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ABC cancels 'Last Man Standing,' fans wonder if it was because of the show's conservative values
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Comedian actor Tim Allen broke his silence this week on ABCs decision to cancel Last Man Standing. - photo by Herb Scribner
Comedian-actor Tim Allen broke his silence this week on ABCs decision to cancel Last Man Standing.

Allen, who starred in the television show, said he was surprised by the cancellation.

Last Man Standing was canceled after airing for six seasons on ABC. The show earned the second-highest ratings for comedies with 8.1 million viewers, just behind Modern Family, which earned 8.7 million viewers.

Overall, Last Man Standing was the third highest watched ABC show behind Greys Anatomy and Modern Family, according to Deadline.

But, as Entertainment Weekly pointed out, the show narrowly escaped cancellation last year.

In EWs Deathwatch of bubble show renewal odds, we calculated 'Last Man Standing' was slightly likely to continue its modestly rated among adults 18-49, but squeaked into a renewal last year with about the same numbers, EW reported.

ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey said the decision to cancel the show came down to scheduling.

A large part of these jobs are managing failure and weve made the tough calls and canceled shows that wed otherwise love to stay on the air, Dungey said. Thats the job. I canceled 'Last Man Standing' for the same business and scheduling reasons that I canceled 'Dr. Ken,' 'The Real ONeals,' 'The Catch' and 'American Crime.' And 'Last Man Standing' was a challenging one for me because it was a steady performer in the ratings, but once we made the decision not to continue with comedies on Fridays, that was where we landed.

The new Friday night strategy for ABC will include Once Upon a Time at 8 p.m. and a Marvel drama, which could be Inhumans or Agents of Shield, EW reported.

The Hollywood Reporter said Allen and other actors would likely be due for increased contracts since the show had reached its sixth season.

Fans hope to save the show, though. According to Fox News, a petition on Change.org to keep Last Man Standing includes more than 200,000 signatures.

Some fans blame ABC's liberal bias for banning the show, which often displayed conservative and family values, CBS reported.

It is a show that appeals to a broad swath of Americans who find very few shows that extol the virtues with which they can identify; namely conservative values, the petition said.

Amanda Fuller, who plays Allens daughter Kristen on the show, asked her fans to sign the petition in a lengthy tweet.

"To all the devoted 'Last Man Standing' fans, thank you," she wrote in a lengthy note. "I believe in the power that lies in storytelling being a mirror to our world, representing all voices...and for that reason I have always been proud and honored to be a part of 'Last Man Standing,' the only sitcom today that I feel truly strived to do that."

Last Man Standing is produced by 20th Century Fox, making it a non-Disney studio show.

Without the comedy, this will be the first time in years that ABC wont have a multicamera comedy in the fall, THR reported.
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