From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Last Man Standing is an American television
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
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
services. Production was canceled by ABC on May 10, 2017, after six seasons.
The series follows Mike Baxter, a senior executive and director of marketing for an outdoor sporting goods store chain based in , whose world is filled with his wife, three daughters, grandson, and the young men dating his daughters.
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 , and is politically . 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
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 , and an amateur radio operator using the call sign KA0XTT.
as Vanessa Baxter, Mike's wife: Vanessa is a
working in the energy industry for a company that does , 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
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 . 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.
(seasons 2–6) and
(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 (despite being nearly two years younger than Molly Ephraim, playing Kristin's younger sister); Krosney was replaced by Amanda Fuller prior to season two for unspecified creative reasons.
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 her 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.
as Eve Baxter, the youngest daughter: Eve is an intelligent, athletic
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
and works toward gaining admittance to . 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
in nearby , and is accepted.
as Kyle Anderson, a young employee at Outdoor Man: Kyle is universally recognized as a . Kyle idolizes Mike, having grown up without a father figure. Kyle takes care of his grandmother who has , 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.
as Edward "Ed" Alzate, Mike's longtime boss: Ed started a
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 , although he saw no combat in Vietnam, stating that he was a clerk in Saigon. He continues to help fellow veterans at the local
hall with their
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.
(regular, seasons 2–6) and
(guest star, season 1) as Ryan Vogelson, Boyd's Canadian father: Though Ryan initially fled when Kristin got pregnant, he returned to be involved in Boyd's upbringing, and eventually the two reconciled and got engaged (at the end of season 3). Ryan holds liberal views, both politically and philosophically, and he and Mike routinely clash over their fundamentally opposing values, especially when it comes to child-rearing. Ryan wishes to raise his son without religion and patriotism, but neither Mike nor Kristin agree with this. His vegan diet, views on discipline, and what Mike sees as his oversensitivity are an affront to Mike's beliefs, but Ryan generally enjoys being a thorn in Mike's side. On rare occasions, Ryan and Mike agree on what is best for Boyd, but this usually puts them at odds with Kristin and/or Vanessa.
as Chuck Larabee (regular, seasons 4–6; recurring, seasons 2–3), Mike and Vanessa's neighbor: Chuck is a retired
and a veteran of the first
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, and they 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
as Cammy Harris (seasons 2–6), Eve's soccer teammate and extremely chatty best friend.
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
character) in the season 4 episode "Helen Potts", with fellow Home Improvement co-star .
as April (seasons 1 & 3), Vanessa's air-headed and immature younger sister. She is always asking for money.
as Michelle (season 1), Vanessa's friend and next- she is a meteorologist who gets most of her data from a free phone app.
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.
as Andrew (season 3), Eve's nerdy classmate who worships her and desperately wants to be her boyfriend.
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.
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.
as Rob (season 6), Eve's boyfriend who is studying criminal justice at . He's a recovering alcoholic, which worries Mike and Vanessa when they first meet him.
Several notable guest stars have appeared throughout the series, including appearances made from cast members of Tim Allen's previous series, .[]
(4.22) as Victor Vogelson, Ryan's estranged father
(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
(1.16) as Mr. Peckem
(5.21, 6.7 & 6.18) as Reverend Paul, the new pastor of the Baxter family's church
(3.19) as Mr. Hardin
(1.12) as himself
(1.10) as Ryan in his first appearance
(1.16) as herself
(2.9 & 2.17) as Bill McKendree. Karn portrayed Al Borland, co-worker and friend to Tim Allen's character on Home Improvement
(6.17) as Wayne Sizemore
(5.19) as Billie Cassidy, Mike's mountain-climbing former girlfriend
(1.18) as Richard
(1.23) as Liz
(1.4) as Elvira
(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
(5.17) as Teresa, a tank mechanic and Persian Gulf War veteran
(1.18) as Jimmy Baxter, Mike's younger brother
(1.13) as Gabriella Alzate, one of Ed's five daughters (not including the war baby)
(1.17) as himself
(1.2) as Chester McAllister
Last Man Standing first appeared on ABC's development slate in late 2010 when writer
received a
commitment from the network under the original title Man Up. In January 2011, ABC
production of a
episode under the title Last Days of Man. On February 18, , who had been attached to the potential series from the beginning, officially joined the project in the lead role. At the end of March,
joined the cast in the leading female role as Allen's "smart and loving wife who doesn't miss much". Soon thereafter,
came on board in a supporting role as the boss to Allen's character.
