Why ‘Last Man Standing’ Isn’t Airing Tonight

The ninth and final season of Tim Allen‘s Last Man Standing has aired on Fox without any interruption since the season kicked off in January. That changes this week, as both Call Me Kat and Last Man Standing are off the air on Thursday, April 1. Instead, Fox is airing the first two episodes of The Moodys Season 2 at 9 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET, following a new episode of Hell’s Kitchen.

The Moodys is based on an Australian series created by Trent O’Connell and Phil Lloyd. In the American version, Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins star as a couple who host their three adult children, played by Francois Arnaud, Chelsea Frei, and Jay Baruchel, at their Chicago home for Christmas in the first season. The first season ran just six episodes and aired over three nights in December 2019. In Season 2, Sean Sr. (Leary) plans to retire to go on road trips with his wife Ann (Perkins), but she has no interest in not working.

The extra wait for the next episode of Last Man Standing should be worth it for fans. “The Two Nieces of Eve” will see Kaitlyn Dever‘s first physical appearance on the last season, as Eve comes home from the Air Force Academy to finally connect with her two nieces. Meanwhile, Kyle (Christoph Sanders) hopes Ed (Hector Elizondo) can help him because he fears he is not dynamic enough to be a preacher.

Although Dever did appear in the Season 9 premiere “Time Flies,” it was only briefly via Zoom. She plays the middle Baxter daughter Eve, who has been mostly missing since the show came back on Fox. After ABC canceled Last Man Standing, Dever’s career took off, especially thanks to her acclaimed performance in Booksmart.

Another member of the Baxter family has been mostly missing in the final season. Boyd, the son of Kristin (Amanda Fuller) and Ryan (Jordan Masterson), has not been seen on camera and is rarely ever mentioned. The character was played by Jet Jurgensmeyer, who has not appeared on the show since the January 2020 episode “You’ve Got Male (or Female).” Showrunner Kevin Abbott told TVLine that the actor had “another commitment” that even kept him from working on the un-filmed Season 8 finale. Abbott did say that Boyd “absolutely” is still part of the Last Man Standing canon. He was mentioned in a line of dialogue in March 11’s “Granny Nanny” episode. Last Man Standing will be back on Thursday, April 8 at 9:30 p.m. ET.