Last Man Standing is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen as a senior employee of a sporting goods store in Denver, Colorado, who is a married father of three daughters. The series includes his interactions with family, neighbors, and coworkers and often expressions of his conservative political views.
The series aired on ABC from October 11, 2011 to March 31, 2017 with 130 episodes. Syndication of the series began in 2015 and continues on multiple cable networks and video-on-demand subscription services. Production was canceled by ABC on May 10, 2017, after six seasons.
Video Last Man Standing (U.S. TV series)
Premise
The series follows Mike Baxter, a senior executive and director of marketing for an outdoor sporting goods store chain based in Denver, Colorado, whose world is filled with his wife, three daughters, and grandson.
Maps Last Man Standing (U.S. TV series)
Cast and characters
Main
- Tim Allen as Mike Baxter: Mike is a father of three daughters and the director of marketing for the Outdoor Man chain of sporting goods stores. He fervently supports traditional American values, is a Protestant, and is politically conservative. Mike loves his daughters but says his favorite is Eve, the youngest and most athletic daughter, and whose political opinions and interests mirror his own. He is proud of her ability to excel at anything she tries, including school work, hunting, and playing sports. Mike often finds himself annoyed with Outdoor Man's young slow-witted employee Kyle, and with Ryan, his politically liberal son-in-law and the father of Mike's grandson Boyd. The video blog or "vlog" that Mike does for Outdoor Man is frequently used as a vehicle to rant about his political views. Mike is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and an amateur radio operator using the call sign KA0XTT.
- Nancy Travis as Vanessa Baxter, Mike's wife: Vanessa is a geologist working in the energy industry for a company that does hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking". In season four, Vanessa becomes frustrated with her job and decides to become a high school science teacher. Vanessa was ambiguous in her political views until season five, when she announces she is supporting Hillary Clinton for president, mainly because she thinks it will advance women's causes. She is also shown drinking wine frequently, and nearly as frequently mocked by Mike and her daughters about it. She is a graduate of Ohio State University. Vanessa has a tendency to put her foot in her mouth when around people of other races. Despite this, she and her African-American neighbor Carol Larabee seem to get along. Vanessa's humor tends to include bad puns, which irritate Mike and the girls to no end.
- Amanda Fuller (seasons 2-6) and Alexandra Krosney (season 1) as Kristin Beth Baxter, the oldest daughter: Kristin, unlike her father, espouses more liberal beliefs. During her senior year of high school, Kristin became pregnant with her son, Boyd. She was a single mother living in the Baxter home until moving out in the season two finale. She began to reconcile with Boyd's father, Ryan, in season three, and the two get married between seasons four and five. Kristin worked at a diner until landing a job at an upscale restaurant run by a former co-worker at the end of season two. In season four, she becomes the manager of the new restaurant opened by Outdoor Man. Kristin tends to work extra hard in this new job to prove she did not get the position through nepotism, despite Mike and Ed frequently telling her she was qualified. Alexandra Krosney portrayed Kristin in the show's first season, but she was replaced by Amanda Fuller prior to season two for unspecified creative reasons.
- Molly Ephraim as Amanda Elaine "Mandy" Baxter-Anderson, the middle daughter: Mandy is nowhere near as intelligent as her sisters (though her penchant for cutting class and ignoring homework might label as voluntarily dumb), but excels in social situations. Interested in fashion (and little else), she was one of the most popular girls at her high school. Mandy is very confident and creative, demonstrating traits found in her father. Unlike the rest of the family, she is lazy, conceited, selfish, insulting, and delinquent - she drinks underage, ignores all driving laws, shoplifts from Outdoor Man, and has been caught staying out all night - but occasionally displays moments of generosity and caring. She started dating Kyle in season 2. As of season three, she is attending a local college and working at the diner where Kristin used to work. Later that same season, she begins an online clothing business, selling her self-designed fashions which she assembles in the basement of her parents' house. Kyle asks her to marry him in season 5, the 100th episode. She marries Kyle in season six, but they have yet to move out of the Baxter home. Up until she turned 21, a running gag on the show was Mike, Vanessa, and occasionally Kristin snatching glasses of alcohol out of Mandy's hand, usually followed by Mandy making a lame excuse.
