Last Man Standing will be making a return next season. The hit Tim Allen comedy has been renewed for an 8th season by FOX, its second on the network overall after its cancellation at ABC.
Last Man Standing also hits a milestone of 150 episodes this week which makes its renewal all the more sweet. The series was considered a slam dunk to return at FOX given the newly independent network’s focus on broad multicamera comedies that appeal to middle America and broad procedurals (like the already renewed The Resident and 9-1-1).
The show’s history is one of the more interesting ones on broadcast TV currently. The show is produced by 20th Century Fox TV and aired its first six seasons on ABC, with the Disney-owned broadcaster having to pay a licensing fee to 20th TV to air the show. ABC canceled the series two years ago after the price of the show continued to escalate (star Tim Allen commands a top fee) amid diminishing ratings returns. Despite this returns, the show was still one of their top-rated comedies and it aired on Friday nights, which made its performance suitable for most networks. The fact that it wasn’t owned by the network made it difficult for ABC to justify the licensing fee year after year. A year later, FOX revived the series and it has proven to be quite successful for them and is typically the top scripted show across all the networks on Friday nights.
Last Man Standing is FOX’s first live-action comedy to be renewed for the 2019-20 broadcast season. It joins animated favorites The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers as well as dramas 9-1-1 and The Resident.
