ABC‘s freshman comedy Malibu Country is facing 50-50 odds to return next season. But if the Reba McEntire-starring sitcom comes back for a second season, it will be with a different showrunner. Nastaran Dibai, who stepped in to run the show in November, following creator/executive producer Kevin Abbot’s stint in…

Friday night saw the season finales of ABC comedies Last Man Standing (1.6/6) and Malibu Country (1.4/5). Wrapping up its second cycle, the Tim Allen starring Last Man rose 14% from last week's show. Having moved from its first season Tuesday slot to Fridays for Season 2, the series was up 18% in total viewers from…

ABC has picked up five additional episodes each of Friday comedies Last Man Standing and Malibu Country. After a strong launch earlier this month, both sophomore Last Man and newbie Malibu Country have been sliding in the ratings, with a steeper decline for Malibu, which started off higher. Even so, with DVR viewing…

After a month of excitement, with Malibu Country and Last Man Standing launching strong, Shark Tank hitting highs and Undercover Boss rising, Friday returned to its normal depressing self last night with all programs under a 2 demo rating. ABC’s Last Man Standing (1.4/5) and Malibu Country (1.3/4) continued to fall to…

As ABC is nearing back episodic decision on new dramas Nashville (UPDATE: Nashville just received a full-season order), Last Resort and 666 Park Ave, I hear the network has ordered three additional scripts each of comedies Malibu Country and Last Man Standing. Both shows started the fall with 13-episode orders…

After giving comedies a warm welcome back to Friday last week, viewers turned a cold shoulder last night. In their second week, Last Man Standing (1.6/5) was down 16% from last Friday’s fast national, while Malibu Country (1.6/5) tumbled 27% from its premiere. The comedies surrendered the top spot in the 8 PM hour…

EXCLUSIVE: Nastaran Dibai has been elevated to executive producer/showrunner of Malibu Country. This is the first showrunner gig for Dibai, who had been a co-executive producer on the ABC/ABC Studios freshman comedy since after the pilot. Dibai succeeds Malibu Country creator/executive producer Kevin Abbott who left th…

It’s been 7½ years since ABC ended its TGIF Friday comedy block in May 2005. Since Paul Lee took over the network in the summer of 2010, restarting TGIF has been on his wish list. He got to do it this fall with Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing and Reba McEntire’s Malibu Country. There was skepticism about the move in May…

EXCLUSIVE: I’ve learned that Kevin Abbott, creator/executive producer/showrunner of new ABC comedy series Malibu Country and executive producer of the network’s sophomore comedy Last Man Standing, has gone on indefinite medical leave from the two shows after checking himself into a rehab facility. I hear Abbott, a…

Ray Richmond contributes to Deadline’s TV coverage. It’s still a single-camera comedy world in broadcast network primetime. Only two new four-camera comedies are premiering this fall. But the exec producer of one of them, Kevin Abbott, is determined to keep the fire burning for the form, as he maintained during a TCA…

Multicamera sitcoms hit a milestone last month when two freshmen, NBC’s Whitney and ABC's Last Man Standing, were renewed for a second season. It marked the first time a freshman multicamera comedy on a broadcast network other than CBS has made it to Season 2 in five years, since 'Til Death was awarded a second season…

Veteran comedy writer-producer Tim Doyle (Rules Of Engagement) has joined ABC’s comedy series Last Man Standing as executive producer/showrunner for its upcoming second season. Kevin Abbott, who held the post for most of last season stepping in for creator Jack Burditt, will continue to serve as an executive producer…