ve long tried to stress here at the site is that it’s a temporary stay. While we remain confident that a season 8 is going to happen based on the ratings, Fox is bringing on board WWE SmackDown as a part of their new emphasis on sports / alternative programming for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. That change could happen as early as fall 2019, and what that means is that Last Man Standing would be on the move for a new night and time slot.
This brings us back to the title of our article, as Fox is airing repeats of the comedy tonight. While this may seem like a quick way for the network to get decent ratings with a widely-popular show during the holiday season, there icould be something more meaningful here. This is in some ways a test. It’s a way for Fox to gauge how repeats of the show would fare on a night other than Friday, which may in turn help them figure out what they want to do with the show for the 2019-20 season if it comes back.
Do we think that Last Man Standing would air new episodes on Thursdays next fall? Probably not, since the night will be used more for NFL football. Yet, if repeats garner some good ratings tonight that’s a good sign for wherever the show does end up. Our sentiment is that it will likely return to Tuesday nights, which is where it aired at the beginning of its run. This would allow Fox to take some ownership of a night that they’ve struggled to perform in for some time. The only other option that makes sense is potentially moving the series to Monday nights in hopes that they can take some of the mantel away from CBS as the home for Monday-night comedy. That network used to dominate the night with the genre, but they’ve slipped more in recent years following the end of Two and a Half Men and the decision to shift The Big Bang Theory over to Thursdays.
If you want to support Last Man Standing and its future, watching tonight is a good move. If nothing else, it will tell Fox that its fans are flexible and willing to watch it no matter when it airs.
Related News – Check out some more insight on the next new episode of the show
What night would you like to see Last Man Standing on the air in the fall? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments. (Photo: Fox.)