LOS ANGELES (AFP) - US television network ABC denied on Sunday that it had cancelled comedian Tim Allen's hit sitcom Last Man Standing due to its conservative politics.

Fans of the show were upset when ABC announced in May that one of its most-watched scripted series was being brought to an end.

Allen's character, an outspoken conservative, echoed the political positions of the 64-year-old actor, a Republican who attended United States President Donald Trump's inauguration.

A petition on Change.org that attracted more than 300,000 signatures claimed the comedy was axed because it was the only entertainment programme that was not constantly shoving "liberal ideals down the throats of the viewers".

"Politics had absolutely nothing to do with it," ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey told the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles.

"We have actors on our shows who have all sorts of political views."

She described Last Man Standing as a "high quality show", but added that the network had not been able to find room in the schedules for a seventh season.

A month before the cancellation, Allen had spoken about Mr Trump's inauguration on talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live, saying that he was "almost afraid" to say he had been at the event.