In ABC’s new comedy, Tim Allen plays a car restorer forced to repair things with his estranged daughter (Kat Dennings) after life unexpectedly lands them back under the same roof
One of the most successful leading men in the history of TV comedy returns, as Tim Allen slides back into the driver’s seat of a sitcom this Wednesday.
Shifting Gears casts the Home Improvement and Last Man Standing icon as aging Indiana widower Matt, who must rethink his curmudgeonly ways when his estranged adult daughter arrives at his door with her two teen children in tow, following a messy breakup. Suddenly, Matt’s quiet life as the owner of a classic car shop is turned topsy-turvy, forcing him to learn to take the bad with the good when it comes to repairing family relationships. Kat Dennings, best known as Max Black on the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, takes on the role of Matt’s daughter, Riley. The actress, who in recent years found success playing researcher Darcy Lewis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor films and WandaVision TV show, returns to her sitcom daughter roots some 23 years after she landed her first recurring role as Sarah in the 2001-2002 series Raising Dad. That show, which aired on the WB Network for one season, co-starred a post-Full House Bob Saget as Dennings’ onscreen father and Dennings’ fellow MCU star Brie Larson (a.k.a. Captain Marvel) as her sister.
If Shifting Gears is a show about family reunions, it’s only fitting that this project also yields several real-life reunions for the folks who are making it. Beyond the return to a familiar genre, the show brings Dennings back together with her Dollface co-star Brenda Song, who plays Caitlyn, a former classmate of Riley’s who is now an assistant principal (presumably the one overseeing Riley’s kids during school hours). Furthermore, both actresses reunite with Dollface writer and showrunner Michelle Nader, who has taken on writing and executive producing duties for Shifting Gears. (Married Simpsons alums Mike Scully and Julie Thacker are the show’s creators.)
Likewise, Allen gets a reunion of his own, working once more with his Galaxy Quest co-star Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, who plays Ed, a former Marine who works at Matt’s car biz.
Elsewhere in the ensemble, American Pie alum Seann William Scott plays Gabriel — “a family friend of Matt and Riley who works in the shop with Matt” (per Variety). Finally, Maxwell Simkins (Bizaardvark) and newcomer Barrett Margolis play Riley’s children, Carter and Georgia.
Despite the many film opportunities he’s had over the years, sitcom work remains a favourite for Allen. “The word that keeps me alive is ‘grateful,’ ” the actor told US Weekly in 2020 when asked about his ties to the genre. “I love what I do,” he continued. “I get far more enjoyment out of entertaining people than anything monetary. I love the live audience we have. I tell them every night, ‘This is old-school stuff — what television and broadcast started with.’ I don’t know the future, but this [format] is rare.”
Shifting Gears premieres Wednesday, January 8, on CTV & ABC