The Last Man Standing, Mike Baxter, will be even more outnumbered as Season 7 moves forward. Krista Marie Yu has been promoted to series regular, meaning we'll be seeing a lot more of her Hong Kong foreign exchange student Jen.
According to Deadline, Krista Marie Yu was originally cast in a guest spot when her family visited the Baxters in Colorado to see if they'd be a good fit as a host family. She returned again in the most recent episode -- Season 7, Episode 11, "Common Ground," which aired January 11. In that episode, she moved in with the family, which was a hint that she'd be sticking around. Now we know that, after these two episodes, Jen will be a regular on the show.
Actress Krista Marie Yu is actually 30, making her the latest in a long line of 30-something stars to play a young student. She's probably best known for playing Molly Park on the ABC sitcom Dr. Ken, but she also appeared on The Middle and Switched at Birth.
Last Man Standing has seen a lot of changes in its move from ABC to Fox. So far, it's doing very well in the ratings, suggesting it was a smart move on Fox's part to pick up the cancelled show.
However, there was some fan frustration with the recasting of Mandy Baxter. Brunette Molly Ephraim launched the role on ABC, and now blonde Molly McCook has the part on Fox. Jet Jurgensmeyer is also the new Boyd Baxter, taking over from Flynn Morrison. Tisha Campbell was also reported to take over the role of Carol Larabee from Erika Alexander, who is now busy on The CW's Black Lightning and HBO's Insecure. Eve Baxter star Kaitlyn Dever was also reportedly reduced to recurring status due to other commitments.
Despite all the changes, Last Man Standing is still going strong Friday nights on Fox. It was doing well for ABC, too, which was part of the surprise when the network cancelled the series. Tim Allen has spoken out on how odd it is that it's not odd to be back in the same exact groove after all of the cancellation drama. Fans were very vocal about wanting the show back, and Fox stepped in. (Not that Fox always gets to play the hero, they took a lot of heat for cancelling Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Lucifer, among others, but those shows also found worthy new homes.)
Last Man Standing Season 7 continues Friday nights at 8 p.m. on Fox, but heads up -- the next new episode airs Friday, February 1. As you may have noticed, the show is on a mini two-week break right now. Check out what else is airing in our midseason 2019 schedule.
