#Tim Allen Reflects on Mike & Vanessa’s Special Relationship

“Saying goodbye to this TV family is very difficult for me,” admits Tim Allen, who’s starred as outnumbered patriarch Mike Baxter on Last Man Standing for the last 10 years (2011–17 on ABC).

In the second of the back-to-back farewell episodes on May 20, Allen, who penned the final half-hour, channels that emotion: When the truck Mike has been restoring in his garage for the past decade is stolen, he and wise wife Vanessa (Nancy Travis) gather family and friends for a memorial to share what the truck (er, show) has meant to them.

Daughter Eve (Kaitlyn Dever) returns, as does auto tech Joe (Jay Leno). Showrunner Kevin Abbott also wanted to honor Mike and Vanessa’s caring, respectful relationship.

“We learned how to write their scenes without the easy go-to of someone being an idiot or pretending like the issues hadn’t come up in the last 30 years,” he says. “And it was so rewarding.”

Last Man Standing, Series finale 9/8c, Fox