'Last Man Standing' revival eyed at Fox

A potential revival of “Last Man Standing” is in early discussions at Fox, Variety has learned from sources.

Series star Tim Allen and producers 20th Century Fox Television are on board for what would be the show’s seventh season. ABC canceled the multi-cam sitcom last year after six seasons, with fans speculating the cancellation had more to do with Allen’s conservative politics than anything else. ABC Entertainment head Channing Dungey denied this, however, saying she weighed factors like studio ownership, future creative direction, ratings and viewer engagement in making her decision.

Allen starred as conservative-minded father of three who runs a sporting goods store and opines about the modern world, including political topics such as Obamacare and environmental policy. The series also starred Nancy Travis, Hector Elizondo, Jonathan Adams, Christoph Sanders, Kaitlyn Dever, Molly Ephraim, Amanda Fuller, Jordan Masterson and Flynn Morrison. Airing on Friday nights, the show was a solid performer for ABC, averaging a 1.2 rating in adults 18-49 and 6.4 million viewers per episode in Live+Same Day. If the show was able to match those numbers, which would be likely given the fan interest in its return, it would rank among Fox’s highest-rated shows.

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Sources say that the potential revival is still in the very early stages, and core cast members Travis and Elizondo are both currently attached to other TV projects. There had also previously been talk of a revival. CMT was in talks to bring the show back, but those negotiations fell apart over the cost of the series.

But the recent success of the “Roseanne” revival, with both series star Roseanne Barr and the character she plays diehard Trump supporters, may have given “Last Man Standing” a second wind. “Roseanne” stunned the industry when it returned to a staggering 18.4 million viewers in its premiere back in March.

Allen also shared the news of a potential revival on Thursday morning via Twitter, writing, “They heard all your voices people!! LMS just might be a reality. Keep it up. Who wants more #LastManStanding?”

20th Century Fox Television declined to comment.

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