'Last Man Standing' Season 9: Meet Tim Allen, Nancy Travis and rest of the cast returning for FOX sitcom's final run
After eight strong seasons, FOX (formerly ABC) sitcom 'Last Man Standing' is finally about to call it a wrap. But not before the hilarious comedy returns with one last swing in the form of its upcoming Season 9. With their kids grown up, grandchildren on the horizon and the pandemic roaring, there's going to be a whole lot of different atmosphere when the show returns in January. Luckily, what won't change are the familiar faces that we have known and loved and adored since 2011. Well, not all of them have been around for that long, so here's an update on who's returning and who's not in the final run of the FOX sitcom.
Tim Allen
As Michael Martin "Mike" Baxter, Allen has been playing the role for nine years now since 2011. Mike is described as a father of three daughters and the director of marketing for the Outdoor Man chain of sporting goods stores with typically traditional, conservative values. Real name Timothy Alan Dick, Allen is known for playing Tim 'The Toolman' Taylor on the ABC sitcom 'Home Improvement' (1991–1999). Ne is also known for voicing the character Buzz Lightyear for the 'Toy Story' franchise and played Scott Calvin and Santa Claus in the Santa Clause film trilogy. His other notable credits include 'For Richer or Poorer' (1997), 'Jungle 2 Jungle' (1997), 'Galaxy Quest' (1999), 'Big Trouble' (2002), 'Christmas with the Kranks' (2004), 'The Shaggy Dog' (2006), 'Wild Hogs' (2007), 'Redbelt' (2008), and 'Crazy on the Outside' (2010).
Nancy Travis
As the Baxter family matriarch, Travis went from being a geologist working in the energy industry to becoming a high-school science teacher, who, after being laid off due to budget cuts, begins her own tutoring business. Travis began her career with off-broadway plays, her first TV break being in the ABC drama 'Harem' opposite Omar Sharif. She is most popularly known for her works in 'Three Men and a Baby' and its sequel, 'Three Men and a Little Lady'. Her other features include 'Internal Affairs' (1990), 'Air America' (1990), 'Passed Away' (1992), 'Chaplin' (1992), 'So I Married an Axe Murderer' (1993), 'Greedy' (1994), and 'Fluke' (1995) to name a few. From 'Work with Me' (1999) to 'Rose Red', 'Becker', and more recently, 218's 'The Kominsky Method'.
Amanda Fuller
The actress replaced Alexandra Krosney in Season 2 to play the role of the eldest Baxter sibling, Kristin Beth Baxter Vogelson. The character went from being a teenage mother trying to raise her son, Boyd, on her own before her Canadian baby-daddy Ryan married her and started raising their son together. Fuller has appeared in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer's final season as Eve, and also played Jennifer Aniston's younger version in 'Til There Was You'. More recently, she played the role of Madison 'Badison' Murphy in the final two seasons of 'Orange Is the New Black'.
Molly McCook
As another shocking replacement on the show, McCook started playing the role of Amanda Elaine 'Mandy' Baxter, the fashion-focused middle daughter, replacing Molly Ephraim's seven-year run on the sitcom. McCook has played minor roles in television's '10 Things I Hate About You' and 'Glee', and a five-episode arc of the soap opera, 'The Bold and the Beautiful'. She now has a YouTube channel in which she showcases her singing abilities.
Kaitlyn Dever
Unsure whether we will see the 'Unbelievable' and 'Booksmart' actress this year or not, Dever's return to the show is highly anticipated as the youngest Baxter child, and secretly their father's favorite, Eve. As a strong scholar and athlete with military aspirations who grew up to fly fighter places it's understandable is we barely see Eve this time, but it is also the final season of the show so hope remains strong. Dever's busy schedule could also be the reason she might be kept from being a series regular and only recurring this year as the 'Justified' actress has had her hands buy ever since her Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actress in a Miniseries for the Netflix true-story crime drama 'Unbelievable' where she played Marie Adler.
Christoph Sanders
Kyle Anderson, who went from being a young employee at Outdoor Man to Mandy's husband, is played by Sanders. Apart from this role, he is best known for his role as Ned Banks in the television series 'Ghost Whisperer'.
Jordan Masterson
The actor replaced Nick Jonas's one-off portrayal of the character Ryan Vogelson in Season 2 onwards. Masterson plays Kristin's baby-daddy turned husband who later re-enters his son's life and constantly clashes with his conservative father in law for his strong left-wing views.
Krista Marie Yu
As the latest addition to the cast, Yu plays Jen, Vanessa's foreign-exchange student from Hong Kong who moves in with the Baxters in Season 7. The actress is also known for playing the main role of Molly Park on the ABC family sitcom 'Dr. Ken'.
'Last Man Standing' Season 9 premieres on Sunday, January 3, at 8:30 pm on Fox, with later episodes to commence from Thursdays, at 9 pm on the same network.