- Kaitlyn Dever as Eve Baxter, the youngest daughter: Eve is an intelligent, athletic tomboy and generally has the same interests as Mike, including camping, sports, guns, and the military. She is Mike's favorite daughter, and excels at her hobbies. She frequently outplays the boys in soccer and makes the boys' football team as their placekicker. She is well aware of being the favorite over her two sisters. Eve has also inherited her father's sense of humor, and her trademark sarcastic wit is frequently directed at clueless sister Mandy. Eve is an excellent student, whose only weak subject is art, though she did have to change math classes to escape a prejudiced teacher. Eve is a member of Army Junior ROTC and works toward gaining admittance to West Point. Her attempt to do so is unsuccessful, which seriously depresses her, so in season six, Eve decides to take a "personal year" rather than immediately attend college. She spends some of this time singing and playing guitar for money, but this proves to be unfruitful. During her gap year, Eve applies to the Air Force Academy in nearby Colorado Springs, and is accepted.
- Christoph Sanders as Kyle Anderson, a young employee at Outdoor Man: Kyle is universally recognized as a good guy. Kyle idolizes Mike, having grown up without a father figure. Kyle takes care of his grandmother who has dementia, and it is implied he grew up in her home. Kyle is often oblivious to social cues and is slow to catch on to the events happening around him. Kyle dated Kristin in season one and started dating Mandy in season two before proposing in season five, and marrying Mandy in season six.
- Héctor Elizondo as Edward "Ed" Alzate, Mike's longtime boss: Ed started a bait and tackle shop many years ago and hired Mike, who helped turn the shop into the 20-store Outdoor Man chain. Ed is perhaps fifteen years older than Mike, but the two men bond over similar outdoor hobbies and shared conservative values. Mike regularly talks to Ed about the happenings in his home and occasionally seeks advice. Having been divorced four times, Ed's suggestions are rarely helpful. Ed is a Vietnam veteran, although he saw no combat in Vietnam, stating that he was a clerk in Saigon. He continues to help fellow veterans at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars hall with their Veteran Affairs paperwork. Ed is also a recurring target for jokes about his age and lack of hair, most often from Mike. It is revealed in season 6 that Ed has early onset dementia.
- Flynn Morrison (regular, seasons 2-6) and Evan and Luke Kruntchev (recurring, season 1) as Boyd Baxter, Kristin's son: Mike enjoys spending quality time with his grandson Boyd, and affectionately views him as the son he never had. Mike and Ryan often clash on how he should be raised. Boyd enjoys activities encouraged by both his father and grandfather.
- Jordan Masterson (regular, seasons 2-6) and Nick Jonas (guest star, season 1) as Ryan Vogelson, Boyd's Canadian father: Though Ryan initially fled when Kristin got pregnant, the two reconciled and got engaged at the end of season 3. Ryan holds staunchly liberal views, both politically and philosophically. He and Mike routinely clash over their fundamentally opposing values, especially when it comes to child-rearing. Mike is often quick to point that many of Ryan's atheistic and liberal views are illogical and hypocritical. Ryan wishes to raise his son without religion and patriotism, but neither Mike nor Kristin allow this. His vegan diet, political correctness, views on discipline, and general oversensitivity are an affront to Mike's beliefs. On rare occasions, Ryan agrees with Mike on what is best for Boyd's future, but this usually winds up creating rifts with Kristin and/or Vanessa.
- Jonathan Adams as Chuck Larabee (regular, seasons 4-6; recurring, seasons 2-3), Mike and Vanessa's neighbor: Chuck is a retired U.S. Marine and a veteran of the first Gulf War who runs a private security business and later takes charge of security for the Denver Outdoor Man. Chuck is an African-American, and often jokes with Mike about racial stereotypes. Mike and Chuck regularly exchange barbs as if they don't like each other. In reality, they are good friends, despite being unwilling to admit it. Vanessa sees right through their heated exchanges, often telling them to "get a room". Chuck is married to Carol (but the two do not always agree politically) and they have a son, Brandon, who is the same age as Eve.
Recurring cast
- Robert Forster as Bud Baxter (seasons 1, 3-4), Mike's widower father who is initially in the construction business, but later opens a marijuana store after it becomes legal in Colorado.
- Erika Alexander as Carol Larabee (seasons 2-5), Chuck's wife and Mike and Vanessa's neighbor. She is also Vanessa's best friend. Vanessa often goes overboard trying to act racially open-minded around her, but usually ends up looking foolish and annoying Carol.
