Last Man Standing (ABC, Tuesdays 8/7 Central)

Last Man Standing

(ABC, Tuesdays 8/7 Central)

Oct 11, 2011 By Lily Moayeri Web Exclusive

Last Man Standing stars Tim Allen playing essentially the exact same character he played for eight successful years on Home Improvement. Allen plays Mike Baxter, a grunting manly-ish man in a house full of women: his wife (Nancy Travis pretending to be Patricia Richardson) and three daughters, the eldest of which is a single mother.

Nothing about Last Man Standing is original. It is frame for frame a rehash of Home Improvement. The only thing current about it is the references to modern day topics and terminology—vlogs, Kardashians, gone viral, Lord Voldemort, etc. Mike, on the other hand, is positively caveman-like in his attitudes and utterances. Attempts to sensitize him are offensive rather than humorous, as they imply activities, such as driving a mini-van, are inherently effeminate and therefore odious.

If Allen was a bumbling father to three sons before, he is even more incompetent with three daughters, and it's not funny. It's child abuse—and viewer abuse. Still, if you were a Home Improvement fan, you're in luck, it is back with all new episodes. There's been a bit of a cast change, but it's essentially all the same characters. (www.abc.com/shows/last-man-standing)

Author rating: 3/10

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