Later this month, Last Man Standing returns to television with brand-new episodes. The family sitcom spent six seasons on ABC, from 2011 to 2017, before it was canceled. After one year off the air and fan outrage, Fox is now bringing the series back to life.
Star and executive producer Tim Allen will again play Mike Baxter, a family man living in Denver, Colorado, and the marketing director of the Outdoor Man sporting goods chain. Also reprising their roles from the original series are Nancy Travis as Mike’s wife, Vanessa; Amanda Fuller as their eldest daughter, Kristin; Jordan Masterson as Ryan Vogelson, Kristin’s husband; Christoph Sanders as Kyle Anderson, an Outdoor Man employee who is married to Baxter daughter,Mandy; Hector Elizondo as Outdoor Man’s owner, Ed Alzate; and Jonathan Adams as Chuck Larabee, the Baxters’ neighbor and head of security at Outdoor Man. Kaitlyn Dever will bring back her character, youngest daughter Eve, on a recurring basis.
In early August, TVLine revealed two major recasts: Molly McCook ( The Ranch ) is taking over the role of middle Baxter daughter Mandy from Molly Ephraim, who could not return to the show due to other commitments, and Jet Jurgensmeyer will now be playing Boyd, Kristin and Ryan’s son, in order to age up the character.
“We’re bringing him back at the age of 12, so we can do some fun storylines about a young man on the cusp of becoming a man,” Last Man Standing executive producer Kevin Abbott told the website.
On September 8, TVLine revealed a new spoiler for Season 7. When the series starts up again, recurring character Bud Baxter, Mike’s father, will have already passed away. Originally played by veteran actor Robert Forster, Bud was the owner of a marijuana dispensary. As fans of the show will recall, Mike had a problem with his pop’s business, even though weed has been legalized in the state they live in, Colorado.
Bud’s Buds will live on though.
“Ryan will be taking over the daily running of the shop,” Abbott told TVLine.
Since Mike has had many issues over the years with Ryan’s political views, lifestyle choices, and the way he chooses to raise his grandson, Boyd, taking over the marijuana shop probably won’t bring the pair any closer.
Last Man Standing fans can also look forward to seeing a brand-new character this season. Krista Marie Yu, who played the daughter on Dr. Ken , is joining the cast as a foreign exchange student, Jen, who comes to live with Mike and Vanessa.
Season 7 of Last Man Standing debuts on Fox on Friday, September 28, at 8 p.m.