I guess this is the end?

[TMC]

Mom and Last Man Standing may spell the end of an era for long-running sitcoms

Mom wrapped up eight seasons and 170 episodes on CBS Thursday night. Last Man Standing ends its nine-season two-network 194-episode run on Fox on May 20. It doesn't seem likely that a new network sitcom premiering this year could ever reach those many episodes, says Michael Schneider. "Even as the broadcast networks prepare to order a crop of new series and announce their fall schedules next week, the idea that a new sitcom might make it to the once-vaunted threshold of 100 episodes — let alone more than that — seems antiquated," says Schneider. "For one thing, the big-bucks syndication marketplace of yore is mostly gone, making that four-season, 100-episode mark less necessary to reach. (Warner Bros. TV’s Young Sheldon was recently sold into syndication with 83 episodes, for example.) And in this age of primetime erosion and viewer migration to the streaming world, season orders are short — usually 10 episodes, a far cry from the once-common 22- or 24-episode count — and many comedies are wrapping up within a few years of launch. Or they take long hiatuses, keeping their episodic tally to a minimum." Network sitcoms like Black-ish, reaching 160 episodes at the end of this season, and The Goldbergs, which finishes this season at Episode 185, are still going strong. And so is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which has produced 154 episodes over 14 seasons. Meanwhile, Frasier is coming back for a Paramount+ revival after 264 episodes on NBC. Paramount Network TV president Garry Hart, who oversaw Frasier's original run, says that “historically TV has always had cycles, and funny never goes out of favor.” He adds: “I have my fingers crossed for a nice long run with chapter three of Frasier Crane.”

[JO Sweet Heart]

^^^ Young Sheldon has been given the green light for three more seasons which will make it a seven season show if it doesn't get anymore.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

[TMC]

Last Man Standing mulled a Newhart-style series finale

The Fox comedy said goodbye on its own terms Thursday night after 194 episodes, nine seasons and two networks. But Last Man Standing fans could've been treated to a Newhart-style ending featuring Tim Allen as Home Improvement's Tim "The Toolman" Taylor and Patricia Richardson as his wife Jill had The Toolman not appeared earlier this season. "We talked about it. Yes, we did," says showrunner Kevin Abbott, telling TVLine: "Yeah, especially because Bob Newhart and Tim Allen are (two of the) only (comedians) who have had two series that went longer than five seasons. I wouldn’t have felt bad for borrowing from that, because I think it would’ve been honoring Bob Newhart. And we did talk about it, and had we not done Tim Taylor meets Mike Baxter earlier in the season, we might’ve done something like that. But we also wanted to end on the (Outdoor Man vlog), since the vlog was the signature device of the series." Abbott says he felt "enormous pressure" to end Last Man Standing on the right note after its unexpected cancelation and first series finale on ABC in 2017. "When we came back, we got the gift of being told it was the final season," Abbott tells Deadline. "It was a gift, it was really a great thing that they did for us, because it allowed us to plan, and to appreciate, and to really be grateful for what we had. I wanted to make sure that we did it right in our minds, and most importantly, Tim’s mind, because he’s the one most invested in it. He’s given a lot, over the years, to the show, and it was important to be rewarding him for that, to give him the respect that he deserves. We sat down to think, what do we want out of this final episode? We quickly came to the conclusion, we didn’t want it to be a sad episode. Ideally, the series finale is the embodiment of what the show was, with the added message of saying, hopefully, ‘thank you.'” Asked by TVLine how he'd like Last Man Standing to be remembered, Abbott says: "I hope it’s remembered as one of those shows that people could watch with their entire family, and recognize themselves or their family members (in our characters). Laugh about what’s funny, and maybe see the humor in some of the situations that aren’t funny. That’s how I’d like Last Man Standing to be remembered."

ALSO:

• Tim Allen says "I adored this show, this cast, this crew," adding "I never had a bad day on the set"
• Why Kaitlyn Dever appeared in the series finale via Zoom

[irehtman]

I'm glad Tim Allen returned to movies along the way, especially recurring his voice character as Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 4. Time to continue forward in appearing more movies, Tim Allen!

[TMC]

Last Man Standing considered bringing back the original Mandy and Kristin

It was an idea that was briefly considered, but neither Molly Ephraim nor Alexandra Krosney were asked to return. And showrunner Kevin Abbott isn't sure they would've wanted to come back. But they wouldn't have stepped back into their original roles, now played by Molly McCook and Amanda Fuller.

[JO Sweet Heart]

To me, the matter between Kyle and Ed was the best part of the hour and I hate to even say that considering the fact that Tim Allen is the writer of the show's last episode.

God bless you and him and the other cast members always!!!

Holly

[Lorimar Television]

Honestly the episode wasn’t great. I think a Newhart style finale would’ve been a lot more interesting

[TMC]

Last Man Standing's finale erased any pretense of separation between Tim Allen and Mike Baxter with "right-wing dog-whistle"

On Thursday's series finale, Baxter made a reference to "makers and takers" after his truck was stolen. "Last Man Standing was never going to depart without circling back to its 2011 beginnings, but Allen's choice to sign off with these right-wing dog-whistles shows he's looking to infinity and beyond, and betting that this show's legacy will be to vindicate the version of reality he shares with his base," says Melanie McFarland. "In this interpretation, car theft isn't some random misfortune suffered by a wealthy man, but a symptom, somehow, of the undeserving reaping the fruit of honest people's labor. 'Makers and takers' was one of former Republican congressman Paul Ryan's favorite phrases; it's also white grievance terminology dating back to the pre-Civil War era. It rolls off the tongue so easily, this shorthand for the myth that tax-funded government assistance programs that help the needy also make them more indolent. But shucks, maybe I'm seeing something that isn't really there. Mike is only talking about his truck, and Allen is talking about his show; and in another interpretation the 'taker' is 20th Television, now owned by Walt Disney, which also owns ABC, where Last Man Standing ran for six seasons. I want it make it abundantly clear that its conservative skew doesn't make it a terrible sitcom. There's room on TV for all types of viewpoints, and certainly liberal creatives outnumber conservatives in Hollywood. Remove Allen from the mix, and Last Man Standing would be a harmless, decent family show demonstrating the ways that folks can hold different points of view, even quarrel, but still demonstrate loving kindness toward one another. This is how its fans would describe it and will remember it. What's concerning is Allen's choosing to top off his show's overall veneer of homespun sweetness with such direct shout-outs to white male resentment, expecting that somehow we are supposed to laugh it off. It's not as if these concepts aren't normal family sitcom fare, but they're presented like harmless quips when they're not. If anything, they make the show's centrism look disingenuous."