Fox Announces 'Last Man Standing' Season 8 Premiere Date

Tim Allen's Last Man Standing will return for its second season on Fox, and eighth overall, on Thursday, Jan. 2. Fox will air two episodes before the new Jason Biggs sitcom Outmatched debuts in late January. Fox previously announced the show would be moving to Thursdays to make room for WWE Smackdown Live.

Last Man Standing will debut with two new episodes on Thursday, Jan. 2, notes TVLine. That same night, Fox will also debut Deputy, a new crime drama series starring Stephen Dorff (True Detective), at 9 p.m. ET.

Beginning on Thursday, Jan. 23, Outmatched will take the 8:30 p.m. ET slot. The family sitcom stars Maggie Lawson and Jason Biggs as a blue-collar couple in South New Jersey with kids who are certified geniuses.

Fox also scheduled a two-night premiere for Rob Lowe's 9-1-1 spin-off, 9-1-1 Lone Star. The first episode will air on Sunday, Jan. 19 after the NFL's NFC Championship, while the second episode will air in its regular slot, Monday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. ET.

Fox famously saved Last Man Standing after ABC canceled the show following its sixth season at the end of the 2017-2018 TV season. After a year off the air, the show returned in its familiar Friday 8 p.m. ET timeslot, just on a different network after Fox stepped in.

The network quickly renewed Last Man Standing for Season 8 in April, just before it hit 150 episodes.

"Hard to believe Last Man Standing hits 150 episodes this week and it gets better with another upcoming season at FOX!" Allen said in a statement at the time. "Great news for all of us who are creating these stories and working our pants off to make you all laugh. It's another big high-five to the legions of loyal fans who have faithfully kept us front and center and huge on the radar. Thanks to our family at Fox who continue to make us feel so at home. Man, if we keep this up, they might have to call our show: Last Man Unable to Stand."

Michael Thorn, Fox's President of Entertainment, said much of the credit for the show's success goes to "the incredibly funny and talented Tim Allen" and the rest of the cast.

"We'd like to thank [executive producers] Kevin Abbott, Matt [Berry] and the entire crew, along with our partners at 20th Century Fox Television, for overseeing one of television's most popular comedies," Thorn continued. "We'd also like to congratulate them all on reaching 150 episodes — a milestone that's well-deserved."

Last Man Standing originally debuted on ABC in 2011. The series stars Allen as Mike Baxter and Nancy Travis as his wife, Vanessa. Amanda Fuller, Molly McCook and Kaitlyn Dever star as their daughters Kristin, Mandy and Eve, respectively.

Jordan Masterson, Jonathan Adams, Christoph Standers, Hector Elizondo and Jet Jurgensmeyer also star.

Photo credit: Fox