Tim Allen ‘stunned’ and fans outraged by ABC axing his show

  • By Frazier Moore Associated Press
  • Tuesday, May 16, 2017 2:46pm
  • Life

Have viewers seen the last of “Last Man Standing”? Not without a fight, at least to judge by the uproar over ABC’s announcement that the Tim Allen sitcom won’t be back in the fall.

A warm family comedy about a man who stays addled by the females in his life while being buffeted by cultural forces he fears undermine his manliness, “Last Man Standing” has long been a quiet mainstay on ABC’s Friday schedule.

But apparently not much longer.

“Stunned and blindsided by the network I called home for the last six years,” Allen tweeted Tuesday afternoon, the same day ABC officially announced its 2017-18 lineup with “Last Man Standing” absent.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The show’s fate was sealed when the network decided to scrap its Friday comedies, ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey said in a teleconference Tuesday. By then the move had spurred an online petition on change.org calling for a boycott of ABC for yanking the show and praising the show’s “conservative values” — values many angry fans accuse ABC of wanting to muzzle.

Dungey wouldn’t specifically address a reporter’s question about whether politics played any role in the show’s axing. She did say the same factors that go into decisions about renewing any of the network’s shows — including ratings, financial considerations and the possibility for future artistic growth — were considered in this case. Once ABC made the decision not to stay with comedies on Friday, “that’s where we landed,” she said.

Fans of the show weren’t convinced, and they might have reason to wonder. “Last Man Standing” ranked No. 48 in viewership among broadcast shows this season, with an average of 5.89 million viewers, the Nielsen Co. said. That’s more viewers than some other ABC series that have been invited back, including “black-ish,” ”Shark Tank” and “The Goldbergs,” which just scored a two-year renewal for a fifth and sixth season.

“Your decision to cancel (“Last Man Standing”) was politically motivated! The explanation of cost is a LIE!” declared a typical tweet.

Other posts noted that a canceled show not infrequently finds a second life on a new channel. CMT, Hallmark and Netflix were among the networks “Last Man Standing” fans endorsed as a suitable new home for this show.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

Audi SQ8 Wows In Motion Or At Rest. Photo provided by Audi America MediaCenter.
2025 Audi SQ8 Is A Luxury, Hot Rod, SUV

500 Horsepower and 4.0-Second, 0-To-60 MPH Speed

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Ellis Johnson, 16, left, and brother Garrett Johnson, 13, take a breather after trying to find enough water to skim board on without sinking into the sand during opening day of Jetty Island on Friday, July 5, 2019 in Everett, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Epic ways to spice up your summer

Your ultimate guide to adventure, fun and reader-approved favorites!

Everett High School graduate Gwen Bundy high fives students at her former grade school Whittier Elementary during their grad walk on Thursday, June 12, 2018 in Everett, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Literally the best’: Grads celebrated at Everett elementary school

Children at Whittier Elementary cheered on local high school graduates as part of an annual tradition.

A bear rests in a tree in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. (U.S. Forest Service)
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest transitioning to cashless collections on June 21

The Forest Service urges visitors to download the app and set up payments before venturing out to trailheads and recreation sites.

The 2025 Jeep Gladiator pickup, in one of its more outrageous colors (Provided by Jeep).
2025 Jeep Gladiator is a true truck

The only 4x4 pickup with open-air abilities, Gladiator is more than a Wrangler with a bed.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.