Last Man Standing came to a bit of an abrupt halt with its impromptu Season 8 finale and its much-teased cliffhanger. The latter part is why the series’ boss disliked the way the popular sitcom was forced to end, and it's a situation that many series are currently dealing with. So, what happened on Last Man Standing?
As actress Amanda Fuller hinted, the sitcom ended Season 8 with a cliffhanger, and it involved Fuller’s Kristin going into labor with her second child. The birth of said baby was seemingly supposed to happen in Last Man Standing’s original Season 8 finale, hence the sitcom left viewers unintentionally, well, hanging.
Fans did not get to meet Kristin’s new baby due to the mass shut down in television production which happened in March. Last Man Standing was one of the shows trying to stay standing before it wound up ending production one episode shy of its original Season 8 finale. On how the season ended, Last Man Standing executive producer, Kevin Abbott, told TVLine:
It’s funny, because I was talking to [fellow executive producer] Matt Berry about that. When the question had come up, [and] there was a possibility we could shut down [before we shot Episode 22], I said, ‘I don’t want to shut down. [Episode 21] is a really good show, but it’s not a season finale. We end on Kristin going into labor. You can’t end a show on that.’ Well, you totally can… I’d [just] hate to do a cliffhanger for the audience and then not get picked up and that’s the end of the series, you know?
Here is hoping that Fox renews the long-running sitcom to avoid Last Man Standing ending on an open-ended note. The network has yet to give the green light for another season of the Baxters, which means if worse comes to absolute worst, the impromptu Season 8 finale would be the series finale.
I am really hopeful about Last Man Standing’s chances of seeing another season, but you never know. It has been an incredibly fun season with lots of quirky twists and surprising turns. Between Kyle and Mandy having a fight and announcing that they, too, are having a baby, Season 8 has been jam-packed with developments.
Tim Allen has already teased that the actual Season 8 finale is worth anticipating. It would now serve as the Season 9 premiere, should Fox renew the series. Please, pick it up, Fox. Fans need to meet Kristin’s daughter, and Mandy and Kyle’s baby, for that matter. The good news is that fans did get to see Eve before Season 8 ended.
Fan and cast favorite Kaitlyn Dever returned for the penultimate episode-turned Season 8 finale. You did not think Eve would miss the birth of her niece, did you? Okay, I was a little worried she might. If you want more Eve when Last Man Standing returns, it sounds as though she will still be in the Season 8 finale turned Season 9 premiere (if renewed).
It would be rough if Fox did not renew the series. I can only imagine how tough it would be on Last Man Standing’s cast, crew, and writers to not get to wrap up Season 8 in a way that brings closure to the characters. Hopefully, Last Man Standing will back at some point this fall.
Last Man Standing’s eighth season is over, so while you wait for word on a Season 9 renewal, keep your mind occupied with this summer’s premieres. Remember, you can catch Last Man Standing re-runs on CMT!
