More than a quarter-million people have put their names to a petition demanding ABC bring back the highly-rated conservative sitcom Last Man Standing.
The fan-created Change.org petition titled “Save Tim Allen’s Show ‘Last Man Standing” has garnered more than 275,000 signatures in less than a week’s time.
“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,” petition creator “Deputy Matt” wrote.
“Last Man Standing is one of the only shows on broadcast television, and the only sitcom, that is not constantly shoving liberal ideals down the throats of the viewers,” the petition says. “And sadly, that is likely the real reason the show has been cancelled.”
The popular series was abruptly canceled on Wednesday after six seasons on the air. ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey defended the decision in a press call Tuesday, citing business and scheduling conflicts, and denied that politics influenced the cancellation.
“I canceled Last Man Standing for the same business and scheduling reasons I canceled The Real O’Neals, Dr. Ken, The Catch, American Crime,” Dungey said, according to Deadline. “It was challenging because it was a steady performer but when we made the decision not to continue with comedies on Friday that’s where it landed.”
Last Man Standing star Tim Allen spoke out Tuesday, telling fans that he was “stunned” and “blindsided” by ABC’s decision.
“Stunned and blindsided by the network I called home for the last six years. #lastmanstanding,” Allen tweeted.
Last Man Standing starred Allen as Mike Baxter, a father, husband, and sporting goods store marketing executive, who spent time juggling work with managing his often unpredictable household.
The cancellation left a host of unanswered questions, as the series was ABC’s second-highest-rated comedy behind Modern Family; in its sixth season, Last Man Standing averaged an impressive 6.41 million viewers in live viewership.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
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