- Carla Jimenez as Blanca Alvarez (seasons 2-4), the Baxters' Guatemalan-born housekeeper who also helps Mandy with her fashion business. The Baxters were happy to celebrate with Blanca after she was sworn in as an American citizen.
- Sarah Gilman as Cammy Harris (seasons 2-6), Eve's soccer teammate and extremely chatty best friend.
- Jonathan Taylor Thomas as John Baker (seasons 2-3), Kristin's boss at a fancy restaurant where she works. Thomas also guest-starred as "Randy" (a nod to his Home Improvement character) in the season 4 episode "Helen Potts", with fellow Home Improvement co-star Patricia Richardson.
- Christina Moore as April (seasons 1 & 3), Vanessa's air-headed and immature younger sister. She is always asking for money.
- Danielle Bisutti as Michelle (season 1), Vanessa's friend and next-door neighbor; she is a meteorologist who gets most of her data from a free phone app.
- Tye Sheridan as Justin (seasons 3-4), Eve's fellow Jr. ROTC member and football teammate who becomes her boyfriend. The two break up in season 4.
- Zachary Gordon as Andrew (season 3), Eve's nerdy classmate who worships her and desperately wants to be her boyfriend.
- Joely Fisher as Wendi Gracin (seasons 3-5), Ed's meddling younger girlfriend, whom he meets near the end of season three. Ed routinely has to put her in her place, particularly when she tries to get involved in decisions pertaining to his business. Wendi deserts Ed offscreen between Seasons 4 and 5, but the two patch things up and reunite.
- Jay Leno as Joe Leonard (seasons 5-6), a semi-retired auto technician from whom Vanessa buys a classic car for Mike. Joe later works in the repair shop at Outdoor Man, servicing ATVs and snowmobiles.
- Travis Tope as Rob (season 6), Eve's boyfriend who is studying criminal justice at UC Boulder. He's a recovering alcoholic, which worries Mike and Vanessa when they first meet him.
Notable guest stars
Several notable guest stars have appeared throughout the series, including appearances made from cast members of Tim Allen's previous series, Home Improvement.
- Jere Burns (4.22) as Victor Vogelson, Ryan's estranged father
- Blake Clark (5.16) as Clark, the owner of a club in which Eve performed. Clark played Harry Turner, Tim's friend and owner of the hardware store on Home Improvement
- Andrew Daly (1.16)
- Bill Engvall (5.21, 6.7 & 6.18) as Reverend Paul
- Brad Leland (6.17) as Wayne Sizemore
- Michael Gross (3.19) as Mr. Hardin
- Tony Hawk (1.12) as himself
- Nick Jonas (1.10) as Ryan in his first appearance
- Kim Kardashian (1.16) as herself
- Richard Karn (2.9 & 2.17) as Bill McKendree. Karn portrayed Al Borland, co-worker and friend to Tim Allen's character on Home Improvement
- Reba McEntire (5.19) as Billie Cassidy, Mike's mountain-climbing former girlfriend
- Frankie Muniz (1.18) as Richard
- Melanie Paxson (1.23) as Liz
- Cassandra Peterson (1.4) as Elvira
- Patricia Richardson (4.12 & 5.17) as Helen Potts, the Baxters's widowed neighbor. Richardson portrayed Jill Taylor, the wife of Tim Allen's character in Home Improvement
- Robin Roberts (5.17) as Teresa, a tank mechanic and Persian Gulf War veteran
- Si Robertson (3.1)
- Willie Robertson (3.1)
- Mike Rowe (1.18) as Jimmy Baxter, Mike's younger brother
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler (1.13) as Gabriella Alzate, one of Ed's five daughters
- Tony Stewart (1.17) as himself
- Paul F. Tompkins (1.2) as Chester McAllister
Episodes
Production
Development and casting
Last Man Standing first appeared on ABC's development slate in late 2010 when writer Jack Burditt received a put pilot commitment from the network under the original title Man Up. In January 2011, ABC green-lighted production of a pilot episode under the title Last Days of Man. On February 18, Tim Allen, who had been attached to the potential series from the beginning, officially joined the project in the lead role. At the end of March, Nancy Travis joined the cast in the leading female role as Allen's "smart and loving wife who doesn't miss much". Soon thereafter, Héctor Elizondo came on board in a supporting role as the boss to Allen's character.
