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‘Last Man Standing’ Showrunner Back For The Show’s Revival At Fox

ABC

Kevin Abbott is officially on board for Last Man Standing’s upcoming seventh season at Fox as an executive producer and showrunner, Variety has learned.

Abbott was formerly the showrunner and executive producer on the Tim Allen-led comedy during its initial run ABC.

He took over as showrunner from series creator Jack Burditt, and was then succeeded by Tim Doyle, with Matt Berry then serving as showrunner before the show was cancelled.

Abbott is also an executive producer on the upcoming Fox retirement home comedy The Cool Kids, which will also air with Last Man Standing as part of Fox’s Friday night lineup.

Abbott will executive produce the Fox version along with Allen, Berry, Kevin Hench, Ed Yeager, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, Marty Adelstein and Shawn Levy. 20th Century Fox Television will produce.

Abbott is repped by CAA and Jackoway Tyerman.

Allen led the charge to revive the series after ABC cancelled it last year despite its solid ratings on ABC’s Friday schedule. Fox then announced they were bringing the show back earlier this month. The show’s final season on ABC averaged a 1.2 rating in adults 18-49 and 6.4 million viewers per episode in Live+Same Day. Should it be able to match those numbers this fall, which is likely given the fan interest in the show’s return, it would be one of the higher-rated shows on Fox.

Allen stars in the show as Mike Baxter, a married father of three girls, who tries to maintain his manliness in a world increasingly dominated by women. The series also stars Nancy Travis, Jonathan Adams, Amanda Fuller, Christoph Sanders and Jordan Masterson.

Modern Family star reveals surprising secret about one of the show’s long-running gags

The beloved series aired until 2020.

Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson has revealed why his on-screen husband Cam looks so sad in the show’s infamous portrait hung above Lily’s bed.

The sitcom included many awkward family situations, but the painting bearing the likenesses of Ferguson and his co-star Eric Stonestreet as Mitchell and Cam was on another level. Particularly as the couple thought it appropriate to have the scantily clad angels resembling them located right in their daughter Lily’s bedroom.

While Lily would later reveal that she understandably hated it, the painting hung in her room for quite some time.

Only recently, however, Ferguson clarified why Stonestreet’s Cam has a forlorn expression in the portrait. As it turns out, the photo used for the painting was taken at a time when he was convinced he’d be fired.

“[Eric] had said there were some laughs he just didn’t get and bombed. He was convinced he was being fired.

Who wouldn't want a painting of their parents painted on their wall? 😐 #ModernFamily pic.twitter.com/eRi8GNwCfi

— Modern Family (@ModernFam) September 29, 2016

“And right after we finished that table read, they pulled Eric and I into the hallway to take a photo of us because they needed to have a template to paint the mural that Mitch and Cam paint over Lily’s bed.

“And basically, they were gonna impose our faces onto this mural.”

Luckily, Stonestreet’s fears didn’t materialise, yubi and his concerned glare would be immortalised on the show for several seasons.

“And Eric took these pictures in a panic,” Ferguson recalled. “In his eyes, you could just see, ‘I don’t know why they’re taking this picture. I’m gonna be fired anyways.’ And so, of course, he wasn’t fired.”

The actual art stayed up until season 8, when Lily voiced her dislike for the odd choice of bedroom art.

“I don’t know how long that mural stayed up for the show because at one point they painted over it,” Ferguson said.

“But he’s like, those are the eyes of an actor who thinks he’s being fired. But those eyes are attached to Cam as an angelic angel in the sky.”

“The eyes of Mitchell are just steely confidence,” he then added. “I nailed it.”

A Modern Family Reboot Can Only Work On One Condition After Season 11’s Ending

However, a reboot can feel fresh if it focuses on the next generation of Modern Family characters maturing into adulthood. The original series followed three couples (Jay and Gloria Pritchett, Phil and Claire Dunphy, and Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker), but a reboot should focus on their children (Manny and Joe Delgado-Pritchett; Haley, Alex, and Luke Dunphy; and Lily Tucker-Pritchett). The Modern Family finale gave the main characters their happy endings, and to avoid retreading old territory, a reboot should look forward to the new challenges the next generation will face with the original show’s signature humor and heart.