On May 13, 2011, ABC picked up the pilot for the
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
in November.
On June 11, 2012,
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
starring . Both Last Man Standing and Malibu Country aired as a part of ABC's Friday night lineup for the
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
(Kristin) was let go from the show for creative reasons. Krosney was replaced by
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, wo they were replaced by Flynn Morrison in season 2. The character of Boyd was also
from two years old to five years old.
plays Ryan, Boyd's father, in a recurring role beginning in season 2. The role was previously played by , 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 .
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
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.
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 representative for 20th Century Fox Television 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 Television, typically negotiate licensing fees
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
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 , 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 .
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
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 , 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
another home has not yet been found, however.
In August 2017, Allen expressed his appreciation for support by the show's fans to bring it back, and said the talent behind the show had much more to add.
Last Man Standing stars
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
and a score of 33 out of 100 on .
commented: "A predictable sitcom with a stupid premise and bad acting." : "The jokes and plots have been efficiently constructed, but m they slide right off you, and the characters themselves seem disconnected from one another."
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.
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 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 's sitcoms a success was the yelling or the mentions of social issues that people sometimes argued about."
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 , many of whom viewed the show as a counterpoint to , another 20th Century Fox sitcom that aired on ABC at the same time and featured more
ideologies. A study conducted during the
found that it was the tenth most popular show on television with Republicans.
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
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.
Timeslot ()
Live + DVR
Premiere viewers
Premiere 18–49
rating/share
Finale viewers
Finale 18–49
rating/share
Tuesday 8:00 pm
October 11, 2011
May 8, 2012
Friday 8:00 pm
November 2, 2012
March 22, 2013
September 20, 2013
April 25, 2014
October 3, 2014
April 17, 2015
September 25, 2015
April 22, 2016
September 23, 2016
March 31, 2017
Last Man Standing was nominated for a 2012
for "Favorite New TV Comedy", but lost to 's .
Association
Nominee / episode
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
Top Television Series[]
Carl Thiel (composer)
Last Man Standing
Magazine's Fan Favorites Awards
Favorite Comeback
Television Episodic Comedy
"Mother Fracker"
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
Top Television Series
Carl Thiel (composer)
Donald A. Morgan – "Eve's Boyfriend"
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
Top Television Series
Carl Thiel (composer)
ASCAP Screen Music Awards
Top Television Series
Carl Thiel (composer)
On September 4, 2015, the series joined the
Network with a mini-marathon of episodes. On September 3, 2015, it was announced that
(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
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 . Currently, all six seasons are available for streaming on . The syndication of Last Man Standing is a major success in a time when few off-network reruns were becoming hits.
Last Man Standing aired on ABC in the U.S.; on ,
(previously aired on ) in A
in New Zealand. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it premiered on October 9, 2012 on , with reruns until March 2017;
then reran the program on Sunday mornings from July until September 2017; in 2018,
acquired the show for reruns.
Since becoming series regulars in season 4, Jordan Masterson and Jonathan Adams are only credited for the episodes in which they appear.
Rice, L Hibberd, James (October 11, 2011). .
Chozick, Amy (June 10, 2011). .
. . December 12, 2011.
Ausiello, Michael (June 11, 2012). . tvline.com 2012.
Vince Calandra (writer) &
(director) (October 10, 2014). "Rediscover America". Last Man Standing. Season 4. Episode 3. .
Andreeva, Nellie (November 8, 2010). .
. The Futon Critic. January 19, .
Littleton, Cynthia (January 19, 2011). . . Archived from
on August 13, .
Ausiello, Michael (February 18, 2011). .
Andreeva, Nellie (February 18, 2011). . Deadline.com 2011.
Harnick, Chris (February 18, 2011). . AolTV 2011.
