‘Last Man Standing’ Cancellation Fuels Threats Of ABC Boycott Petition
The backlash against ABC for canceling one of its highest-rated shows, Last Man Standing, has not slowed down. When the network canceled the show, which stars actor Tim Allen, fans began a petition pledging to boycott the network. The number of supporters the “Save Tim Allen’s Show ‘Last Man Standing‘” petition has received has already surpassed 108,000 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon. Fans of Last Man Standing believed the cancellation came as a result of the show’s politics, as Last Man Standing is a conservative-leaning show.
“Last Man Standing is one of the only shows on broadcast television, and the only sitcom, that is not constantly shoving liberal ideals down the throats of the viewers… And sadly, that is likely the real reason the show has been cancelled.”
However, ABC confirmed to Fox News that it was canceled because of scheduling issues. Nonetheless, the viewer’s voices are being heard through a petition to boycott ABC.
“The show is about more than politics though, it is about family. In fact, politics is only a secondary part of the show, but one in which many Americans can readily identify.”
According to Fox, the show is ABC’s second-highest performer, garnering 1.8 million views this season.
The show averaged 8.7 million viewers this season and was recently renewed for two more seasons. Last Man Standing was the network’s third most-watched series, following just behind Grey’s Anatomy and Modern Family. ABC declined to comment on the petition.
“The intent of this petition/boycott is to attempt to get ABC to renew the show. With that in mind, I will no longer be watching any ABC shows. I have cancelled the DVR settings for the other ABC shows that I regularly watch. If you want to help try to save Last Man Standing, I encourage you to do the same. Even if you are not willing to boycott the network, but still want to save the show, please sign this petition and share it. If you do plan to boycott ABC, please say so when you sign. Let them hear our voices.”
Tim Allen’s character, Mike Baxter, is a devout Christian and outspoken political conservative who supported Donald Trump. Baxter spends his days working at a sporting goods retailer called, “Outdoor Man,” which sells guns, jerky, and camouflage items, according to Google.
There’s a petition pledging a boycott of ABC which has surpassed 33,000 signatures. https://t.co/uUNS8zUDQm
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) May 15, 2017
Baxter’s character biography on the ABC website reads, “Mike Baxter is a man’s man trying to survive in a female-dominated world. These days women run for president, serve in our military and provide for their household while men sit in tanning beds and get their cuticles shaped. As marketing director of Outdoor Man, Mike dedicates his life to reminding the world what makes men men.”
Tim Allen appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live in March and joked about being a Republican in Hollywood, “You gotta be real careful around here, you get beat up if you don’t believe what everybody believes… It’s like [1930s] Germany.”
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker tweeted to Allen, “Looks like @ABC is playing politics with your show despite decent ratings.” ABC hasn’t given a reason for the show’s sudden cancellation.
Fans want to boycott ABC after it canceled Tim Allen’s ‘Last Man Standing’ https://t.co/Ddw0AHuabU pic.twitter.com/0NMQIJrCqO
— FORTUNE (@FortuneMagazine) May 16, 2017
The hashtag #BoycottABC was trending on Twitter Monday in response to the network’s decision not to renew Last Man Standing for a seventh season.
Fans of the show have some hope of ABC changing its mind due to NBC deciding to cancel — then un-cancel — its new time-travel drama Timeless. The NBC show had about the same total viewership as Last Man Standing, but a higher adult age demographic.
ABC had no comment on the matter. The network will unveil its fall schedule on Tuesday and have a conference call with reporters, so more about the network’s verdict might be made clear then.
[Featured Image by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]