A Modern Family Reboot Should Focus On What The Kids Are Like Now

A Reboot Would Give The Modern Family Kids More Time To Develop Into Adults

Modern Family ended with many of the children starting new chapters, whether leaving the nest for school, work and love, or self-discovery. This presents a perfect opportunity for a Modern Family reboot to reintroduce Haley, Alex, Luke, and Manny as young adults back in Los Angeles building their lives. As Lily is much younger and moved to Missouri in the Modern Family finale, she could be written out of the reboot for simplicity. With Luke back from college and Manny back from his world travels, it would be interesting to see the boys more as young adults than students.

Manny’s younger half-brother, Fulgencio-Joseph “Joe” Ramirez Pritchett, could be used in a supporting capacity, as he would be a tween in a reboot. In the Modern Family finale, Cam and Mitch adopt a baby boy, but if the Pritchett-Tucker family is in Missouri, yubi he probably would not be a regular in a reboot.

In the last two seasons of Modern Family, Haley reconnected with her first love Dylan and dealt with an accidental pregnancy. Actress Sarah Hyland hated Haley’s ending in Modern Family, wishing the character’s career in fashion was not shunted to focus on a relationship and motherhood. A reboot would give Haley the chance to balance motherhood and career in a way that would be full circle for Claire, who paused her career for years to be a stay-at-home mom.

What Happens To The Modern Family Characters In The Finale

Jay Pritchett & Gloria Pritchett-Delgado
Gloria, Jay, and their young son Joe go on an immersion trip to Gloria’s native Colombia for the summer.

Phil & Claire Dunphy
Finally empty-nesters, and with Claire no longer working at Pritchett’s Closets, Phil and Claire use their newfound freedom to go on an RV trip in the RV Phil’s dad left them.

Mitchell Pritchett, Cameron Tucker, & Lily Pritchett-Tucker
Mitch and Cam adopt a baby boy. Cam gets a dream coaching job opportunity in Missouri, so they move Lily and the baby to Missouri.

Haley Dunphy
Haley married Dylan after they accidentally get pregnant with twins. They move into Mitch and Cam’s old home to build their family.

Alex Dunphy
Alex gets a job offer from her former professor and longtime crush. They reveal their mutual feelings for each other and move to Switzerland together for work.

Luke Dunphy
After not getting into any college, Luke focused on getting some work and business experience. Luke is finally accepted to The University of Oregon.

Manny Delgado
Manny wants to experience more of the world, and he decides to travel the globe with his biological father.

Show more

Alex moved to Switzerland in the Modern Family finale work with and finally begin a relationship with her former professor and longtime crush, Arvin Fennerman. Their romance was controversial because while they were intellectual equals, Arvin previously dated Alex’s sister, Haley. An older version of Alex back in Los Angeles in a more focused and settled capacity in her career, whether or not she is still with Arvin, would shine with a smaller cast.

Modern Family’s Original Main Characters Would Work Better As Guests In A Reboot

The Modern Family Main Characters Already Had Their Full Stories & Happy Endings

While fans cherish the original Modern Family main characters, in a reboot that focuses on their children, it would be best to use the original three main couples as guest stars and not series regulars. Jay and Gloria, Phil and Claire, and Mitch and Cam had their stories told for 11 seasons and ended the series with a sense of closure, so rather than introducing new conflicts, they should be used in an advisory capacity for their children’s problems. There is a whole new comedic generational divide for a Modern Family reboot to explore.

Where is the Modern Family cast now? See what the stars are doing 15 years after the beloved sitcom premiered

The ensemble cast carried the series for 11 seasons on ABC.

Credit:Bob D’Amico/ABC

01 of 11

Julie Bowen (Claire Dunphy)

Bob D’Amico/ABC; Getty Images for Baby2Baby

Julie Bowen won two Emmys as type-A mom Claire. The actress almost passed on the role after telling her reps not to send her to comedy auditions.

