‘Last Man Standing’ Will Return Thursdays in 2020

Last Man Standing Season 8 will return to Fox on Thursday nights in 2020.

The Jack Burditt-created sitcom is slated to break away from its typical fall premiere in favor for a likely midseason return in 2020, taking a prime spot on Thursday nights in the vacated timeslot left by Thursday Night Football once the season concludes.

Series star Tim Allen revealed the news in a tweet on Monday.

The former ABC sitcom, which made its move to Fox for its seventh season, is expected to air alongside new multi-camera comedy Outmatched, starring Jason Biggs and Maggie Lawson, as well as new drama series Filthy Rich, starring Kim Cattrall.

“One of the other goals was to find a new companion to Last Man Standing which the network found in new family sitcom Outmatched,” Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn explained during the network’s conference call before their annual upfront presentation, according to TV Guide.

The move from the series’ standard Friday night timeslot, a spot it had even when it was airing back on the alphabet network, comes as WWE Smackdown Live makes the move from USA Network to FOX in 2019, the sporting event taking the Friday night timeslot that Last Man Standing, Fox’s second most-watched and third highest-rated scripted series, had occupied.

“[In the] short-term, Friday night is going to WWE,” FOX Entertainment chief Charlie Collier announced the scheduling shakeup to reporters at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. “We’ll look to stand [Last Man Standing] up on another night.”

The move is expected to be a fruitful one for the Allen-led comedy, as Friday nights are lower-trafficked, and it is believed that the series will be heavily promoted during Fox’s Thursday Night Football telecasts throughout the fall.

Originally airing on ABC prior to its cancellation by the alphabet network after six seasons, Last Man Standing was revived by Fox, proving to be a hard-hitting ratings booster for the network. The series averages more than 11 million multi-platform viewers during its first season on the network, and ranked as the No. 1 scripted program on Friday night. It’s Season 7 premiere was also the most-watched Friday regular comedy telecast on any network in 15 years, Deadline reports.

The major ratings wins made it an easy decision for Fox to renew the series for an eighth season, its second on the network.

Last Man Standing will return to Fox with a fresh batch of episodes on Thursday nights in 2020.