Tim Allen's 'Last Man Standing' return will include character's conservative views, exec says

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Exec spills details on new season of Tim Allen’s ‘Last Man Standing’

Fox Television Group CEO and Chairman, Gary Newman spills details on the new season of Tim Allen’s

LOS ANGELES – After being off the air for more than a year, “Last Man Standing” is set to premiere next month, and fans should get ready for the comedy series to return with similar plot lines as previous seasons, along with star Tim Allen’s character expressing his conservative views.

“I will say right now the producers’ plans are not to address whether or not he might be a Trump supporter,’” Fox Television Group CEO and Chairman, Gary Newman told reporters at the 2018 Television Critics Associations’ Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. Thursday, adding that Allen’s character, Mike Baxter, “clearly” is someone “with a conservative viewpoint.”

“I think of the character as a fairly centrist viewpoint,” Newman explains. “Of course, that could change during the season, but there are no plans at this time.”

In a follow-up interview, Newman noted he doesn’t “anticipate” the series “being more political.”

“At its heart, it’s a family comedy,” he said. “I think that they’re going to tell the same type of stories that they told during its run on ABC.”

When asked if there was any concern about how much time has passed since FOX picked up the show from ABC, Newman said he believes “it’s still pretty fresh in peoples’ minds.”

“Tim Allen is a big star,” he continued. “He has a great following. The show is really funny. We know we’re going to have tremendous material to promote it with because that show, joke for joke, is I think, as funny as any show on TV.”

“It was really quite successful for ABC,” he explained of the series, which aired from 2011 to 2017 on ABC. “It was their second most successful comedy behind ‘Modern Family.’ We think it has a lot of legs. We’re really looking forward to having it on our primetime.”

In May, it was announced the series was picked up by FOX after ABC canceled the popular show.

“Excited?” asked Allen in a statement previously sent to Fox News. “Team LMS was in the sixth inning, ahead by four runs, stands were packed and then for no reason, they call off the game. It leaves you sitting in the dugout, holding a bat and puzzled. Now we get the news from Fox that it’s time to get back out on that diamond – hell yes, I’m excited!"

“When I heard the offer to create more episodes of ‘Last Man Standing,’ I did a fist pump so hard I threw my back out," he admitted. "It’s the fans! I could not be more grateful for the fans who wrote petitions and kept up the passion and incredible support for the show."

Added Allen: "And a fist pump, ouch, for Dana Walden and Gary Newman at Fox for not only listening to the fans but for making the bold move to bring ‘Last Man Standing’ back. I’m sure audiences will be curious to see what we look like after all these years. Oh, has it only been one year? Well, just goes to show you – a lot can happen in a year.”

Along with Allen, the show’s original cast, Nancy Travis, Jonathan Adams, Amanda Fuller, Christoph Sanders and Jordan Masterson, are also set to return to the show, which tells the story of a married father-of-three who tries to maintain his manliness in a world often dominated by women.

Last month, Allen revealed the series' premiere date on Twitter.

"Mark your calendar for Sept. 28th! @LastManStanding #LastManStanding," he captioned a picture of himself holding Travis, who plays his wife on the show.