“I was like, ‘I can’t tell a joke, I’m not funny — don’t give me those three-jokes-a-page kind of things,’” Bowen said in 2024. “My managers were always very supportive, like, ‘You know what? Helen Hunt isn’t funny.’ I go… ‘She just won like five Emmys.’ They’re like, ‘Yes. So she’s funny in a different way. She’s not three-jokes-a-page funny. And yet she is wildly funny. Try to be Helen Hunt.’”

Prior to Modern Family, Bowen was best known as Adam Sandler’s love interest in Happy Gilmore (1996) and as one of the stars of Ed (2000–2004). She also had a brief arc on ER (1998–1999) and recurred as Jack’s ex-wife on Lost (2005–2007). The actress also flexed her comedic muscles in Horrible Bosses (2011) and Life of the Party (2018), opposite Melissa McCarthy.

After saying goodbye to Claire, she reunited with Sandler in Hubie Halloween (2020), costarred in the time-travel horror-comedy Totally Killer (2023), and landed a main cast role in Peacock’s occult comedy series Hysteria! (2024–present). Next year, she’ll be back on the links in Happy Gilmore 2.

Bowen was married to real estate investor and software developer Scott Phillips from 2004 to 2018. They have three sons. Like a Modern Family plotline, she and Jesse Tyler Ferguson both made separate trips to the ER on Thanksgiving with their children in 2024.

02of 11

Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy)

Danny Feld/ABC; Getty

“Cool Dad” character Phil Dunphy was written specifically for Ty Burrell. Despite this, he was rejected by ABC executives several times before they finally relented. He wound up winning two Emmys.

“My agent and wife both advised me that I was being disrespected by ABC. They said, ‘Forget it. Let it go. You don’t need to be doing this,’” Burrell said in an oral history of the series. “My wife, being an amazing person, was trying to protect me from going in and having my feelings crushed for a fifth time.”

Before his star-making turn, Burrell had small, memorable roles in Dawn of the Dead (2004), In Good Company (2004), National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007), and The Incredible Hulk (2008). The actor was also a veteran of two short-lived sitcoms, Out of Practice (2005–2006) and Back to You (2007–2008).

After Modern Family raised his profile, he landed parts in the indie darling The Skeleton Twins (2014), opposite Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, and Muppets Most Wanted (2014) while lending his voice to Finding Dory (2016) and the Fox series Duncanville (2020–2022).

Burrell and his wife, Holly, have been married since 2000 and are parents to two daughters.

03of 11

Ed O’Neill (Jay Pritchett)

Karen Neal/ABC; Disney via Getty

Ed O’Neill earned three Emmy nominations as the curmudgeonly patriarch Jay Pritchett.

In 2013, he told the Television Academy that he knew the show was special at the first table read: “I remember at one point early on like looking up and like, what the hell is going on here? These people are good. I didn’t expect them to be that good… I didn’t know them… So that was amazing. That reading was at a level that’s higher than most first readings.”

O’Neill was already a TV icon thanks to playing Al Bundy on Married…With Children (1987–1997). His big-screen endeavors include major roles in sports movies — Blue Chips (1994), Little Giants (1994), and Prefontaine (1997) — and a recurring spot in David Mamet’s acting troupe, namely The Spanish Prisoner (1997), Spartan (2004), and Redbelt (2008). The veteran actor recently starred as former L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling in the miniseries Clipped (2024).

He has been married to Catherine Rusoff since 1986. They have two daughters.

Dave Coulier says he finished chemo and that a recent biosy on a lymph node in his neck showed a SPECIAL thing

Dave Coulier is cancer-free after finishing chemo

Dave Coulier is sharing the latest on his journey with cancer.

On March 31, Dave and Melissa Coulier confirmed to TODAY.com that he is cancer-free.

The actor has yet to share the update on his social media, but his former “Full House” co-star Candace Cameron Bure celebrated the news on her Instagram.

