A sizeable pocket of conservative viewers kicked up a fuss when ABC axed Tim Allen’s Friday night sitcom Last Man Standing, but it sounds like the ball’s gotten rolling on the grrr snowflakes marinated yuk-em-up finding a new home.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, CMT is in early talks to acquire the network TV refugee. The cable outlet has previously thrown a life preserver to another ABC schedule veteran when they picked up Nashville for season 5, although it’s far from a done deal at this stage. The insiders THR spoke to stressed that these were strictly early stage talks and that the expense of making the show could kill a CMT run before it even begins. Still, calls have already been reportedly placed to writers about a potential revival.
“A large part of these jobs are managing failure, and we have made the tough calls and canceled shows that we would otherwise love to stay on the air. 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,” stated ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey last month. “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.”
Allen tweeted that he was “stunned” and “blindsided” by the news when Last Man Standing was dumped by ABC. The cancellation news came not too far removed from the comedian’s controversial declaration on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that being a conservative in Hollywood was akin to Germany in the ’30s.
Stunned and blindsided by the network I called home for the last six years. #lastmanstanding
— Tim Allen (@ofctimallen) May 16, 2017
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
