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Fox in talks to bring back Tim Allen comedy Last Man Standing; heres why it might not happen
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Tim Allen in "Last Man Standing" as 'Mike Baxter,' who is often surrounded by forces seeking to test his ideas on just about everything in which he strongly believes. - photo by Herb Scribner
It seems the former ABC sitcom Last Man Standing may have found some new legs.

Fox is currently in talks to revive the sitcom for a seventh season after ABC canceled the show last year to much controversy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sources told THR that Allen signed on for a potential seventh season and that he's been working with 20th Century Fox Television producers to revive the show.

Discussions continue with other producers and stars to return to the show.

However, insiders said the talks are on the early side and could break down ahead of the network's May 14 upfront presentation to Madison Avenue ad buyers, according to THR.

Allen and ABC studios tried to find a new home for the series once it was canceled last year. Country music-themed network CMT was an early candidate to revive the show, but conversations broke down because the show came with a hefty price tag, according to THR.

The deal could be a good one for Fox, as it could potentially get the full rights to the show. ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey said she canceled the show because the network had to pay a high licensing fee to 20th Century Fox Television which owns the show's rights to air the show.

Dungey said at the time that the shows schedule also led to its cancellation.

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.

Last Man Standing had the second-highest rating for comedies on ABC, earning 8.1 million viewers, which was behind Modern Family and its 8.7 million viewers.

As the Deseret News reported, fans of the show cried foul, saying that the network canceled the show because it had a conservative slant. Some fans even filed a petition that blamed ABCs liberal bias for the shows cancellation.

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 played Allens daughter Kristen on the show, agreed with the petition.

The shows potential revival picked up steam in January once it was announced that ABC had decided to bring back Roseanne to its network. The show stars Roseanne Barr, who has announced her support for President Donald Trump and conservative values.

Allen has expressed gratitude for the fan encouragement he has felt for the show.

"The support from all the fans to bring back 'Last Man Standing' is truly overwhelming to me and so appreciated," Allen told Fox News. "I, along with the talented writers, wonderful crew and terrific actors, would definitely entertain the idea of bringing the show back as there is so much gas left in the tank, more to be said and laughs to be had."

He added, "I know fans would love nothing more than for us to take the cover off, fire up the engine, back this car out of the garage and get it back on the highway, full-throttle. My sentiment sits in the front seat beside you."

Allen said in an interview that the show unified both sides of the political spectrum.

"Conservatives understood and admired a liberal point of view, and liberals understood and accepted and at times admired a conservative point of view," Allen said. "That show brought all of us together, and it was an amazing occurrence."
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