Tim Allen 'Stunned & Blindsided' as ABC Defends 'Last Man Standing' Cancellation

Tim Allen is as upset as his fans at the surprise cancellation of "Last Man Standing" after six seasons. He finally broke his silence about the end of the show, during the same time that ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey held a conference call defending the decision to ax the still high-rated series.

Some viewers thought maybe politics came into play, since Tim Allen is a conservative. However, Dungey rejected that idea, naming several shows that would be considered more progressive that also got the chop this year. Here's part of her explanation (via Entertainment Weekly):

"A large part of these jobs are managing failure and we've made the tough calls and canceled shows that we'd otherwise love to stay on the air. That's the job. I canceled 'Last Man Standing' for the same business and scheduling reasons that I canceled 'Dr. Ken,' 'The Real O'Neals,' '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."

Dungey's conference call on ABC's 2017-2018 primetime lineup was scheduled from 12:00-12:30 p.m. EDT. Coincidence or not, Allen shared this tweet at 12:14 EDT:

Stunned and blindsided by the network I called home for the last six years. #lastmanstanding

— Tim Allen (@ofctimallen) May 16, 2017

A Change.org petition was launched to get ABC to renew "Last Man Standing," despite the cancellation, with more than 127,000 current signatures.

Here's a portion of the petition:

"Despite consistently high rankings, especially considering the time slot in which it is aired, Tim Allen's show "Last Man Standing" has been cancelled by the network on which it is aired, ABC.

Last Man Standing stands out in the sea of network television sitcoms. 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 intent of this petition/boycott is to attempt to get ABC to renew the show. With that in mind, I will no longer be watching any ABC shows. I have cancelled the DVR settings for the other ABC shows that I regularly watch. If you want to help try to save Last Man Standing, I encourage you to do the same. Even if you are not willing to boycott the network, but still want to save the show, please sign this petition and share it. If you do plan to boycott ABC, please say so when you sign. Let them hear our voices."

"Last Man Standing" used to air Fridays with "Dr. Ken," but now ABC has moved "Once Upon a Time" to Fridays from 8 to 9 p.m.

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