Hibberd, James (March 29, 2011). . Entertainment Weekly 2011.
Andreeva, Nellie (March 29, 2011). . Deadline.com 2011.
Jeffrey, Morgan (March 30, 2011). .
Rice, Lynette (August 30, 2011). . Entertainment Weekly 2011.
Rice, L Hibberd, James (May 13, 2011). . Entertainment Weekly 2011.
Seidman, Robert (May 17, 2011). . TV by the Numbers 2011.
Seidman, Robert (June 27, 2011). . TV by the Numbers 2011.
Seidman, Robert (November 3, 2011). . TV by the Numbers 2011.
Rice, Lynette (January 12, 2012). . Entertainment Weekly 2012.
. Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com 2012.
Mitovich, Matt (July 26, 2012). . TV Line 2012.
Andreeva, Nellie. . Deadline.com 2012.
Andreeva, Nellie (January 28, 2012). . Deadline.com 2012.
Michael Ausiello. . TVLine 2012.
Andreeva, Nellie (June 27, 2012). . Deadline.com 2012.
Baldwin, Kristen. . Insidetv.ew.com 2012.
. Blog.zap2it.com. Archived from
on June 22, .
. TVGuide.com. August 16, .
Baldwin, Kristen. . Insidetv.ew.com 2012.
Andreeva, Nellie. "ABC Comedies 'Malibu Country' & 'Last Man Standing' Get Orders For More Scripts". deadline.com on November 12, 2012.
Seidman, Robert (November 28, 2012). . TV By the Numbers 2012.
Harnick, Chris (May 10, 2013). . Huffingtonpost.com 2013.
. Entertainment Weekly. May 10, .
. Entertainment Tonight.
. Entertainment Weekly's EW.com.
Elizabeth Wagmeister (2015). . Variety.
. TV Series. June 30, .
Andreeva, Nellie (May 10, 2017). .
. May 11, 2017.
Mooney, Paula. . Inquisitir 2017.
Maglio, T Gajewski, Ryan. . TheWrap 2017.
. Tribuist.com. May 16, .
Staff, AOL. . AOL.com.
Holloway, Daniel (May 18, 2017). . Variety.com 2017.
Savitsky, Sasha (March 29, 2018). . Fox News 2018.
. . Archived from
Goodman, Tim (October 5, 2011). .
(October 11, 2011). .
(November 2, 2012). .
VanDerWerff, Todd (April 1, 2013). .
Hiltbrand, David (December 20, 2013). .
Kondology, Amanda (November 5, 2012). .
Kondolojy, Amanda (May 9, 2012). .
. . June 11, .
Daily Preliminary Broadcast Cable Finals Broadcast Finals (November 2, 2012). .
Bibel, Sara (March 23, 2013). . TV by the Numbers 2013.
. . May 29, .
Patten, Dominic. .
Kondolojy, Amanda (September 23, 2013). . TV by the Numbers.
Bibel, Sara (April 28, 2014). . TV by the Numbers 2014.
The Deadline Team. . Deadline.
. TVbytheNumbers.
Kondolojy, Amanda (October 6, 2014). . TV by the Numbers. Archived from
on October 7, .
Kondolojy, Amanda (April 20, 2015). . TV by the Numbers 2015.
de Moraes, Lisa (May 21, 2015). . Deadline. Archived from
on May 22, .
. TVbytheNumbers. Archived from
on June 27, 2015.
Dixon, Dani (September 28, 2015). . TV by the Numbers 2015.
Porter, Rick (April 25, 2016). . TV by the Numbers 2016.
. Deadline Hollywood. May 26, .
Porter, Rick (September 26, 2016). . TV by the Numbers 2016.
Porter, Rick (April 3, 2017). . TV by the Numbers 2017.
. Deadline Hollywood. May 26, .
. CBS Interactive Inc 2017.
. The Environmental Media Association 2017.
. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers 2017.
. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. March 24, .
. sitcomsonline.com.
. sitcomsonline.com.
Knox, David (September 20, 2013). . TV Tonight 2014.
. MediaWorks. September 20, .
Munn, Patrick (September 19, 2012). . TVWise 2012.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to .
: Hidden categories: