Network juggernaut ABC has come under fire by conservative groups for its decision to pull the hit Tim Allen series “Last Man Standing.”
According to Deadline, “Last Man Standing” drew 8.7 million viewers this season, making it the third most watched ABC show behind “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Modern Family.”
The multi-camera series focuses on politically conservative Christian Mike Baxter as he contends with PC politics and middle age. Episodes have advocated for gun rights, poked fun at presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump, and satirized “micro-aggressions” on college campuses in an episode titled “Precious Snowflake.” Guest stars have included Tony Hawk, Kim Kardashian, and the Robertson family.
Many Republicans have speculated the show’s cancellation has to do with Allen’s outspoken conservative beliefs and that it targets “the Trump demographic.” A former John Kasich supporter who attended Trump’s inauguration, the actor has previously attacked Hollywood as “hypocritical” for “bullying” Trump supporters.
“You get beat up if you don’t believe what everybody believes,” said Allen on Jimmy Kimmel back in March. “This is like ’30s Germany. I don’t know what happened.”
Republican Gov. Scott Walker on Twitter accused ABC of “playing politics” with the show, while the Blaze referenced the salaries of the “Modern Family” cast. Currently, there are four petitions circulating on change.org asking the network to change its decision.
.@ofcTimAllen Looks like @ABC is playing politics with your show despite decent ratings. Sad.https://t.co/FQo9H55QcR
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) May 11, 2017
ABC is said to have cited that it doesn’t own the rights to “Last Man Standing” (Fox produces the series), along with the show’s aging viewer demographic as to why it pulled the plug.
Davis Richardson is a writer whose work has appeared in VICE, Nylon Magazine, The Daily Caller, and WIRED. Follow him on Twitter