Last Man Standing isn’t only a family show, they also tackle political issues. Just like All In the Family, the ABC sitcom shows all side of the political front. Mike Baxter (Tim Allen) and his youngest daughter Eve (Kaitlyn Dever) are staunch Republicans, his eldest daughter Kristin (Amanda Fuller) and her husband Ryan (Jordan Masterson) are very liberal, and his wife Vanessa (Nancy Travis) and their middle child Mandy (Molly Ephraim) are in the middle. On many episodes, they each have their political views and by the end of the episode, they have listened to all sides and made a decision that suits them. Sometimes they see things Mike’s way, OK almost all of the time they do, but it is his show!
Seriously though, as a viewer, I find it is refreshing to watch a show on television that is not just one sided. So recently, when I got to talk to Tim Allen and Nancy Travis, I asked them about being a show that tackles politics.
Not only is Allen the star, he is also the Executive Producer, so I wanted to know how important that is to him. He said, “I adore my liberal friends. I just don’t see eye to eye with them. We don’t demonize them. That is what we do here very well.” Then he explained how, “We have a very liberal writing staff, maybe one or two conservatives on it. It is fun to see liberals make fun of themselves. And in the middle of that, the conservatives sometimes say, ‘We’re not going to say that.’
“Between liberals fighting, you have a mitigating factor, because they all love each other. We’ve all learned to listen to the other side. You can admire the other side, but they are not your demon. I think the best thing about this show is it is stacked. I think all the girls are liberal leaning, except maybe Nancy, but I think what it’s caused us to do on this set is listen to each other.”
How does his Nancy feel about it? Travis said, “I love it because I think this show is very different from anything else that is on television, and thru Tim’s character, Mike Baxter, we have a point of view you really don’t see anywhere on network television. I have been interesting to try to balance that and have counterpoint voices within the show but his voice has been a very clear point of view. It is interesting how many followers we’ve gotten and how many people are interested in watching the show.
“The show is reflecting other points of view in our country that you don’t really see in the media or on other shows. There are a whole lot of people who identify with the point of view of the show.” And at the end of the day she reminded us, “It’s not trying to tiptoe or be precious about anything. It’s, Here it is! It’s funny and it’s a joke. Have a laugh. Let’s find where we’re similar.”
So have a laugh, have several of them tonight and every Friday at 8p on ABC.
It is getting rarer and rarer for a broadcast show to hit the 100 episode milestone and tonight at 8p on ABC, Last Man Standing does just that. I recently attended the cake cutting ceremony and I got to speak to some of the actors about what hitting the 3 digit number of episodes means to them.
This is the second time that Tim Allen has been on show that has lasted over five years, how does he feel about it? He said, “I love doing what I do. This is a huge, I get scared and I’m uncomfortable and I am not worth all this.” Then he added, “I am so happy what we got here because it means the world to the studio I work for. Business-wise it is good for us that it is a milestone.”
Even though they were taping the 100th show that night, he was already focused on 101. He said, “It is the next episode to me, and making sure that the characters are right and that the crew gets what they need. I do like shepherding this group. This is a huge event.” After this huge event, where does he see the family sitcom going, “Let’s say 200 episodes?”
A big part of why this show has lasted as long as it has is the chemistry between him and his TV wife is perfect. How does Nancy Travis feel about hitting “The Big 100”? She told me, “It is very surreal that we hit 100 episodes because it feels as if it flew by. It doesn’t feel old. It still feels new. That’s due largely to this group, the cast and Tim. I still think we could do another 100.” Where does she want her evolving character to go in the next 100 episodes, “I would like to see my character explore more in the marriage, and maybe explore conflicts and different relationships with adult daughters. I would love to see my character explore what it means to be a woman who is older and trying to figure out where her life is going and where she wants it to go.” Vanessa has gone through a lot of changes on the show, and most recently she quit her high paying job to become a teacher. Not only that, her youngest daughter is about to go college, her middle daughter has some big changes going on her life tonight and her oldest daughter is married with a kid. Soon Mike and Vanessa Baxter will most likely have the house to themselves after almost a quarter of a century, so there is a lot we can see happening for them.
Like hanging out more with their next door neighbors the Larabees, which is something I am not sure Mike wants because Chuck and him have a love/hate relationship. Jonathan Adams became a series regular on the show last year after two years of recurring. What does this milestone mean to him? He said, “It’s incredible. I mean, I have never done it before. I have never been to the 100th episode of anything. I’ve done the first season or I’ve made it to season three and no…” Then he added, “100 episodes is phenomenal and I am really happy to be here and be a part of it. I am just over the moon.”
His TV wife, Erika Alexander, also was on a show that aired over 100 episodes. I am sure you remember seeing her in Living Single that made it to 118 episodes. She understands how important this number is for a show as she told me, “In this day and age, with technology the way that it is and with so many shows you can watch. What it is, it is a real, it is more than just a celebration, it is an acknowledgement that something valuable is going on here and that it is needed. And that people do show up to shows that are not necessarily on cable or streaming. I really believe that’s a powerful thing in this day and age.” What does she credit the show’s longevity on, she explained. “That is down to Tim Allen’s appeal and the long standing history he has with his audience and building an audience and renewing that audience’s trust and comedy and family values. I think that is wonderful.”
Everything about Last Man Standing is wonderful. It reminds me of All in the Family. It is shows about a loving family with different points of view, who can argue with each other over them but they are always there to support themselves through the good times and the bad. That and there are a lot laughs during each episode and that is what is a sitcom is all about.
So if you missed the first 99 episodes, then you can easily start with tonight’s episode and watch the past ones on Netflix or syndication. If you have been watching the show since day 1 like me, then this is a must not miss episode.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of Last Man Standing for hitting the 100 episode milestone, here is to the next 100!
Before Tim Allen was upset that Jill bought a car without him on Home Improvement, he went car shopping with his wife Cindy at The Olds Collection. He looks the same now as he did when he was 30 in that 1983 ad.
ABC finally announced the fate of Nashville and Last Man Standing and the news is good for both shows. The nighttime musical soap and the sitcom were both renewed! Now it will interesting to see to see how both shows will handle their proposals next season, will they both have a Sweeps wedding? We will just have to tune in to find out.
During the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s sitcoms had ‘very special episodes’ that tackled the big issues of the day like drugs, kidnapping and loss of virginity. Well tonight at 8p on ABC Last Man Standing is bringing that back to broadcast TV when they handle the topic of spanking.
When Bud (Robert Forster) admits that he spanked his great-grandson, Boyd (Flynn Morrison), for disobeying him, everyone in the family gets mad at him. Boyd’s parents, Kristin (Amanda Fuller) and Ryan (Jordan Masterson), don’t think that kids should be punished and they give their son sugar to get him to do what they want. Boyd’s grandparents, Mike (Tim Allen) and Vanessa (Nancy Travis), have their own opinions on the matter. So now the whole family is debating whether or not is OK to physically punish your kid when they disobey you.
It is an interesting topic that a lot of households ponder, and Last Man Standing handles it very well with the proper amount of humor. So tune in for what I hope is the official return of the ‘very special episode’ and also a really good episode that looks at both sides of the issue.
