‘Last Man Standing’ Star Nancy Travis Dishes On Show’s Controversial Political Views

The family sitcom Last Man Standing has been on air since 2011. Part of the show’s charm is the public dialogue it creates about some extremely controversial topics – especially political ones. While viewers and critics have said that they find the political nature of the show a bit overwhelming, not everyone feels that way.

In fact, lead actress Nancy Travis, who plays Tim Allen’s wife in the series, recently did an interview with the Country Living where shared her thoughts on the more controversial side of Last Man Standing. According to Travis, the strong viewpoints just give the show a more realistic appeal for viewers.

If you are not familiar with the long running series, it is a family comedy currently airing on Fox that revolves around Mike Baxter (played by Tim Allen), his three adult daughters and wife (played by Nancy). The title Last Man Standing stems from the fact that Allen’s character is in a family composed of women.

Allen’s character, Mike, is known for being an uncompromising conservative and for his tendency to crack jokes about liberals and anyone who disagree with his viewpoints. While Allen’s character is off putting to some, Travis reminded Country Living the character of Mike Baxter is just one of many viewpoints in the series. Moreover, not everyone in the family feels the same way Allen’s character does.

Ryan (Mike’s son-in-law), for example, is polar opposite of Allen’s character when it comes to view points. Classified as more of a liberal, he and Mike go to war on different controversial topics on a regular basis.

“Tim Allen plays a conservative character, and there are other characters in the family that are more liberal minded. There’s a balance of yin and yang,” Travis explains.

While the series does come equipped with a more conservative overtone, this is just because of its alignment with the main character. Given who Mike Baxter is and what views he has, it makes sense the show would come equipped with such an overtone.

Travis did tell Country Living she believes the writers do an excellent job of composing dialogue for the show that gives both sides of just about every issue a voice. According to Travis, the purpose of Last Man Standing is not to sway people to share a certain view, but to present issues and discussions that exist in the households of many American families.

“What we try to do is say, ‘We’re a family and we have some differences, but we’re still a family and we have to live with each other and talk to each other,’ But also, to be able to find humor in it, to find the comedy and find the humor and be able to laugh at ourselves,” she continued.

Travis goes on to remind us that the political content is such a minor part of the picture when it comes to the show’s message. Its larger focus is on family life and the struggles of raising strong, independently thinking children, which is likely what the majority of their audience base relates to.

Last Man Standing currently airs on Friday nights on the Fox network.