An Ode to ‘Last Man Standing’

Of all the network television shows to be granted a renewal at last week’s upfronts, few make conservative viewers happier than Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing” on ABC. With network programming bereft of strong, masculine characters sporting traditional values, “Last Man Standing” fills a void for some 8.7 million viewers who are sick of effeminate and ineffectual males.

“Strategically, that’s who we’re trying to appeal to, the underserved, right-leaning audience.”

Allen’s portrayal of Mike Baxter, a manly man trying to navigate an increasingly PC world, runs counter to other TV dads, such as Ty Burrell’s sensitive Phil Dunphy in “Modern Family,” and Jeffrey Tambor as a narcissistic transgender father in Amazon’s “Transparent.”

The comedy pulls no punches in regards to politics, and Baxter is delightfully rough on liberals. That’s by design. The conservative Allen only agreed to return to network TV if he could espouse his views, and ABC agreed. Allen described Mike Baxter to The Hollywood Reporter as “… milder than I am … Escalate Mike Baxter with profanity and that’s basically me … I wanted to be provocative. Mike Baxter is an educated Archie Bunker.”

Fox TV Group Chairman and CEO Dana Walden told THR that Allen’s “right-leaning, committed-to-their-point-of-view character? Not really anywhere else on television. It was an underrepresented voice, particularly on broadcast networks. Strategically, that’s who we’re trying to appeal to, the underserved, right-leaning audience.”

Better late than never, and ABC is to be praised for not quashing Allen’s voice.

Case in point: The outstanding fourth season episode entitled, “Three Sundays.” In a mere 21 minutes, the episode establishes a central theme — boys need a father to teach them about life, and absentee fathers are to be excoriated.

Baxter’s video log, or “vlog,” on the show is the vehicle used to deliver the message clearly: “I want to talk to you about an epidemic … Dads who have abandoned their kids … You came to the party but didn’t stick around to clean up the mess. That’s right, your kid’s a mess and it’s your fault … They need dads who teach them how to be men … You absentee fathers still have time to make things right.”

To illustrate the theme, each male character runs into trouble, and each is assisted because Baxter shows up, and encourages them to stand on principle.

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One subplot has naive youth Kyle struggling between going to church on Sundays and working at the request of Baxter’s boss, Ed, at the Outdoor Man store. Baxter encourages Kyle to stand up for his beliefs.

Ryan, the liberal fiancé of Baxter’s daughter, takes “protest selfies” as he drives a beer truck around the country, and posts them on social media. He’s suspended because the beer company’s name is visible in the photos. Baxter supports the company move. That’s right, a network television show takes the side of free enterprise over a whiny liberal asserting his “right” to complain about something that hurts his feelings!

However, rather than let Ryan live stupid for the rest of his life, Baxter instead delivers him a polar bear costume. Now Ryan can take his protest photos anonymously, with the polar bear costume as an obvious symbol, “The Bear Who Cares.”

Ryan, surprised, asked why Baxter offered him the assistance — knowing Baxter thinks the protests photos are foolish. Baxter, like all good conservatives, rises above petty disagreement, saying, “Because you have a son, and you should show him what a man looks like when he stands up for his principles.”

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The writers also solve the apparent contradiction — that Baxter supports Kyle going to church over his employer’s wishes — by having Baxter clearly state his priorities. “I’m a bigger fan of Jesus than of lefty politics.” The subtext is clear and simple. God comes first, then work, then one’s own feelings.

Amazingly, the episode also manages to drop in other conservative principles (and mock liberals) in its short running time.

When Kyle objects to one of Ryan’s photos criticizing the Virgin Mary, Baxter reminds him, “First Amendment, kid. Free speech. Even if it’s the speech of a jack***.”

The free speech theme is also teased out and woven into the benefits of becoming successful. “So in America, if you really want to have free speech, you have to become the boss,” Ryan realizes.

While Dana Walden is paying a certain amount of lip service regarding the “underserved right-leaning audience,” conservatives can hope that the show’s success will encourage Hollywood to pursue profit over politics. It obviously can work. “Last Man Standing” is, at last, a step in the right direction.