There will be no CMT lifeline for Last Man Standing. Talks to pick up the sitcom that was cancelled by ABC, have fallen through.
CMT, which carries reruns of the Tim Allen-starring sitcom, had engaged in conversations with the studio behind Last Man Standing, 20th Century Fox TV, about possibly ordering original episodes. The talks were only preliminary, exploring the financial feasibility of producing the series for CMT, which would’ve involved virtually everyone on the show taking a pay cut. I hear in the end, the two sides could not agree on the numbers.
With CMT’s appeal in the heartland, where Last Man Standing‘s main fan base resides, and with the comedy already doing well on the network in repeats, CMT was considered a suitable home. But the financials of LMS are challenging as it is at the upper end for a broadcast multi-camera comedy series. Last year, CMT was able to reach an agreement for another canceled ABC series, drama Nashville, but that was done with the help of Hulu, which shared the cost in exchange for next-day streaming rights.
