Tim Allen’s sitcom “Last Man Standing” is set to come to an end after its upcoming ninth season. On Tuesday, producers of the beloved show revealed a surprising twist for the final season that fans definitely did not see coming.

Yahoo News reported that “Last Man Standing’s” final season will include a brief time jump as well as a major decision for Outdoor Man’s director of marketing. The official logline for the show states:

After the events of the eighth season finale, during which Kristin (Amanda Fuller) went into labor with her baby daughter, while Mandy (Molly McCook) was pregnant with her first child, the series will jump ahead into the near future, when Mike and his wife, Vanessa (Nancy Travis), will contemplate their own future, including Mike’s imminent retirement from his lifelong job at Outdoor Man – and who could be his successor.

The eighth season of “Last Man Standing” sadly had to be cut one episode short because of Hollywood’s massive shutdown amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Showrunner Kevin Abbott said at the time that they had planned to use the script that was originally intended for Episode 22 serve as the Season 9 premiere. It seems that they have changed their minds since then, however.

Allen released a statement after it was announced that the show would be ending making it clear that he had no issue with the decision.

“I’ve been one lucky dude to have been part of Last Man Standing,” said Allen, who also served as executive producer of the popular show. “I so appreciate the incredible support from our fans over this near decade of work. As we approach the ninth season, I just admire and feel grateful for all the hard work our wonderful cast and crew have done.”

“We had all considered to end the show after last season, but together with Fox, we decided to add a year so we could produce a full season to create the gentle and fun goodbye,” he added. “I’m looking forward to a memorable and hilarious final season.”

The last season of “Last Man Standing” will be premiering on January 3. While fans are saddened that it is coming to an end, they can take comfort in the fact that they will have 21 brand new episodes to enjoy in the new year.