“DAVE IS CANCER FREE!!!! Join me in celebrating this AMAZING news — let’s shower him with all the love in the world!” she wrote, alongside a group photo with Dave and Melissa Coulier.

 

Xem bài viết này trên Instagram

 

Bài viết do Candace Cameron Bure (@candacecbure) chia sẻ

The news comes after he told Parade that a recent biopsy on a lymph node in his neck showed “no sign of cancer,” and he was waiting for the results of an additional CAT scan to see whether his illness “will be in the rearview mirror.”

He also said that a PET scan he underwent halfway through his treatment did not show any cancer cells.

Coulier, 65, shared in a TODAY exclusive in November 2024 that he had been diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that starts in the lymphatic system.

He told Parade that he completed his sixth round of chemotherapy in February and received encouraging results from the biopsy on his lymph node.

“Melissa and I waited for a week to get the biopsy results back, and there is no sign of cancer,” he told Parade, referring to his wife. “One of the few times in my life when ‘zero’ has been a great number to hear.”

The actor, who portrayed Uncle Joey on the original “Full House” and the show’s reboot, said on TODAY in November that he first noticed symptoms in October 2024 after coming down with a cold. He found a golf-ball-sized lump in his groin within a week of feeling sick.

He underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, which he told Parade causes neuropathy, nausea, dizziness and “chemo brain,” in which he found himself in a mental fog.

“I was in such a daze when I walked out of the hospital, my wife looked at me (when) we got in the car, and she goes, ‘We forgot to ring the bell,’” he said about his sixth chemotherapy treatment.

Coulier also struggled with fatigue.

“Though I wanted to move around and go out and work around the house, I just couldn’t,” he told Parade.

The actor and comedian had frank conversations about mortality with Melissa, 41, his wife of 10 years. Coulier’s sister, Sharon, 36, and niece, Shannon, 29, both died from breast cancer as well as his mother. His sister, Karen, also is currently living with cancer.

“I think everybody’s mind goes there,” he told Parade. “It’s part of the reality of life. Like, ‘Wow, this is really serious’ and ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ I’ve seen it so often in my family.”

“After (the fifth round of) chemo, he was like, ‘I don’t know if I could do this again,’” Melissa told Parade. “He was like, ‘I’m prepared either way. If I die, I die. And if I can stay here, great. I want to.’ Those conversations were obviously so tough.”

The recent encouraging results have lifted Coulier’s spirits.

“I’ll tell you this. Today is the first day that I really feel like, ‘Wow, I’m feeling pretty darn good. I feel like myself.’ And it’s today,” Coulier told Parade.

Fox News’ Harris Faulkner Blasts ‘The View’ After Her Shock Ratings Win

Fox News YouTube; The View YouTube

After recently defeating The View in the ratings, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner has opened up about her feelings on the long-running ABC talk show, saying it operates on “vitriol.”

In January, Faulkner’s daily program, The Faulkner Focus, which airs during the 11 am time slot, ended the month with an average total of 2.552 million viewers, just pipping The View, which averaged 2.508 million. This was notable, given The View airs on broadcast television, whereas The Faulkner Focus airs on cable.

In a new interview with DailyMail.com, Faulkner shared her thoughts on The View and its hosts, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, and Alyssa Farah Griffin.

“I’ve seen it when there was a powerhouse journalist. When Barbara Walters was leading it,” she told the outlet. “But now, I don’t really know what the show is, apart from talk, talk, talk; a lot of combativeness.”

“We have lots of guests who feel spicy and passionate about what they say,” she continued. “That’s not unique to The View or to any other show that I’ve done. What I do think is unique to them is vitriol.”

Faulkner went on to say that she received advice from a news director early in her career, who told her, “You don’t have to shout breaking news, and you don’t have to shout the truth.”

“It’s not personal,” she added. “But you gotta have the chops to be able to do it. I’ve seen Sunny Hostin read so many apologies on the air recently for the legal exposure of some of the things that she and others have said on the show. That’s dicey.”

In November, Hosting was handed a legal note to read out on air after she blasted Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz over accusations that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl and was engaged in illegal sex trafficking.

Faulkner herself appeared on The View back in 2018 to promote her book, 9 Rules of Engagement: A Military Brat’s Guide to Life and Success. During the interview, Faulkner, who is in an interracial marriage with a Jewish man, Tony Berlin, said she was taken aback when Hostin brought up the topic of race.

“Sunny Hostin came after me,” she shared. “They had put a picture of my biracial children on a huge digital wall behind me, and she took the conversation to race. I knew my kids would be watching.”

“Whoopi goes, ‘You know what, let’s talk about the book.’ And I appreciated that,” Faulkner added, noting how Goldberg turned the conversation back on topic.

Speaking on what sets her show apart from The View, Faulkner said she believes The Faulkner Focus‘ “superpower” is that it’s live, unlike The View, which is pre-taped. She also said her show includes guests with diverse political views.

“I think that’s difficult to do if you only see the world myopically, and that’s the feeling that I get when I watch other shows, The View as an example,” she stated. “That isn’t to say that they don’t have people on with different opinions, but the shouting is coming from the left on that show.”

She concluded, “It looks like one of those anti-DOGE meetings or the hearings on Capitol Hill. Democrats right now are apoplectic and they’re shouting and they’re cussing at us.”

The Faulkner Focus, Weekdays, 11 am et, Fox News

The View, Weekdays, 11 am et, ABC

’The Voice’ Gwen Stefani Storms Off Stage After Brutal Mistake

The Voice judges like Gwen Stefani and others coach their contestants on things like poise and more when the bright lights and the pressure are on. Unfortunately for Gwen, it seems she dropped the ball on her own advice recently, leading to her storming off the stage. So, what happened with this situation?

The Voice: Gwen Stefani’s Final Contestant Did Not Win Season 26

Heading into the Season 26 finale of The Voice, Gwen was counting on her final team member to bring it home and give her the win. A recent insider dished that this season on the reality singing competition was an emotional one for Gwen, and she would have loved to cap it off with a win.

Gwen Stefani’s finalist, Sydney Sterlace, was in the running to bring home the title this season. However, it eventually went to Team Buble, as Michael Buble’s finalist, Sofronio Vasquez, ended up taking the crown this season, and bringing it home for his coach, too.
The Voice: Gwen Stefani/YouTube

Gwen Stefani Storms Off After Mistake

With as many decades as Gwen Stefani has been in the business of making music and performing live, she is usually the ultimate professional. However, based on the latest updates making the rounds, the No Doubt singer made a critical error while singing with her The Voice finalist.

It turns out, Gwen made a brutal mistake during a performance with her finalist, as she botched the lyrics to the song they were performing. It got bad enough that the No Doubt singer stormed off the stage in a rage. After the mishap, Gwen collected herself off-stage before returning and resuming with filming.
The Voice: Gwen Stefani/YouTube

The Voice: Teleprompter Could Not Help ‘Nervous’ Gwen

If anything, it just goes to show that even seasoned veterans in the industry can have moments where they flub the lyrics and mess up. It has been reported that Gwen was “nervous” before the performance, and that she even relied heavily on the teleprompter for the lyrics.

However, even with the teleprompter to help her, Gwen Stefani still messed up, as she mistimed things and stumbled over the lyrics. Luckily, she was able to recover once she got off-stage and gave herself a moment to readjust.
Gwen Stefani/YouTube
Interestingly, a recent insider is convinced that Season 26 of The Voice will be the last season for Gwen Stefani as a coach. The insider dished that she wants to be able to spend more time with Blake Shelton, as well as more time with her children. So, it’s certainly possible that the thought of this season potentially being her last could have been partially to blame for this recent error, if not fully.

For all the latest The Voice news, come back again to TV Shows Ace for more.

