Why Was ‘Last Man Standing’ Canceled? Tim Allen Reacts To ABC’s Decision

Last week, ABC decided to cancel Tim Allen’s comedy “Last Man Standing” after six seasons, and now they’ve offered some insight into their reasoning. ABC Entertainment Group President Channing Dungey revealed that the show was axed partly because the Friday night lineup is no longer dedicated to comedy. Allen, meanwhile, revealed his reaction to the cancellation.

“A large part of these jobs are managing failure and we’ve made the tough calls and canceled shows that we’d otherwise love to stay on the air,” Dungey said (via Entertainment Weekly. “That’s the job. I canceled ‘Last Man Standing’ for the same business and scheduling reasons that I canceled ‘Dr. Ken,’ ‘The Real O’Neals,’ ‘The Catch’ and ‘American Crime.’ And ‘Last Man Standing’ was a challenging one for me because it was a steady performer in the ratings, but once we made the decision not to continue with comedies on Fridays, that was where we landed.”

According to TV Guide, Dungey also added that “Last Man Standing” being produced by 20th Century Fox contributed to the decision. ABC makes less money off shows that aren’t produced by ABC Studios. The studio and the network reportedly battled over the series’ licensing fee every year.

READ: Fans slam ABC for canceling “Last Man Standing”

Tim Allen did not comment on the reasons for cancellation, but he told Twitter followers that he was shocked to see his family show was axed. “Stunned and blindsided by the network I called home for the last six years,” the “Home Improvement” alum wrote Tuesday.

“Last Man Standing” followed Allen’s character Mike Baxter, a marketing director for a sporting goods store, and his family through everyday life in Denver, Colorado. The half hour sitcom averaged 6.4 million viewers in their last season with 1.15 in the 18-49 demographic, according to TV Series Finale. The Season 6 finale, which is now the series finale, aired March 31.

Fans have questioned the reasons behind the cancellation of “Last Man Standing.” Many believe it had something to do with Tim Allen’s conservative views. In March, he made an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” where he compared being a conservative in Hollywood to living in 1930s Germany.

“You gotta be real careful around here,” Allen said. “You get beat up if you don’t believe what everybody believes. This is like ‘30s Germany. I don’t know what happened. If you’re not part of the group, ‘you know what we believe is right,’ I go, ‘Well, I might have a problem with that.’ I’m a comedian. I like going on both sides.”

While ABC has not blamed the cancellation on Allen’s political views, many fans still believe that’s why it was canceled. They’re petitioning the network to bring it back (which often happens when a show is canceled). A Change.org petition asking for the sitcom to be renewed has garnered over 100,000 signatures. The appeal also encourages a boycott of ABC until that happens.

Next fall, ABC’s Friday night lineup will be dedicated to sci-fi/fantasy dramas. “Once Upon a Time” Season 7 will take the 8 p.m. EDT timeslot and “Marvel’s Inhumans” will air at 9 p.m. EDT.