#Show EP explains three-year time jump

As we prepared for the Last Man Standing season 9 premiere on Fox Sunday night, we anticipated that there would be a time jump. What we did not realize, however, was that it would be a time jump of three long years.

Why did the show do this? It was a big storytelling risk to not only jump beyond the pandemic, but also some of the aftermath on the other side of it. Yet, it feels like this is a move that was deliberate for a multitude of different reasons, and it starts off with simply this: An acute desire to provide viewers with something uplifting. There’s already enough sad stuff out there in the world, and it’s not like the writers are pretending that the virus never happened — they just want to give some hope for the future.

In speaking on the reasoning behind the move to TVLine, here is what show executive producer Kevin Abbott had to say:

My writers pitched [the time jump], which I just adored. I think our mission is to be positive, and to show people the humor in life’s situations. I enjoy the darker episode every now and again, but generally, we want to entertain.

Abbott also noted that a logistical reason for the time jump comes in not having to bring infants onto the show — remember that both Kristin and Mandy have very-young kids now, and the jump makes storytelling a little bit easier in that regard. (Of course, we still have questions aplenty as to where Boyd is going to factor in here.)

One other reason we think we’re getting the time jump is simply this: The show wanted to bring Mike to a point in his life where retirement is a focus. Having him do this in the middle of a health crisis would be a little depressing. Doing it at a later point, meanwhile, may allow him to have some other memories before he moves into the next phase.

Related News – Be sure to get some further information right now on Last Man Standing

What do you most want to see when it comes to the Last Man Standing season 9 premiere?

Be sure to let us know in the attached comments! Meanwhile, stick around in the event you want some other news on the series. (Photo: Fox.)