Last Man Standing began filming its series finale this week, inspiring star Tim Allen to share some never-before-seen angles of the Baxter home set. He also shared a family photo of the cast gathered together on the set for the final time. The series is in the middle of Season 9, which Fox and Allen announced would be its last.
Back on Monday, Allen tweeted a photo of the Baxter family living room, which has been almost unchanged during the show’s nine seasons. “Table read tomorrow for our last show of nine grateful seasons. Thanks to all who watch our work,” the comedian tweeted. He then shared photos from inside Mike Baxter’s office, showing off the trinkets viewers rarely ever saw. “Every place in this set has memories and laughs for me,” he wrote.
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Here we go finishing up 9 years. pic.twitter.com/xPqSSnBXA8
โ Tim Allen (@ofctimallen) March 24, 2021
Once filming began on Tuesday, Molly McCook, who has played Mandy Baxter since Fox revived the series, shared a selfie with the full main cast behind her. “Fam. Forever,” McCook wrote, simply adding a white heart. Allen shared the picture as well with his own caption. “Here we go finishing up 9 years,” he wrote.
McCook joined Last Man Standing in 2018 when Fox revived the show after it spent a season off the air. She replaced Molly Ephraim as the middle Baxter daughter. It was rough in the early going, with some fans refusing to embrace the casting change, but some have since come to love her in the part. “Feeling immense gratitude heading into our final episode of [Last Man Standing] this week,” McCook wrote on Twitter Monday. “My emotions are all over the place. A little anxious, scared, sad, but filled with a whole lot of love. Hard to grasp, but for now, I say THANK YOU to those of you who have been so kind to me.”
The view behind my characters desk we very rarely see in shots. Every place in this set has memories and laughs for me. pic.twitter.com/p7ewsnW8wa
โ Tim Allen (@ofctimallen) March 23, 2021
In March 2020, McCook told PopCulture she understood it was difficult for fans to handle the change. She also pointed out that her version of Mandy quickly became her own character. She wasn’t just asked to impersonate Ephraim, which would be impossible. “I think I sort of came to the conclusion that if by now, they’re not into my version of Mandy, then they never will be. And that’s okay,” McCook said at the time. “Because actors are actors and they always will be.”
Table read tomorrow for our last show of nine grateful seasons. Thanks to all who watch our work. pic.twitter.com/kL9OPz4fRs
โ Tim Allen (@ofctimallen) March 22, 2021
The Last Man Standing series finale will include Kaitlyn Dever, who plays the youngest Baxter daughter, Eve. With Dever’s career taking off thanks to Booksmart and other roles, she was unable to commit to more than a handful of episodes after the series was revived. Dever briefly appeared in the Season 9 premiere “Time Flies” and will be participating in the finale. Amanda Fuller, who stars as the eldest Baxter daughter Kristin, shared a video of the virtual finale table read, with Dever visible among the cast on her computer monitor. Last Man Standing airs on Fox Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET.