Fox recently gave the axe to several of its most memorable comedies, and the upcoming end of New Girl meant that the network was soon to be short on live-action sitcoms. Now, Fox has announced that it's bringing a cancelled comedy back to the airwaves more than a year after it was cancelled. Tim Allen's Last Man Standing has been renewed for Season 7 on Fox.
Last Man Standing got the axe back in May 2017, cancelled months after Season 6 ended on ABC. Fans were understandably upset that the series was cancelled despite the fact that it seemed to be doing well in its time slot on Fridays. Rumors abounded at the time that the show could get renewed at another outlet or streaming service, and CMT emerged as a likely home for a seventh season. When a potential CMT deal fell through and there were no other takers last year, Last Man Standing seemed officially dead despite fan petitions. Fox has officially delivered a dream come true to any viewers who have held out hope for the Baxter family to return to the airwaves.
The revived seventh season on Fox will air during the 2018-2019 TV season, which could mean Tim Allen back in primetime as soon as this fall. Of course, that also means it could be held until a winter or midseason premiere, but the cancellations of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Last Man on Earth, and The Mick make it likely that Last Man Standing will hit the airwaves in the fall when the 2018-2019 TV season kicks off. Returning to the series are Tim Allen, Nancy Travis, Jonathan Adams, Amanda Fuller, Christoph Sanders, and Jordan Masterson.
All things considered, it's not a huge surprise that Fox wanted to bring Last Man Standing back, and not just because the network was apparently ready to let many of its other comedies go. On ABC, Last Man Standing averaged 8.3 million viewers in Live+ 7 day calculations during Season 6 in the 2016-2017 TV season, making it the network's second most-watched comedy after the juggernaut that is Modern Family. Its ratings weren't too shabby either; Last Man Standing averaged a 1.7 rating in the key 18-49 age demographic. Last Man Standing was even the top new program in syndication after its syndication premiere, also in the 2016-2017 TV season.
Those numbers are reasonably impressive overall; given that Last Man Standing hit those numbers in an unenviable Friday night time slot, ABC's decision to cancel the series came as a surprise to many. ABC president Channing Dungey stated that the cancellation came down to business and a desire to shift ABC's Friday night lineup. Fox has not yet announced when Last Man Standing will air in the week, but the odds are pretty good that Tim Allen will be happy no matter what. He wasn't quiet about how he felt regarding ABC's handling of the series. and he's probably quite grateful that the series will come back.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more in TV renewals and cancellations. For what you can watch ahead of the 2018-2019 TV season, swing by our summer premiere schedule.
