The TV Column

Believe it or not, Hollywood conservatives exist

Did Tim Allen and his ABC sitcom, Last Man Standing, get canned because of Allen’s conservative political views? The network says  no, but not everyone is convinced.
Did Tim Allen and his ABC sitcom, Last Man Standing, get canned because of Allen’s conservative political views? The network says no, but not everyone is convinced.

The apparent consensus among conservatives, especially radio talk show hosts, is that Hollywood is neck-deep in knee-jerk liberals living in their elitist bubble and arrogantly foisting their left-wing agendas upon a hapless America.

True? It depends on your perspective. I'll just say that one does not have to look too far to the right to find conservative Republicans in Hollywood. The list may not be as long as the Democrats, but there is a list.

Who's on the roster? Here are a few: Clint Eastwood, Shannen Doherty, Robert Downey Jr., Melissa Joan Hart, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Miller, Rob Schneider, Angie Harmon, Vince Vaughn, Tom Selleck, James Woods, Jon Voight, Gary Sinise, Chuck Norris, Robert Duvall, Dwayne Johnson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, James Caan and Susan Lucci.

Note that there are several A-listers in that lineup. Two more well-known conservatives are popular TV stars Patricia Heaton (The Middle) and Tim Allen (Last Man Standing).

Heaton's ABC sitcom begins its ninth and final season on Oct. 3, but unfortunately for Allen fans, ABC has pulled the plug on Last Man Standing. The comedy got in six good seasons, which is a respectable record these days.

Last Man Standing had been on the renewal bubble for several seasons, but ABC was a bit tardy in handing out the pink slips this year, so the cancellation came as a surprise to Allen.

In the series, Allen plays Mike Baxter, a marketing director for a chain of sporting goods stores. Mike is politically conservative and his online video blog for the store is frequently peppered with political rants.

Fans of the show initially cried "foul," saying the series must have been canceled due to Allen's right wing political views. Allen's initial reaction did little to dissuade them.

When ABC officially axed the show on May 16, Allen tweeted, "Stunned and blindsided by the network I called home for the last six years."

The online petition outfit change.org called for a boycott of the network for killing the show, speculating politics was behind the move. The petition quickly reached its goal of 150,000 signatures.

Poor ratings were not a reason for the show's demise. According to Nielsen, last season Last Man Standing was ABC's No. 2 comedy with an average of 8.1 million viewers, behind only Modern Family (8.7 million).

Why the ax? Follow the money: 20th Century Fox Television, not ABC, owns the show.

The Hollywood Reporter quotes new ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey as saying, "Last Man Standing was a challenging [decision] for me because it was a steady performer in the ratings, but once we made the decision not to continue with comedies on Fridays, that was where we landed."

At the recent TV critics summer press tour, Dungey was asked directly if Allen's conservative views played a role.

People magazine quotes Dungey as saying, "We have actors on our shows who have all sorts of different political views. Tim Allen is a valuable part of the Disney/ABC family; he has been for a very, very long time.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to create room for [the show] on the schedule, which was a disappointment to me because the show was a high-quality show that was very well done. But Tim Allen's personal politics had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

"I canceled Last Man Standing for the same business and scheduling reasons I canceled The Real O'Neals, Dr. Ken, The Catch [and] American Crime."

Instead of comedies this fall, ABC's Friday lineup will be sci-fi/fantasy: Once Upon a Time, Marvel's Inhumans and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Tick. Here's your reminder that this new live action comedy is now available for streaming on Amazon. There are 12 half hour episodes. I haven't had a chance to preview it yet, but others have labeled it "weird," "unique" and "fun."

Griffin Newman stars as mild-mannered accountant Arthur, and the wonderful Jackie Earle Hayley is the villain known as The Terror.

In the pilot, Arthur teams with the rather dim-witted superhero, The Tick (Peter Serafinowitz), who becomes the brawn behind Arthur's brains. Arthur gets a moth suit.

Warning: The Tick may be droll, but I understand there's plenty of gruesome violence and adult language for those who like those sorts of things. The show is not for the small fry.

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Style on 08/29/2017

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