Parents group offers plan to save ‘Last Man Standing’ — but will Fox take the bait?

A nonpartisan parents organization is pushing for a plan to save “Last Man Standing,” a popular, right-leaning sitcom starring Tim Allen.

In a press release issued on Monday, the Parents Television Council called for Fox Broadcasting to reverse its decision to renew “The Mick” and instead replace it with “Last Man Standing.” The Parents Television Council’s stated mission is “to protect children and families from graphic sex, violence and profanity in the media, because of their proven long-term harmful effects.”

ABC, which has aired all six seasons of “Last Man Standing,” announced on May 10 it would not renew the family comedy, despite being the network’s second-most-popular comedy and third-most-popular television show.

“If Fox were to replace ‘The Mick’ with new episodes of ‘Last Man Standing,’ it would be a win-win-win, and how often can we say that?” said PTC President Tim Winter in the press release.

“Parents would win because there would be less-explicit content marketed to family audiences at times when children are likely to be watching,” Winter said. “Advertisers would win because they’d have a higher-rated and much safer show in terms of content. Many sponsors removed their media dollars from ‘The Mick’ after learning about the program’s explicit content.”

In a letter reviewed by The Blaze that was sent by Winter to two top executives at the Fox Broadcasting Company, Winter said Fox Broadcasting should dump "The Mick" and pick up "Last Man Standing" for the “wellbeing of children” and “shareholders.” The studio that produces “Last Man Standing,” 20th Century Fox, is owned by the same parent company as Fox Broadcasting.

The Fox “corporate shareholders would win, and win big, because of the future treasure trove each new episode of ‘Last Man’ would bring during syndication,” wrote Winter.

“We urge you to consider our programming recommendation, not just for the wellbeing of children and families but, indeed, for the wellbeing of your shareholders,” Winter said.

The decision not to renew, which came as a surprise to everyone involved in the show’s production, was met with frustration from the show’s rather large and dedicated audience. Many conservatives have suggested the show’s traditional family themes and conservative political comedy was the motivating factor behind ABC’s decision to cancel the show, a suggestion ABC has vehemently denied.

According to Deadline, “Last Man Standing” was ABC’s “second most watched comedy this season with 8.1 million viewers in Live +7, only behind flagship Modern Family (8,7 million). It was the third most watched ABC scripted series overall behind Grey’s Anatomy and Modern Family.”