CMT will not revive cancelled Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing after preliminary discussions between the cable network and the studio behind the show, 20th Century Fox Television, fell through this week, according to a report.
Deadline reports that CMT and 20th TV couldn’t find a way to make a pickup of the show financially viable for either party. The sitcom — centered on Allen’s family man character Mike Baxter — has become more expensive to produce after six successful seasons on ABC.
Last Man Standing fans received a brief glimmer of hope last week when it was reported that CMT — which had already successfully rescued cancelled ABC drama Nashville last year and currently airs re-runs of LMS — had entered preliminary discussions with 20th TV about a potential seventh season.
Insiders cautioned then that the deal was considered a “long shot” due to the show’s price tag.
ABC cancelled Last Man Standing — one of the only shows on television presented through a conservative, family values lens — in May, despite the show achieving high ratings in its sixth season. ABC entertainment president Channing Dungey said the move was made for business and scheduling reasons, but fans of the show were quick to accuse the network of axing it for political reasons, either because of its own conservative leanings or star Tim Allen’s personal conservative politics.
Shortly after the show’s cancellation, a fan started a petition lobbying ABC to save it; the petition quickly smashed its goal of 150,000 signatures on its way to collecting over 399,000 signatures as of Monday.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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