Quick Take: Last Man Standing, "Pilot"
"I like bacon." - Mike
Review: Last Man Standing, "Pilot"
(S0101) I'm halfway through the premiere of Last Man Standing and I have yet to even crack a smile, let alone laugh.
I have no idea what ABC was trying to do with this new show. Were they thinking that Tim Allen's fans from the '90s would be excited to see him in a new show? Did ABC owe Tim Allen some leftover Home Improvement money and this was the only way they could pay him off? Are they hoping to fool kids into think Buzz Lightyear has his own TV show? Whatever the reason is, it was a mistake.
In fairness, this show is exactly what it purports to be. Tim Allen is a dad in a houseful of women clinging to his manliness and blah, blah, blah. The one thing it isn't is funny.
At one point, Mike (Tim Allen) goes into work and we get to meet a couple of the wacky characters there. Unfortunately, they are just as unfunny as the people in his house. Nancy Travis plays Mike's wife and Hector Elizondo plays his boss. You'd think that household names like that would be the perfect supporting actors, but at no point in the show do they say or do anything remotely funny. Honestly, if it weren't for the different commercials, Last Man Standing could have passed for something on the Disney Channel.
To sum up, let me say that I once met Tim Allen and he was a real nice guy, which is how I prefer to think about him. The nice guy who was really funny in Galaxy Quest.
I don't expect to crack a smile when I watch a sitcom pilot (ex: New Girl) and am happily surprised when I do (ex: Breaking In).
Totally agree re: Galaxy Quest. Allen is great and funny in the right role (and throw in Big Trouble, a sadly underrated flick).
I enjoy Time Allen's comedy and "Last Man Standing" has become my Tuesday night show of the day! I've learned that the show is moving to Friday nights, so I went a bought a Hopper that will automatically record the show for me since I’ll be at work. A Dish co-worker said that the Hopper’s PrimeTime Anytime feature automatically records all of my prime time shows that come on CBS, NBC, FOX and ABC everyday in HD. My family and I love watching Time Allen movies like Santa Claus, Santa Claus 2 and Wild Hogg’s that we can stream to any of our rooms using the Hopper! I love the Hopper’s Auto Hop feature because it allows me to skip my recorded commercials.