Last Man Standing may have a shot at second life after all. The news comes over a month since ABC canceled the long-running, Tim Allen-led sitcom. Marking the actor's return to TV for the first time since Home Improvement, the series followed Allen's Mike Baxter as he maneuvered his ways through the perils of running a successful business with his bachelor partner (Hector Elizondo) while raising his three daughters (Kaitlyn Dever, Molly Ephraim, Amanda Fuller) alongside his wife, Vanessa (Nancy Travis).

Last Man Standing was one of the several shows to be canceled during the upfronts season last month, but its cancellation still came as a surprise to both viewers and analysts alike, since it was still performing extremely well in the ratings week-to-week. As such, thousands of fans and viewers took to the internet following the show's demise to express their dismay, with a petition quickly starting up asking for ABC to reconsider the decision.

While it looks like Last Man Standing's chances at returning for another season on ABC are still nonexistent, it does look like the series may find new life on another network. THR is reporting that CMT is currently in very preliminary talks to bring Last Man Standing back for another season. The report, however, stresses that the deal is still very much in the early stages, and could not go through, since the show's price tag is notably higher than what the niche television network can afford, and therefore could make bringing it back significantly harder.

Now, if the deal does indeed go through, this wouldn't be the first time that CMT has saved a previously canceled ABC series. The network did something very similar with the fan-favorite country music series, Nashville. That series came back with a notably smaller budget than what it had before, though, and it's worth noting that if Last Man Standing did come back for another season, it might not be in the same 20 or more episode format. There's also the possibility of it losing some of its main or recurring guest stars due to budget cuts.

At the same time, Last Man Standing wouldn't be the only series to find second life this season either, with NBC canceling and then renewing the time travel series, Timeless, just a few days later. Unlike that NBC series, Last Man Standing had remained one of the most consistent shows on ABC's lineup through all of its six seasons when it was originally canceled. So while its fate is still somewhat mysterious, Last Man Standing fans finally have that shred of hoping they were looking for again.

Screen Rant will keep you updated on Last Man Standing's fate as more news becomes available.

Next: Every Network TV Show Cancelation & Renewal of 2017 (So Far)

Source: THR