I'm Really Enjoying "Last Man Standing"

Last Man Standing (2011)

TV PG

Starring Tim Allen, Nancy Travis, Hector Elizondo, Alexandra Krosney, Molly Ephraim, Kaitlyn Dever, Christoph Sanders

Created by Jack Burditt

The Story:

Mike (Allen) is a successful photographer/marketing guru for a sporting goods company. His wife, Vanessa (Travis) has gone back to work and winds up with a big promotion that means more time away from home. However, Mike's boss Ed (Elizondo) grounds Mike from traveling so that he can focus on making the company website better. This works out for the family so he can help watch over his three girls (Krosney, Ephraim, and Dever) in his own particular way of parenting.

Welcome back to ABC, Tim Allen. After over a decade since Home Improvement went off the air, Allen continued to star in box office hits and misses before returning as Mike Baxter, a man's man.

Yet this time, he's not the befuddled handyman, Tim Taylor. No, he's more akin to the smarter cousin because while he can be gruff and macho, he's not a klutz who gets lucky at his job.  He's an accomplished marketing manager who brings his grumpy touch to the company website and instantly makes it a hit.

So yes, he's basically playing a similar character to the one we knew before, but I think I like Mike even more because he's not the victim of his own stupidity...usually. :)

His ego might cause a few things to go awry, but that happens to the best of us.

I'm mid-way through the first season, and I find myself consistently amused and laughing with the show. His banter with Elizondo is some of the funniest buddy comedy you'll find in a sitcom.

Each of the daughters has their own unique personality and feel more fleshed out than the Taylor boys ever did. Nancy Allen slides easily into the wife/mother role and doesn't miss a beat. At first I was concerned because it seemed like she smiled or laughed a lot at Allen's lines and jokes in the show.

Then I realized, that's what we do if we have a spouse or partner that constantly keeps us amused because you just don't know what they're going to say next.

So far, so good and with an episode or two every few days, I know I've always got something good to watch if I find myself with less than an hour or so before I want to go to bed and want to settle in for a good night's laugh.

I hear that the oldest daughter gets replaced in Season 2, so we'll see if that changes the dynamic of the show or not. Currently that character is my least favorite in the entire series, so I don't know how much of an effect it will have on me.

:)

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B+