The emotional roller coaster that was the “Last Man Standing” finale wasn’t decided overnight. Even though what we saw played out satisfyingly—Mike navigating both professional triumphs and heartfelt goodbye-turned-“we’ll catch up later” with daughters Kristin and Evee—producer Matt Moore revealed a pair of alternate paths the writers considered abandoning along the way.
Firstly, there was a path where Kristin opted to stay in Colorado for good. Instead of Mike leaving Colorado to be near Evee and eventually move back in with them when her marriage imploded, Mike would have transitioned his family business out completely, becoming more of a “grandpa figure” from afar while simultaneously fostering an entrepreneurial spirit Kristin and he already shared in earlier seasons but had not been actively tapped for later on. Leaving things open with this “Mike as the wise mentor across state lines” storyline was less about creating conflict and more about reflecting modern evolving family dynamics than it being something network executives preferred at the show’s closer moments.
The other alternate path focused primarily on Evee’s arc, going into potential “Grey’s Anatomy” territory for fan expectations of drama versus lightheart resolution found elsewhere through Mike and Mandy. Evee was initially destined to leave Cheyenne completely before landing a promising career in healthcare elsewhere, leading to a bittersweet goodbye as Kristin struggled with adjusting that change while dealing with her marriage problems. However, considering the already substantial emotional weight the finale needed between daughter characters grappling with their own life events, making that extra layer of familial drama around Evee’s move away felt too heavy-handed and might have overshadowed even deeper family connections present elsewhere in existing draft content.
In both cases, Moore chose simpler resolution pathways rooted in character needs over potentially complex storylines. The “grandfather role,” albeit offbeat by typical sitcom conventions for 20-century sitcom standards, still maintained the heart of “Last Man Standing.” Evee finding comfort and clarity within their own tightknit community without geographical distance felt truer to character for fans more invested emotionally, allowing us to reminisce together over these lasting friendships throughout the series’ lifespan through its finale with a touch less dramatic baggage.
