Shifting Gears is “a story about relationships that can be repaired,” sitcom legend Tim Allen says of his return to network TV. “Or restored, as we say,” he clarifies with a knowing smile.
Restoration is at the heart of the new multicamera comedy, in more ways than one. Allen stars as Matt Parker, the owner of a North Hollywood classic car remodeling and restoration shop. Already dealing with the recent passing of his wife, Matt’s world is upended when his estranged daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) comes crashing back into his life.
“She just shows up on his doorstep with her two kids. She’s getting a divorce, and her life is falling apart,” Dennings says. “She has no money and she needs to stay with him. So it turns both their lives upside down.”
“It’s a very relatable story of a family trying to restore itself,” explains showrunner Michelle Nader, who is reuniting with her “muse” Dennings after collaborating on 2 Broke Girls and Dollface.
Disney / Mike Taing
After 15 years apart, that won’t happen overnight. Matt and Riley “have such different styles and completely different beliefs,” Dennings tells TV Guide Magazine. “But what’s fun about them is that she is his daughter, and they are exactly the same. So when they butt heads, it’s just very, very funny.”
Their characters might be at odds, but the actors themselves couldn’t be more grateful for one another. “Kat’s so freaking talented,” Allen gushes. “We’re born on the same day, which is kind of weird. Certainly different ages!”
Dennings shares the sentiment. “Tim’s a really amazing actor, and I’ve told him this to his face, so I’m definitely happy to say it in print!”
The ensemble cast also includes Seann William Scott (of the Lethal Weapon series) as coworker Gabriel, “a guy who grew up with the family,” Scott says, “and has worked at Matt’s car shop since he was 15. He just loves cars and is a weirdo in all the best ways.”
“I’ve been so freaking fortunate,” Allen says of all his costars, who include Daryl Mitchell as Stitch, another member of the car remodeling team. “They all can do their own scenes, whether I like it or not, without me. And it’s just as funny without me in these scenes. Not a good thing for me!”
Disney / Raymond Liu
Beyond the theme of the series itself, there’s a broader restoration the series is driving at — that of the multicamera network sitcom, filmed in front of a live studio audience. Streaming may have put the format into neutral for a few years, but Shifting Gears hopes to “restore the classic form and modernize it a little bit,” Nader says. “I think people are really ready for that reinvention.”
The series’ stars are certainly excited to gear-shift back into multicam. “It’s so unlike any other way of making TV or film,” says Dennings, who rose to fame on 2 Broke Girls. “It’s a collaborative, magical, fun experience between the audience and the actors.”
It’s also a new adventure for Scott. “This is my first multicam experience and I’m absolutely loving it — just doing something totally different than anything I’ve done. It’s not often you get to do that and to be challenged in a totally different way.”
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“There’s nothing like sitcoms,” agrees Allen. “They seem tired. Until you watch one in person.”
Speaking even briefly to the TV veteran, you get a sense that what keeps him coming back to sitcoms is part of a larger reverence for craftsmanship. It’s no coincidence Allen always plays men who work with their hands. Construction (Home Improvement), the outdoors (Last Man Standing), and auto design are all passions of his. In fact, Allen owns an auto shop in real life, and many of the classic cars featured on the show are ones that he’s restored himself.
“I’ve done a full circle. I look around and I’m on the Disney lot, and I keep walking by the Home Improvement set, which is over that way. I sat in front of the set and they still have a sign on it: Home Improvement. I’m kind of finishing, if you will, where I started.”
Shifting Gears, Series Premiere, Wednesday, January 8, 8/7c, ABC
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