2017 has been a rough year for fans of ABC's Last Man Standing. The sixth season of show was doing decently in the ratings, but it got the axe back in May. Talks about bringing it back elsewhere fell through, and Netflix was the last refuge, as the first five seasons have been available streaming. Unfortunately, news broke recently that the show is leaving Netflix altogether before Season 6 ever makes it into the streaming library. Now, we know why we won't be able to find Last Man Standing on Netflix anymore: the streaming rights to the series are moving to Hulu.
Here's what happened. Back in July, Hulu signed a deal with 20th Century Fox that gave streaming rights for many of its series to Hulu. Shows like MASH, Bones, and Futurama would become available on Hulu, which meant that they would no longer be available elsewhere. Netflix had been the home of Bones and Futurama previously, but no more. The deal between Hulu and 20th Century Fox will eventually result in the addition of over 3,000 episodes of TV shows to Hulu's lineup. One of those shows will be Last Man Standing.
While Last Man Standing's upcoming departure from Netflix must have come as awful news for fans who were planning on streaming their way through the series on that platform, at least the show won't be gone from streaming altogether. That said, subscribing to Hulu for just one show might not be worth the monthly fee, even for the most diehard of Last Man Standing fans. Fortunately, Hulu's library is pretty expansive, so there are plenty of viewing options.
In addition to the deal with 20th Century Fox, Hulu signed an agreement with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution that would add more than 800 episodes of memorable 90s show to the lineup, including Family Matters, Full House, and Step By Step. On top of the 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. shows, there's still all the Hulu originals. The Mindy Project is heading into its final season (and bringing back a familiar face to do it), but shows like The Handmaid's Tale and The Path are still going strong. While Netflix and Amazon may be better known for their originals, Hulu is quite strong in the original arena. Subscribing to Hulu could be worth the price for Last Man Standing fans.
Of course, some fans might still be too bitter to want to shell out extra cash for the series. The cancellation of Last Man Standing could have been temporary, as there were talks of shopping it around to other outlets for a new season. It wouldn't be an unprecedented move, and CMT was reportedly in the running to rescue Last Man Standing just as it had rescued Nashville. Alas, the rescue efforts fell through, and Last Man Standing is apparently done for good.
Hopefully the deal between Hulu and 20th Century Fox will keep Last Man Standing streaming for the indefinite future. For all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks, check out our fall TV premiere schedule. The Emmys are coming up next month, and Hulu is in the running for some big categories. Take a look at our breakdown of the nominations to see who might win!
