‘Last Man Standing’ (featuring Tim Allen) was abruptly cancelled in early May 2017. The show had posted from strong ratings, leading conservative outlets and individuals alike to assume the cancellation was due to political reasons (Liberal television networks ‘punishing’ a conservative show/actor). Nevertheless:
- ABC has explained their reasoning (cancelling comedies on Friday)
- ABC did not own the show and only collected advertising revenues
- Sixth seasons generally see a spike in costs due to pay increases
- Last Man Standing had an aging (50+) audience, which is less lucrative to advertisers
- While the show was successful overall, it may not have been successful enough for ABC given the factors above
- Roseanne will be returning to ABM (Roseanne Barr has made it clear she’s Republican)
- This is hardly the first time a show with high ratings is cancelled
