The family comedy Last Man Standing was recently revived by Fox after being canceled by ABC back in May of 2017. Unfortunately, a new network isn’t the only change fans have had to endure following the revival of the series.
In addition to several changes in the cast, fans have also noticed an overwhelming absence of one of the previously primary characters. Eve Baxter, played by Kaitlyn Dever, has been a regular since the series first kicked off. Fans of LMS , however, have recently started to notice Kaitlyn isn’t getting nearly as much air time as the other members of the cast and they can’t help but wonder why.
Where is the elusive Eve Baxter this season? Keep reading to find out.
According to Country Living , producers of the sitcom announced prior to the start of the season that Dever’s character would not be returning as a regular staple in the new season(s). Instead, she would take on a recurring, occasional role in the show. Despite this announcement being made before the first episode of the revival aired, fans still can’t help but wonder what happened to the strong-willed miniature female version of Mike Baxter.
In fact, many fans have been so concerned they’ve even taken to social media to question what happened to Eve.
Where is Eve? last man standing
— Duke Smith (@Dukesmith2624) October 6, 2018
The “in show” answer to the question of “where is Eve Baxter” is simple. In the current story line, Eve has taken off to attend the Air Force Academy. During a recent interview with Country Living , executive producer Matt Berry revealed the show would occasionally visit Eve and she would occasionally come visit her family – but she was not a staple in the show at this time.
Off screen, Kaitlyn’s absence from the show is not that different from the reason Molly Ephraim had to walk away from the show completely. When ABC announced the cancellation of Last Man Standing , Kaitlyn and Molly both had freed-up schedules for new projects. Young and in the prime of their career, it made sense that both actresses would pursue other projects.
Dever ended up taking on several other projects including being in the cast of the Netflix Original, Unbelievable, as well as having a role in the upcoming film, The Front Runner . Unlike Molly, Kaitlyn was not ready to walk away from the show completely and plans to return once her current commitments come to an end.
THE FRONT RUNNER trailer is out. This one has fire. Courtesy of @jasonreitman @realhughjackman @verafarmiga JK Simmons @kaitlyndever @BronStudios and many more. Premiering at TIFF and coming out in Nov. Honored to have scored it. https://t.co/iJqwPFVTMS pic.twitter.com/V5mlPtJz1W
— Rob Simonsen (@robsimonsen) August 30, 2018
While a timeline of when she will return is not currently known, Kaitlyn does want to return to play the role of Eve Baxter full-time.
Last Man Standing currently airs on Friday nights only on Fox.