‘Last Man Standing’ Possibly Being Rebooted by Fox

In light of the success of ABC’s Roseanne reboot, FOX is reportedly considering reviving Tim Allen‘s sitcom, Last Man Standing.

FOX sources told TMZ that Allen’s show, which was controversially canceled by ABC last year, is now under serious consideration for another chance on network television.

Rumors swirled previously that the show was canceled because of Allen’s personal conservative affiliations (he compared being a conservative in Hollywood to 1930’s Nazi Germany), as well as the ultra-conservative character he portrayed on the show.

Ironically, the pro-Trump audience backing Roseanne has intrigued FOX to explore the possibility of picking up the series, hoping it may have similar reception from conservative audiences. FOX produced the show when it aired originally on ABC, but current discussions involve rebooting and putting it on FOX.

Sources said the other show most likely to come back to the network is a spin-off of How I Met Your Mother, a show unsurprisingly titled How I Met Your Dad. The show is reportedly in development by FOX.

TMZ reports that Married with Children is at the top of the network’s reboot wish list, but it would be impossible to execute because stars Ed O’Neill and Katey Sagal are not available.

FOX is also considering reboots of That 70’s Show and Malcolm in the Middle, according to the outlet.

While Last Man Standing is reportedly in talks for a spot on FOX, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday that the company has discussed the show’s future, as well as that of Allen’s former sitcom, Home Improvement.

“We have certainly talked about Last Man Standing, but we haven’t had any conversations about that in the last couple weeks. Not to say we won’t, but at the moment, there’s nothing on deck,” he said.

“There are no immediate plans right now to bring back any of the other legacy shows. I can’t say there won’t be, but in terms of May announcements, I think it’s unlikely that we have anything that isn’t currently on the air and/or currently in pilot development. It’s unlikely, but not impossible,” Dungey continued.

On Tuesday night, the Disney-owned network ABC made a statement about the strength of broadcast television when the Roseanne revival launched with back-to-back episodes that attracted a whopping 18.1 million total viewers and a 5.1 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic. In total viewers, that represents the highest-rated scripted show in the past few seasons, as well as the highest-rated sitcom broadcast in more than three years.

Viewership was higher than Roseanne‘s May 1997 original series finale, the company revealed.

Perhaps most influential for the future of network television, the ratings revealed that the comedy focused on the working-class Conner family, with nearly every character reprising their original roles, overperformed in Middle America. The revelation supported Dungey’s December 2016 comments that ABC hadn’t paid enough attention to some of the “true realities of what life is like for everyday Americans” in its programming.

Following Roseanne‘s hit, it would not be surprising to see ABC and its competitors shift programming to appeal to the demographic.