Last Man Standing (Season 2) | TV Show Review

Here I go again writing a review. For Last Man Standing. But before I get to that, have you seen the photos for Pretty Little Liars S7 E18??? I am so excited! Anyway, I have finished Season 2 of Last Man Standing and I knew I couldn’t forget about writing a review for it. This time, you do need to be cautious of spoilers because there are going to be some that spill out! Make sure you check out my review for Season 1 before you read this because Season 1 might want to be watched before you read this. 

Title: Last Man Standing

Created By: Jack Burditt

Network: ABC

Released: November 2, 2012 – March 22, 2013

Run Time: 21 Minutes

A man is forced to take on more responsibility with his daughters when his wife returns to work.

The Cast: 

• Tim Allen as Michael “Mike” Baxter
• Nancy Travis as Vanessa Baxter
• Amanda Fuller as Kristen Baxter
• Molly Ephraim as Amanda “Mandy” Baxter
• Kaitlyn Dever as Eve Baxter
• Christoph Sanders as Kyle Anderson
• Héctor Elizondo as Edward “Ed” Alzate
• Flynn Morrison as Boyd Baxter
• Jordan Masterson as Ryan Vogelson

My Review: 

Mike Baxter is back with his family. His wife Vanessa is still working as a geologist and he has still had to step up at home. Now, his grandson’s dead beat father is back in the game and is disagreeing with all that Mike says. Mandy still has no idea what she is doing in her life. Eve is becoming more and more like her father, and staying on top as Mike’s favorite, and it is obvious. Will Mike still be able to lift and lead his family while he worries about his business Outdoor Man?

I am typically never a big fan of switching out cast during a show. I think it is stupid and it messes up the whole flow of the show and I typically lose interest in the show. But this casting change really made me happy. I really enjoy who they had as Ryan (I think Jordan Masterson does a better job than Nick Jonas) and I love the person that they replaces as Kristen. I’m probably crazy but I really like Kristen’s little family.

I still found season 1 a little more entertaining than season 2. I’m not saying that I didn’t laugh like crazy and didn’t enjoy the political jokes but I liked season 1 better. I want to say that it was me adjusting to some of the changes that happened between 1 and 2 – Boyd’s age changes, Mandy’s age changes, the cast changed some, and there were some little details in the plot that changed. I know these changes shouldn’t really bother me but they sort of do. I just wish they didn’t change some of these details. 

The quality of the writing of this season did not change at all but it seemed to be better. I really liked the jokes that Mike was getting on Ryan for. Plus, I really liked Ryan’s character in the first place. He adds so much humor to the show. I liked how Mike was always joking about politics and how people kept getting on him for not voting on Obama as president. The show keeps adding so many layers as the episodes continue and I really want to watch more and more of the show. I remember watching about 6 episodes in one sitting and asking myself how that happened. But since summer is coming and school is ending… I guess this show will be watched by the time June ends. 

There are times I still have to remind myself that this is a show and not my real family. My family is basically the Baxter’s, just the real life version. I explained the whole thing in my Season 1 review but it is so true. Right before I wrote this, my dad and I literally had a 15 minute conversation about something a person on CNN decided to do. I also have to remind myself that this is not a real family because there are times I want to go and meet Mike Baxter and have a million conversations with him. 

Can we take a moment to talk about Mandy? The fact that her and Kyle were made to be together since the very first episode was hilarious. Here they are, getting ready to make out and be together even though he just broke up with Kristen. Do I smell drama? Possibly. But not really. Kristen had Ryan. Mandy had Kyle. Eve had her dad. And Vanessa had Boyd. It all worked out perfectly. But I really honestly love Kyle. Kyle is hilarious. He may appear to be pretty stupid but there are moments that he can be pretty smart. He cared way too much about Mike and Ed that he would probably die for them. And I don’t know how we went from talking about Mandy to Kyle. I guess they are really meant to be.

Overall, I would have to give Season 2 a 4 out of 5. It was hilarious, fun, and really easy to follow along. It did change a few details from season 1 to season 2 but I guess you could over look that. If you have watched season 1 and you enjoyed it, you should totally give the next season a try. And if you are trying to figure out if you are going to be giving this show a try, you should. If you don’t mind political jokes and making fun of these figures, you should be good. I can’t wait to start season 3.

Have you watched Last Man Standing? How do you feel about the cast changes? Who is part of your favorite relationship through the season? Favorite moment? Who is your favorite character from the show? Could you relate to anything in this show? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

Happy Reading,