X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

Conservatives Threaten ABC Boycott Over Last Man Standing Cancellation

Do they have a point?

tim.jpg
Tim Surette

The quiet cancellation of a Friday night multicamera comedy wouldn't normally cause many waves, but not when Tim Allen is involved.

Last week, ABC opted to dump the blue-collar comedy Last Man Standing after six seasons, and now fans of the show are calling for a boycott of ABC. Why? Because they believe the cancellation was an attack on their conservative values.

A Change.org petition has gathered more than 42,000 signatures of support for the show that the petition author says "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 also points out that several characters on the sitcom lean liberal, but that all the characters are able to get along and support each other despite their political differences. After that Kumbaya moment however, the petition goes on to say, "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 that the show was canceled because of its conservative viewpoint.

Here's everything to know about ABC's fall schedule

The supporters do have a reason to wonder about the cancellation. Last Man Standing may not have been part of Internet buzz, but it was a reliable performer on the network, especially for airing on Friday nights. It was just barely in the top half of ABC's shows as far as overnight ratings are concerned, but it was ABC's third-most-watched series in terms of overall audience, behind Grey's Anatomy and Modern Family, and ahead of The Goldbergs, which earned a two-season renewal (The Goldbergs had a higher rating, though).

Last Man Standing was also produced by an outside studio (20th Century Fox TV), which may have played a part in ABC's decision.

This isn't the first time the show has been politicized. Allen recently made headlines when he compared being conservative in Hollywood to living 1930s Nazi Germany.