Last Man Standing Information

Last Man Standing is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen and Nancy Travis that currently airs on ABC. The series premiered on October 11, 2011. This is the second sitcom Allen starred in for ABC, the first being Home Improvement. On May 11, 2012, the series was renewed for a second season that premiered on November 2, 2012. On May 10, 2013, ABC renewed Last Man Standing for a third season. It will premiere on September 20, 2013.

Premise

The series follows Mike Baxter, a director of marketing at an outdoor sporting goods store in Denver, Colorado, whose world is dominated by womenespecially at home with his wife and three daughters, one of whom is a single mother.

Cast

Main cast

• Tim Allen as Mike Baxter, the main character of the show. Mike is a father of three daughters and the director of marketing for the "Outdoor Man" chain of sporting goods stores. He fervently supports "old-fashioned" traditional values and is politically conservative. As a so-called "manly-man", Mike often finds himself annoyed with Outdoor Man's sensitive young employee Kyle, and with Ryan, the politically liberal father of Mike's grandson. Mike is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
• Nancy Travis as Vanessa Baxter, Mike's wife who is a geologist. She is very tolerant of Mike's macho behavior, though it is clear that Mike cannot sneak anything past her. She is a graduate of Ohio State University.
• Alexandra Krosney (season one) and Amanda Fuller (season two-present) as Kristin Beth Baxter. Kristin is Mike's eldest daughter, who unlike her father, espouses more liberal beliefs. She often serves as an antagonist to Mike. During her senior year of high school, Kristin became pregnant with her son Boyd. The two still live in the Baxter home, finally moving out in the Season 2 finale, "College Girl". Kristin works at a diner and is sometimes seen wearing her waitress uniform. Alexandra Krosney portrayed Kristin in the show's first season, but she was replaced by Amanda Fuller prior to season two for unspecified creative reasons.
• Molly Ephraim as Amanda Elaine "Mandy" Baxter, the second oldest daughter. Mandy is not as "scholarly" as her sisters, but excels in social situations. Fashionable and beautiful, she is one of the most popular girls at her high school. Mandy is obsessed with celebrity, and dreams of appearing in reality television. Mandy is very confident and creative, demonstrating traits found in her father.
• Kaitlyn Dever as Eve Baxter, the youngest daughter. She is a tomboy and generally has the same interests as Mike, including camping, sports, guns and the military. But her newfound interest in boys begins to strain their relationship. Eve has also inherited her father's sense of humor, and her trademark sarcastic wit is frequently directed at clueless sister Mandy.
• Christoph Sanders as Kyle Anderson, a younger employee at "Outdoor Man". Kyle is a pleasant personality, universally recognized as a good guy. He sometimes engages in "feminine" behavior like baking, watching romantic comedies, and frequently admitting when his feelings are hurt. This sensitive temperament makes Kyle the object of good-natured ridicule from Mike, who believes the younger generation needs to "man up". Kyle is often oblivious to social cues and the events happening around him. He has Basque heritage. Kyle also dated Kristin in season one and Mandy in season two.
• Hector Elizondo as Edward "Ed" Alzate, Mike's longtime boss. Ed is perhaps 15 years older than Mike, but the two men bond over similar outdoor hobbies and shared conservative values. Mike regularly talks to Ed about the happenings in his home and occasionally seeks advice. Having been divorced four times, Ed's suggestions are rarely helpful. Ed is a Vietnam veteran, and, like Kyle, he is of Basque heritage.
• Flynn Morrison (season two"present, regular role) and Evan and Luke Kruntchev (season one, recurring roles) as Boyd Baxter. Boyd is Kristin's son, and the grandson of Mike and Vanessa. Mike enjoys spending quality time with Boyd, and affectionately views him as the son he never had. The character was age-advanced three years between Seasons 1 and 2.

Recurring cast

• Jordan Masterson (recurring, season two"present) and Nick Jonas (season one, guest star) as Ryan Vogelson, Boyd's father. Ryan holds staunchly liberal views both politically and philosophically. He and Mike routinely clash over their fundamentally opposing values, especially when it comes to child-rearing. Ryan wishes to raise his son without religion and patriotism. His vegan diet, political correctness, views on discipline, and general sensitivity are an affront to Mike's beliefs.
• Robert Forster as Bud Baxter, Mike's father who is in the construction business.
• Jonathan Adams as Chuck Larabee, Mike and Vanessa's neighbor. He is a former U.S. Marine and a veteran of the first Gulf War. Chuck is an African-American, and often jokes with Mike about racial stereotypes.
• Erika Alexander as Carol Larabee, Chuck's wife and Mike and Vanessa's neighbor.
• Carla Jimenez as Blanca, the Baxter's housekeeper.
• Danielle Bisutti as Michelle, Vanessa's friend and next-door neighbor; she is a meteorologist.
• Richard Karn as Bill McKendree, an architect who has had a long-running business relationship with Mike and Outdoor Man.

