Stunned and blindsided by the network I called home for the last six years. After all, it was the third most-watched scripted show on the network, behind Grey's Anatomy and Modern Family, and received solid ratings: And that was only because I threatened, "I’m reading it anyway." So they finally agreed to it.When television network ABC announced that they were canceling comedian Tim Allen's popular sitcom Last Man Standing, many people - including the show's star - were shocked. It was the day before the table read that I got permission to actually go forward with the episode. There are bigger legal hurdles than you would think in all of that. So we were going to bend over backward to not give them any reason to regret allowing us to do that. were really kind and generous in allowing us to use the character and certain iconic symbols from the show and bits. I really liked Home Improvement and Matt Williams and David McFadzean and Carmen Finestra, who created Home Improvement. I want to make sure that he wanted to play it - which he did, he fully embraced the idea, with the proviso that we would honor that character, not make fun of him or anything, which we would never do. So the first hurdle you have to jump is to get Tim to sign off on it. W felt good that we’d be able to land the actor. ![]() That is brilliant." It seems so obvious, so great and yet we didn’t think of it before. And Jon Haller came back and said he’d been thinking about stunt casting and said, "You know, we’ve had almost all the names from Home Improvement on the show and the one we really haven’t had is Tim Taylor." And I went, "That is just brilliant. And so as I was b-ing and moaning about it, my writers were actually thinking about it. Plus, it’s difficult to come up with some huge promotable event that happens in our little world. You can read his full story about how it came together below:įox came to us and said, "We’d love it if you could come up with some big promotable event." And I always hate that, especially on this show, where we tell smaller stories about family interaction. But in the end, the deal was made just before the first table read for season 9. Abbott then had to get permission from Disney, who own the rights to Home Improvement, revealing it took longer than expected. ![]() After that, they got the sign off from Allen, whose only condition was to treat the character with respect, not making him a joke. Not wanting to do an over-the-top gimmick, Abbott says the writers came up with the idea of having Mike and Tim cross paths. ![]() Abbott says the idea to do a crossover episode came about when Fox asked him to include a big event to promote the final season. Kevin Abbott, showrunner on Last Man Standing, confirms to The Wrap that it wasn't easy. Related: Will The Santa Clause 4 Ever Happen? Here's What We Know The footage left many wondering how Last Man Standing got permission to use the character. Allen remains best known for the role, despite it lasting one less season than Last Man Standing has. The trailer also teased that Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor, Allen's character on the hit 1990s sitcom Home Improvement, would make an appearance, with the two characters interacting in Mike's house. ![]() The first trailer for season 9 refers to Allen's role in the Santa Clause, featuring his character growing a big beard during the pandemic and saying he could be Santa.
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