‘The Voice’ Has Secret Weapon, Takes Down ‘American Idol’

The Voice and American Idol have returned for new seasons. The two shows are on competing networks: NBC airs The Voice, and ABC airs American Idol. Given that the shows compete against one another, their viewership is often compared. American Idol premiered its 23rd season and The Voice is in its 27th season. Both shows had new cast members this season, which has created excitement for fans. However, even with both shows bringing in new blood, The Voice is drastically outperforming American Idol. Keep reading to find out more.

The Voice Beats Out The Competition For Views

The Voice premiered on February 3rd and was viewed by 5,684,000 viewers. American Idol premiered on March 9th, and 4,494,000  viewers tuned in. Early numbers suggested that adding Carrie Underwood to the judges’ panel on Idol would lead it to outperform The Voice this season. Underwood joined Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on the judges’ panel to replace previous judge Katy Perry, yubi. Carrie May have sparked some initial interest in American Idol, but numbers so far suggest it will not outperform its competitor this season.
Carrie Underwood on American Idol | YouTube
The March 9th premiere episode of American Idol had 4,494,000 viewers. The Voice had 5,470,000 viewers tuned in the next day. The March 16th episode of American Idol had 4,510,000 viewers. Again, The Voice’s episode on March 3rd only brought in 5,646,000 viewers. Even with the shake-up to the judge’s panel with country favorite Carrie Underwood, American Idol is consistently falling short against the competition.  So why is The Voice performing so well this season? What is the show’s ‘secret weapon’?

ABC  Brings In A Secret Weapon

This year’s singing competition shows have had cast shake-ups for their 2025 seasons. Carrie Underwood joined American Idol as a judge for Season 23. The Voice saw Adam Levine return to his position as a coach after a five-year hiatus. Fans are thrilled to see Levine return to the show, and the numbers prove it. The show consistently brings in close to a million more viewers each week. Carrie Underwood Joining the Idol cast has not helped the show beat The Voice in ratings for the 2025 season.
The Voice: Adam Levine
Adam Levine rejoined The Voice after a nearly six-year hiatus. He is joined by coaches John Legend, Kelsea Ballerini, and Michael Buble. Levine has previously coached the first 16 seasons from 2011 to 2019. During his time on the singing competition series, Adam won three times. Fans are loving having Adam back as a coach. They said:

“Welcome home, Adam.”
“Great judges this season.”
“Adam’s voice is just iconic! Love him”
” Didn’t realize how much I missed Adam Levine. He is so talented, and his voice is so distinctive. Great to see him.”
“Love Adam; he is such a great artist.”

What do you think of Adam Levine rejoining The Voice as the secret weapon to bring in higher ratings? Are you watching for Adam? Let us know in the comments.

FOX Officially Reviving Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing

It’s been almost a full year since ABC abruptly announced the cancellation of Last Man Standing, the Tim Allen-led sitcom. To mark that anniversary, earlier today FOX announced that the show will be given a second life on their network this coming fall. Along with Allen, most of the show’s original cast is expected to return.

Last Man Standing is Allen’s first foray into sitcoms since Home Improvement ran from 1991-1999.

The show follows the story of Mike Baxter, a sporting goods executive who juggles the responsibilities that come with his professional and family life. In addition to raising three daughters with his wife, Vanessa (Nancy Travis), Baxter struggles to maintain his rugged masculinity in “a world dominated by women.”

Deadline reported the news that FOX would be absorbing the show for the upcoming fall season, which will pick up where it left off last year. “I did a fist pump so hard I threw my back out,” Allen said about the news, adding that he “could not be more grateful for the fans who wrote petitions and kept up the passion and incredible support for the show.” Allen may have also hinted at the news earlier this week when he tweeted that “A strong wind just filled our main sail.”

News of Last Man Standing’s cancellation last year came as a surprise, given that it was ABC’s second-most watched sitcom behind Modern Family. Immediately after that announcement last summer, there was talk of the show moving to CMT, much like how the network added NBC’s then-cancelled Nashville to its lineup back in 2016.