Episodes

Development and production

Last Man Standing first appeared on ABC's development slate in late 2010 when writer Jack Burditt received a put pilot commitment from the network under the original title Man Up. In January 2011, ABC green-lighted production of a pilot episode under the title Last Days of Man. On February 18, Tim Allen, who had been attached to the potential series from the beginning, officially joined the project in the lead role. At the end of March, Nancy Travis joined the cast in the leading female role as Allen's "smart and loving wife who doesn't miss much". Soon thereafter, Hector Elizondo came on board in a supporting role as the boss to Allen's character.

On May 13, 2011, ABC picked up the pilot for the 2011"2012 television season under the new title Last Man Standing. On May 17, 2011, ABC announced that the series would air on Tuesday nights at 8/7 Central. It debuted on October 11, 2011, with the first two episodes airing in a one-hour premiere.

On November 3, 2011, the series was picked up for a full season of twenty-two episodes. On January 12, 2012, the order was increased to twenty-four episodes.

On May 11, 2012, ABC renewed the series for a second season set to air in the 2012"2013 season in November.

On June 11, 2012, Tim Doyle (The Big Bang Theory, Rules of Engagement) was hired as the new showrunner of the series. Doyle is the third showrunner that the series has had since it entered production. Doyle will be replacing Kevin Abbott (The Golden Girls, Reba), who joined the staff as the showrunner mid-way in the first season, Abbott replaced series creator Jack Burditt, who was the showrunner for the first thirteen episodes. Unlike, Burditt who is no longer credited as an executive producer, Abbott will continue to serve as an executive producer along with showrunning the fellow ABC sitcom Malibu Country starring Reba McEntire. Both Last Man Standing and Malibu Country aired as a part of ABC's Friday night lineup for the 2012"2013 primetime television season. On November 8, 2012, Abbott re-joined the Last Man Standing crew full-time, after a stint in rehab and gave Nastaran Dibai full showrunning duties of Malibu Country.

On June 11, 2012, it was announced that Alexandra Krosney (Kristin) was let go from the show for creative reasons. Krosney was replaced by Amanda Fuller in season 2. On June 19, 2012, it was also announced that twins Luke and Evan Kruntchev, who played the role of Boyd in season 1, would not be returning, they were replaced by Flynn Morrison in season 2. The character of Boyd was also age advanced from two years old to five years old. Jordan Masterson played Ryan, Boyd's father, in a recurring role beginning in season 2. The role was previously played by Nick Jonas, who guest starred in one episode in season 1.

The second season initially received a 13-episode order. ABC announced on November 12, 2012 that an additional three scripts had been ordered. On November 27, five more episodes were ordered to bring the current second season episode total to 18.

As of May 10, 2013, the series was renewed for a third season. It will premiere on September 20, 2013.

Ratings

ABC's series premiere of Last Man Standing drew a 3.5 adults 18"49 rating. That was 9% better than the 3.2 adults 18"49 rating for the series premiere of No Ordinary Family in the same time-slot the previous year (which was two weeks earlier in the season). Season 2 of Last Man Standing premiered with a 2.0, down about 38% from its first season premiere, but up about 18% from the previous season's finale.

Season	Timeslot (ET)	No. of episodes	Premiered		Ended		TV season	Rank	Viewers (in millions)	Live + DVR Viewers
			Date	(in millions)	Date	(in millions)
1	Tuesday 8:00PM	24	October 11, 2011	12.93	May 8, 2012	6.62	2011/12	#50	9.12	9.76
2	Friday 8:00PM	18	November 2, 2012	8.07	March 22, 2013	7.85	2012/13	#53	7.93	8.34

Awards

Last Man Standing was nominated for a 2012 People's Choice Award for "Favorite New TV Comedy", but lost to 2 Broke Girls.

Year	Award	Category	Recipients and nominees	Outcome
2011	ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards	Top Television Series	Carl Thiel (composer)
2012	People's Choice Award	Favorite New TV Comedy	Last Man Standing
	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite TV Actor	Tim Allen
	TV Guide Magazine's Fan Favorites Awards	Favorite Comeback
	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) " Supporting Young Actress	Kaitlyn Dever
	Imagen Foundation Awards	Best Supporting Actor/Television	Héctor Elizondo

International broadcast

Country	Network(s)	Series premiere	Timeslot	Source(s)
	Network Ten & Fox8	May 2012	Wednesdays at 7:30pm
	FDF Telecinco	October 23, 2012	Tuesdays at 10:35pm
	FOX Serbia	October 18, 2012	Thursday at 10:05pm
	Sky1	October 2, 2012	Weekdays at 6pm