ABC’s loss could be FOX’s gain. The network is eyeing a potential revival of the popular series Last Man Standing.
FOX, whose studio counterpart owns the series (for now), is in early talks to bring the series back for a seventh season a year after ABC’s surprising cancellation last year.
Tim Allen has signed on and has been — with producers 20th Century Fox Television — the driving force of the revival. Discussions are also underway with producers and stars from the former ABC comedy to return. Insiders stress the talks are on the early side and could break down ahead of the network’s May 14 upfront presentation to Madison Avenue ad buyers.
FOX’s move to revive Last Man Standing comes after Allen and the network’s studio counterpart 20th TV attempted to find the series a new home after ABC’s shocking cancellation last year. Viacom-owned niche country music-themed cable network CMT to bring the series back for a seventh season for either a short-order or multiple-season/20-episode revival but those ultimately broke down given the sizable price tag that came with the multicamera comedy. (CMT airs reruns of the show in syndication.)
When Last Man Standing was canceled last May, it ranked as ABC’s second-most-watched comedy (behind only Modern Family). Since then, the TV landscape has changed following the blockbuster ratings success ABC found with its Roseanne revival. Roseanne‘s ratings have illustrated the larger value of programming shows for Middle America. Needless to say, I expect to see a lot of Middle America comedies in contention during the upfronts in a few weeks.