It turned out that CMT didn’t quite have the budget for it, and the show remained in limbo. However, yubi, FOX had also been eyeing Last Man Standing since it was cancelled last May, but couldn’t find a way to work the multi-camera sitcom into its schedule.

It seems the network has made some room for it since then. The news comes just one day after FOX announced that it was cancelling three of its single-camera series, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Last Man On Earth, and The Mick. Along with the addition to Last Man Standing, it sounds like FOX has been looking to retool its overall lineup.

The network has also ordered two new multi-camera sitcom pilots, and is currently developing a third with Rob Rosell and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia co-creator Rob McElhenney.

Part of this decision may lie with the massive success of ABC’s Roseanne revival, which showed that audiences are hungry for stories about everyday, middle-class families.

Though the similarities don’t just end there. Like Roseanne, Last Man Standing features a star who, like the character they portray, is not only an outspoken conservative, but also a vocal Trump supporter. That’s such a rarity in the world of scripted TV that Allen himself has speculated that his political views might have been partly responsible for its initial cancellation.

Source: Deadline

Tim Allen On Letting Go Of Last Man Standing 

Tim Allen has opened up about his pain in letting go of Last Man Standing and about what the political leanings of the show looked like behind the scenes. Last Man Standing is an American sitcom that has been running for 10 years, boasting 9 seasons and nearly 200 episodes. Allen stars as Mike Baxter, the director of marketing for Outdoor Man, a sporting and hunting goods store.

Baxter works to maintain his manly-man persona and staunch conservative views in a household of women (wife and three daughters) who sometimes tend to push back against his ideals and demonstrate to him the changing times.

It was announced that the iconic sitcom would come to a close at the end of season 9. The cancellation of the series was a mutual decision between Allen and Fox, after Fox picked up the series from ABC in 2018. Essentially, the show has run its course over the past decade, with many of the major characters exiting the show and a natural ending ensuing.

The Last Man Standing series finale is set to premiere on May 20th, and it is, yubi, understandably, an emotional time for the cast and crew as 10-years of work come to a close.

During a virtual panel for Fox’s press tour, Allen opened up about his feelings on letting go of Last Man Standing and the politics behind the show. Allen has taken the show’s ending very hard, stating, “I had health problems letting go of this one.” Allen went on to reveal that, besides Home Improvement and some parts of Galaxy Quest he has never enjoyed one of his jobs quite as much as he did Last Man Standing. Calling himself “a crazed man“, he boasted that he has a miniature replica of the Last Man Standing set in his home. Check out his quote below:

“To be very honest, I had health problems letting go of this one. It’s just been three or four weeks and I’m literally just feeling better. Never have I enjoyed, outside of ‘Home Improvement’ and maybe moments of ‘Galaxy Quest,’ one of these jobs. This crew, from the guy at the gate to Radford inside to people we ate with, I loved every second of this experience.”

In his interview, Allen also touched on the politics of the show. Most of Baxter’s conservative views are used for comedic effect, such as his angst against sensitive vegan males or his Hillary Clinton rants. However, the show has also touched on some more serious topics such as gun control, feminism, and the role of the American government.

In reference to the politics of the show, Allen admitted, “We really pushed it a little bit.” He reveals that the Last Man Standing cast and crew were a mixture of Republicans and Democrats, but what they had in common was that none of them liked being told what they should or shouldn’t talk about. He stated, “I loved that we all are the type of people who said, ‘Well, screw that – we’re going to talk about it anyway.’” 

As Last Man Standing draws to a close, it is heartwarming to see the love that Allen has for the show. His role in the sitcom is reminiscent of his role in Home Improvement, one that spanned years and was so iconic that fans automatically associate him with the character’s name. A seasoned actor with dozens of credits under his belt, it is also comforting to know Allen has felt such reward and joy in the work he has done with this particular show.

Meanwhile, we hope his work in pushing the boundaries of politics in the show won’t be forgotten. The Last Man Standing crew sets a fine example of working together despite political difference and insisting on talking about topics that many movies and shows may be scared to discuss nowadays.