Why Last Man Standing’s Season Finale Is ‘Something To Anticipate,’ According To Tim Allen

Last Man Standing Tim Allen Mike Baxter FOX
(Image credit: FOX)

There is good news, Last Man Standing fans. Tim Allen is teasing that the originally-planned season finale of the ever-popular comedy is worth anticipating, which is a promising hint, as fans are in for a wait to potentially see it. Last Man Standing is one of the many series that had to shut down production early this year due to our current health crisis.

As a result, the Tim Allen starrer did not get to film its original season finale. Hence, the episode that will act as the season-ender on April 30 is not the one that was initially set to close out Season 8. What Last Man Standing fans were going to see when the Baxters signed off was nothing shy of anticipatory. Teasing Season 8’s initial sendoff, Allen told Fox News:

Kaitlyn Dever was on for the last two shows, which we love having her back. It’s a birth show, and I don’t want to give the whole idea away because it’s pretty obvious who is pregnant, but there’s other news in there that’s really kind of cool. It’s something to anticipate. [As an actor], it was really a weird way to end.

Yes, you read that correctly. Kaitlyn Dever was set to return as Eve Baxter for Last Man Standing’s original finale. As you can tell, Tim Allen joins his castmates in welcoming the acclaimed actress back. Dever’s Eve was previously seen in the Season 8 premiere, so bookends! That is not the only exciting tidbit that Tim Allen shared.

The “obvious” pregnancy that Tim Allen is referring to is Kristin, who announced that she and her husband Ryan were expecting in the premiere. Again, bookends. Kristin’s portrayer, Amanda Fuller, previously teased a cliffhanger-style season finale regarding the birth of her character’s daughter. So, what is the “other news” that Tim Allen is referencing?

Mike Baxter’s middle daughter, Mandy, has made no secret of the fact she and her husband, Kyle, have been trying to start a family. Will they announce they have succeeded? The adorable duo may have had a fight earlier this season, but they remain as close as ever. Two babies so close together? Last Man Standing could do it.

While fans anticipate what this “other news” will be (Is Vanessa’s political career back on?), they have something definitive to contemplate. What did Tim Allen make of Last Man Standing having to shut down production ahead of the season finale? It sounds like the move came just as the cast was gearing up to hit a grand slam. On the filming halt, Allen said:

It was real peculiar. We’re all feeling like it was a half-cooked piece of bread. Or a rain delay at a baseball game. You’re all ready to go, you’re winning, it’s eight to four, everything’s good, you’ve got your best players in and the rain came and they’re going to cancel the game.

I just hope that Last Man Standing viewers get to see the episode that everyone was working on. While it will not be the season finale anymore, it sounds like it would make for an exciting premiere. The long-running sitcom would not be the only show contemplating folding in storylines that did not make it into this season into the next one.

Whatever happens, I am sure that Last Man Standing will figure it out. In the meantime, fans are still waiting to learn if the hit show will get picked up for Season 9, so stay tuned. The veteran comedy did make its way to the much-coveted Thursday night slot this season. Hopefully, there is more good news on the horizon.

New episodes of Last Man Standing air Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. The Season 8 finale airs April 30 at the same time and place. While you wait for word on a Season 9 renewal, you check out this spring’s premieres to stay entertained.

Britt Lawrence

Like a contented Hallmark movie character, Britt happily lives in the same city she grew up in. Along with movies and television, she is passionate about competitive figure skating. She has been writing about entertainment for 5 years, and as you may suspect, still finds it as entertaining to do as when she began.