On TV tonight: ‘Last Man Standing’
“Last Man Standing,” 8 p.m. KFSN (Channel 30.1): The networks have shown so little originality this new TV season, it only makes sense that Tim Allen’s return to network TV would be in a copy of his successful “Home Improvement” program.
Going with something so familiar is little more than a desperate hope the comedy will lure some of the fans who liked Allen as Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor.
There are a few differences.
Instead of three sons, there are three daughters. And Allen’s character works at a sporting goods store instead of on a TV show. When it comes to variations on a theme, that’s like wondering if you should wear the white shirt with black stripes or the black shirt with white stripes.
Allen does have a different co-star as Nancy Travis takes over as the wise-cracking wife. Travis again shows that she has a magical ability to suck the life out of any program. How she keeps getting jobs is one of the great Hollywood mysteries.
“Last Man Standing” isn’t bad. It’s just a safe show because it doesn’t try too hard.
Responses to "On TV tonight: ‘Last Man Standing’"
Cuz Nancy Travis is still gorgeous, is well-liked in Hollywood, and is still fondly remembered for “So I Married an Axe Murderer” and “Three Men and a Baby.”
And she’s gorgeous – and 50. That’s a tough combo in Hollywood these days.
It might not try hard, but it tries hard enough to be funnier than any other new show so far this season. I guess the others aren’t trying at all.
I was kind of hoping that it would be a bit more removed from Home Improvement. Unfortunately Last Man Standing kind of straddled a line a bit too close to Home Improvement to have its own identity and too far away to be a throwback to that great sitcom. Still though, that being said, I had a few good laughs and showed enough potential that I think it could grow into something quite good. I actually wouldn’t have even heard about it though, had I not been browsing through the massive amount of content on dishonline.com. It’s one of the things I really like about being a subscriber and employee of DISH Network, they’re always looking for new ways to provide great entertainment options to their customers.