Filming
On May 13, 2011, ABC picked up the pilot for the 2011-2012 television season under the new title Last Man Standing. On May 17, 2011, ABC announced that the series would air on Tuesday nights at 8 Eastern/7 Central. It debuted on October 11, 2011, with the first two episodes airing in a one-hour premiere.
On November 3, 2011, the series was picked up for a full season of twenty-two episodes. On January 12, 2012, the order was increased to twenty-four episodes.
On May 11, 2012, ABC renewed the series for a second season set to air in the 2012-2013 season in November.
On June 11, 2012, Tim Doyle was hired as the new showrunner of the series. Doyle was the third showrunner that the series had had since it entered production. Doyle replaced Kevin Abbott, who joined the staff as the showrunner mid-way in the first season. Abbott replaced series creator Jack Burditt, who was the showrunner for the first thirteen episodes. Unlike Burditt, who is no longer credited as an executive producer, Abbott continued to serve as an executive producer while showrunning the fellow ABC sitcom Malibu Country starring Reba McEntire. Both Last Man Standing and Malibu Country aired as a part of ABC's Friday night lineup for the 2012-2013 primetime television season. On November 8, 2012, Abbott re-joined the Last Man Standing crew full-time, after a stint in rehab, and gave Nastaran Dibai full showrunning duties of Malibu Country.
On June 11, 2012, it was announced that Alexandra Krosney (Kristin) was let go from the show for creative reasons. Krosney was replaced by Amanda Fuller in season 2. On June 19, 2012, it was also announced that twins Luke and Evan Kruntchev, who played the role of Boyd in season 1, would not be returning; they were replaced by Flynn Morrison in season 2. The character of Boyd was also age-advanced from two years old to five years old. Jordan Masterson plays Ryan, Boyd's father, in a recurring role beginning in season 2. The role was previously played by Nick Jonas, who guest-starred in one episode in season 1.
The second season initially received a 13-episode order. ABC announced on November 12, 2012, that an additional three scripts had been ordered. On November 27, five more episodes were ordered to bring the second-season episode total to 18.
On May 10, 2013, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on September 20, 2013, and ended on April 25, 2014, after 22 episodes.
On May 10, 2014, ABC renewed Last Man Standing for a fourth season, which premiered on October 3, 2014. Allen and Elizondo guest-starred as their Last Man Standing characters in a crossover episode with the fellow ABC Friday sitcom Cristela.
On May 10, 2015, ABC announced the show had been renewed for a fifth season. Last Man Standing had become a solid performer for the Friday night lineup at ABC, which with the help of Shark Tank and 20/20 has become the top network among adults 18-49 for the night. Leading off Friday night for ABC, the sitcom averaged a 1.8 rating in adults 18-49 and 8.2 million viewers overall, according to Nielsen's Live+7 estimates.
On May 13, 2016, ABC renewed the series for a sixth season, which premiered on September 23, 2016.
Cancellation
On May 10, 2017, ABC canceled Last Man Standing after six seasons, despite the series being the second most-watched ABC sitcom during the 2016-17 season (based on Live+7 figures), with ratings remaining mostly steady during its sixth season. A rep for 20th Century Fox TV said cancellation decisions are made by ABC. "This was a scheduling decision," wrote Jori Arancio, senior vice president of ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios. ABC and its production partner for the show, 20th Century Fox TV, typically negotiate licensing fees prior to each season; however, the network decided to cancel the show without doing so. Also, the contract between 20th Century Fox Television and ABC for the show, in which 20th Century Fox Television covered the cost of production, had expired after six seasons. Had the series been renewed for a seventh season, ABC would have been required to pick up Last Man Standing's production costs, which the network was unwilling to do.
The cancellation was met with outrage from the show's fans, many of whom took to social media to voice their displeasure and petition for another network to pick up the show. It also happened some months after lead actor Tim Allen (who is also a real-life Republican) said in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, that being a Republican in Hollywood is "like 1930s Germany. You gotta be real careful around here, you know. You'll get beat up if you don't believe what everybody believes." His comment was widely criticized, especially his comparing the treatment of Republicans in Hollywood with Nazi Germany.
