Last week, ABC stunned audiences when it canceled Tim Allen’s popular Friday night sitcom Last Man Standing. While some assumed the network chose to drop the show, which is in its sixth season, on the heels of rising production costs, others questioned whether Allen’s conservative views played a role.
In an article for The Daily Wire, John Nolte speculated that ABC may have been uncomfortable with the show’s success given that the main character, played by Allen, is “a political conservative and devout Christian adhering to traditional American values.”
“No one better understands the power of popular culture than those who work in it,” Nolte wrote. “They know that if even one is allowed to get through, a Path to 9/11, a Last Man Standing, a Duck Dynasty, a Passion of the Christ, a 13 Hours, a Fox News, that it must be crushed, toxified, or memory-holed out of the fear that those brainwashed by popular culture might discover another side to the story. And then there is the intolerable risk that a success might breed more of them.”
Did ABC Cancel Tim Allen’s Hit Show ‘Last Man Standing’ Because of Its Christian Themes
In an effort to bring back the show, fans have created a Change.org petition against ABC titled “Save Tim Allen’s Show ‘Last Man Standing’” that garnered some 11,000 signatures over the weekend. The petition states that the show “stands out in the sea of network television sitcoms” as “the only sitcom that is not constantly shoving liberal ideals down the throats of the viewers.”
It goes on to clarify that the show “was not just selling conservative ideals though, as some of the characters in the show are clearly of the liberal persuasion, yet the characters on the show all manage to get along and take care of one another, despite their politically opposed views.”
Lamenting that the conservative, Christian values portrayed in Last Man Standing are “likely the real reason the show has been cancelled,” the petition says that its intent is to encourage ABC to reconsider its decision and renew the show. The petition’s writer, a user by the name of Deputy Matt, explains that he will no longer be watching ABC programming and encourages others to take a similar stand.
“I will no longer be watching any ABC shows. I have cancelled the DVR settings for the other ABC shows that I regularly watch. If you want to help try to save Last Man Standing, I encourage you to do the same,” he writes. “Even if you are not willing to boycott the network, but still want to save the show, please sign this petition and share it. If you do plan to boycott ABC, please say so when you sign. Let them hear our voices.”
See the full Change.org petition HERE.
(H/T: Washington Examiner)
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