Fans of the “Last Man Standing” television show were initially elated to learn about FOX’s decision to start broadcasting a new season of the “conservative” show beginning on Sept. 28, 2018, after it had been canceled last year on the ABC network.
One has to wonder, however, just how thrilled the show’s former supporters will be once they learn more about the “Last Man Standing” reboot.
At the Television Critics Association conference, FOX TV Group chairman/CEO Gary Newman said about Mike Baxter (Tim Allen’s character), “He’s a character with a conservative viewpoint,” and then he added later that he sees the character possessing a “fairly centrist viewpoint.”
On FOX’s version of “Last Man Standing,” Baxter won’t be taking a stand one way or another concerning President Donald Trump, but producers do claim that could potentially change over time. Let’s hope FOX’s focus groups, ratings and the moistened fingers they stick up in the air to gauge how the prevailing winds blow will eventually allow Baxter’s character to stand proudly in support of the most conservative president the United States has known since President Ronald Reagan.
“Last Man Standing” is also bringing in a character who is a teenage Chinese foreign exchange student who obviously comes from a country with a political system that will naturally clash with Baxter’s political belief system. It’s supposed to add a little humor for the show … but to what end? – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]A sitcom star who has himself faced backlash for expressing his personal views has publicly addressed the cancellation of Roseanne Barr’s hit ABC series after a Twitter rant many perceived as racist.
In comments to reporters at the 2018 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour earlier this week, comedian Tim Allen said he did not recognize the intolerance apparently on display in Barr’s tweets.
“You know, I go way back with Rosie and that’s not the Roseanne I know,” he said.
The 65-year-old, whose own canceled ABC series was revived in a deal with Fox this year, said the fallout over Barr’s comments forced him to address the issue with a variety of people, including his mother.
“And she goes, ‘What did she mean by all that?’” Allen said. “And I said, ‘I don’t know.’”
He went on to describe Barr as among the “most diverse and tolerant” women he has ever known.
“So whatever got in her head isn’t the Roseanne I know,” he said.
Beyond the impact on Barr’s career, Allen shared his thoughts about what he believes is an increasingly volatile environment, especially for those tasked with making audiences laugh.
He called it a “very icy time” for comedians, unlike anything he has seen in nearly four decades in the industry. – READ MORE
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