A viewer petition on the website Change.org calling for ABC to reinstate Last Man Standing surpassed 380,000 signatures as of May 23, 2017. In a conference call with reporters earlier in May, ABC president Channing Dungey stated, "Last Man Standing was a challenging one for me, because it was a steady performer. Once we made the decision not to continue with comedy on Friday, it was just kind of that's where we landed." Dungey cited studio ownership, future creative direction, ratings and viewer engagement as all factors in her decision.
Tim Allen voiced his displeasure with the cancellation, tweeting on May 16: "Stunned and blindsided by the network I called home for the last six years."
On May 20, 2017, Howard Kurtzman, president of 20th Century Fox Television, reportedly showed some interest in his studio continuing to produce the show. "We're starting to explore that," Kurtzman said. "...[Fox Co-President] Jonnie [Davis] and I are hopeful that we can find another home for it." Variety also confirmed in an exclusive report that 20th Century Fox Television would shop the series to other networks and streaming services in hopes it would be picked up for a seventh season; another home has not yet been found, however.
Reception
Critical reception
While popular among viewers (receiving an 82% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.5/10 stars on IMDb), Last Man Standing received generally negative reviews from critics. Season one has an approval rating of 16% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 33 out of 100 on Metacritic. The Hollywood Reporter commented: "A predictable sitcom with a stupid premise and bad acting." Los Angeles Times: "The jokes and plots have been efficiently constructed, but most have no traction; they slide right off you, and the characters themselves seem disconnected from one another." Entertainment Weekly offered a slightly more favorable review of the show: "When I look at the now-rounded softness of Tim Allen, and note once again how his sandpaper voice contrasts winningly with his hopeful eyes, it's impossible to plunge a shiv into this series."
Season two scored 40% at Rotten Tomatoes. Entertainment Weekly commented: "I think it's time the folks involved with Last take a closer look at All in the Family, in which the prejudice was built around real jokes." The A.V. Club: "The problem with Last Man Standing's attempts to go political is exemplified by the first scene of the season première, which remains one of the most uncomfortable scenes of television I've ever watched ... doing its best to push buttons in the audience that don't need to be pushed, as if it thinks what made [Norman] Lear's sitcoms a success was the yelling or the mentions of social issues that people sometimes argued about." Philly.com wrote about season three: "The unlikely comeback vehicle for Tim Allen, Last Man Standing on ABC, is a thoroughly traditional, absolutely charming sitcom. [...] Last Man is both economical and efficient, getting excellent comic mileage out of the most marginal bit players."
The series was particularly popular among conservatives, many of whom viewed the show as a counterpoint to Modern Family, another 20th Century Fox sitcom that aired on ABC at the same time and featured more liberal ideologies. A study conducted during the 2016 U.S. presidential election found that it was the tenth most popular show on television with Republicans.
Ratings
ABC's series premiere of Last Man Standing drew a 3.5 adults 18-49 rating. That was 9% better than the 3.2 adults 18-49 rating for the series premiere of No Ordinary Family in the same time-slot the previous year (which was two weeks earlier in the season). Season 2 of Last Man Standing premiered with a 2.0, down about 38% from its first-season premiere, but up about 18% from the previous season's finale.
Awards and nominations
Last Man Standing was nominated for a 2012 People's Choice Award for "Favorite New TV Comedy", but lost to CBS's 2 Broke Girls.
Syndication
On September 4, 2015, the series joined the CMT Network with a mini-marathon of episodes. On September 3, 2015, it was announced that ABC Family (now Freeform) had obtained syndication rights to the series, which began airing episodes on September 28, 2015. On May 15, 2015, it was announced that Hallmark Channel had obtained the rights to the sitcom and they aired the series from January 2016 until December 31, 2017. Five seasons were available for streaming on Netflix. Currently, all six seasons are available for streaming on Hulu. The syndication of Last Man Standing is a major success in a time when few off-network reruns were becoming hits.
Broadcast
Last Man Standing aired on ABC in the U.S., on Fox8, Network Ten and Eleven (previously aired on One) in Australia, City in Canada, and TV3 in New Zealand. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it premiered on October 9, 2012 on E4, with reruns until March 2017. Channel 4 then reran the program on Sunday mornings from July until September 2017. In 2018, 5STAR acquired the show for reruns.
References
External links
- Official website
- Last Man Standing on IMDb
- Last Man Standing at TV.com
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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