Two days have passed, and many people are still wondering – why was Last Man Standing canceled? Despite pulling in solid ratings and ranking third among ABC’s scripted television programs, the family sitcom was, to the surprise of many, not renewed for a seventh season. And while reports suggest that ABC and Last Man Standing producers 20th Century Fox TV had previously had difficulty coming to terms on licensing fees, many conservatives are speculating that the cancellation may have been ABC’s way of sticking it to President Donald Trump.
According to ABC’s official page for Last Man Standing , the show centers on the day-to-day lives of the Baxter family, “all filtered through the blunt ‘man’s man’ comedy of an iconic American dad.” That “man’s man” is lead character Mike Baxter, played by veteran comedian Tim Allen — Mike is described as someone who is trying to adjust to an increasingly changing world, where women are able to serve as family breadwinners, serve in the military, and even run for president. And while ABC doesn’t make any mention of it, Mike Baxter also happens to be a staunch political conservative and devout Christian, according to Deadline .
With all this in mind, Deadline noted that Last Man Standing was a show that Heartland viewers could largely relate to, being that they were instrumental in Donald Trump’s election as President. And when it comes to the question of “why was Last Man Standing canceled,” conservatives have been quick to accuse ABC of pulling the plug on the show in defiance of Trump and his administration.
This was a sentiment shared by Media Research Center TV , which accused ABC and other “big-money players in Hollywood” of being hypocritical by loving “conservative money,” but not liking it when conservative messages earn that money.
“I get that money talks and BS walks, but this cancellation simply doesn’t make sense. Much like department stores that dropped Ivanka Trump’s line despite its rising profitability, Last Man Standing walks, talks and acts like a series that was cancelled because of the message of the show and its star.”
Officially, ABC has not issued any statement explaining why Last Man Standing was canceled.
Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing” was hilarious. That is was cancelled shows Hollywood is monolithically anti-Trump https://t.co/bj263eEuCR pic.twitter.com/Ha5SbGr12u
— WND News (@worldnetdaily) May 11, 2017
The publication also quoted Hollywood conservatives such as Antonio Sabato Jr. and Last Man Standing’s own Tim Allen, with the former claiming in August that he was “essentially blacklisted” for having supported Donald Trump, and the latter being open about what he sees as “liberal hypocrisy” – Hollywood movers and shakers not liking Trump’s perceived bullying, while bullying those who support the President.
Publications such as The Daily Wire also accused ABC of having liberal bias when explaining why the network canceled Last Man Standing . As the site explained, ABC is owned by “rabidly left-wing” Disney, whose chairman and CEO Bob Iger has been known to support Bill and Hillary Clinton.
“That kind of corporate fascism, Iger’s willingness to shove a $40 million investment (to protect the Clintons), only helps us to make sense of ABC’s strangling of a proven golden goose like Last Man Standing .”
Meanwhile, Twitter users were quick to suggest that Last Man Standing was canceled after six seasons because of said liberal bias and distaste for the Donald Trump administration.
@ABCNetwork you r boycotted. Tim Allen’s last man standing is a great show. You cancelled it. Yet you keep the view. Political mistake. R/T
— TRUMP HAPPY MS PATTY (@hammil_patty) May 12, 2017
You guys, liberals couldn’t stop Trump from being president but they definitely got “Last Man Standing” canceled as revenge. ??
— carrie? (@owch) May 12, 2017
ABC IS LITERALLY CANCELLING LAST MAN STANDING BECAUSE HE SUPPORTS TRUMP. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS
— Ellie Grim (@ellielgrim) May 11, 2017
As the Inquisitr had previously reported, many Last Man Standing fans are considering a boycott of ABC for canceling a show that, despite claims of dropping ratings, was still performing solidly enough to place right behind Grey’s Anatomy and Modern Family in terms of viewership.
Do you have any possible theories on why Last Man Standing was canceled – was it an issue of dollars and cents, or do you see it as a case of “liberal bias,” as many have alleged? We’d like to hear your thoughts on the comments section below.
[Featured Image by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]
