Home Improvement and Last Man Standing star Tim Allen will be starring in another sitcom. ABC has officially greenlit Shifting Gears, a multi-cam comedy series starring Allen alongside Kat Dennings.
In May, it was reported that a pilot for the series had been in the works, and per Variety, it’s now been confirmed that the network has ordered Shifting Gears to series. With the series order comes some changes behind the scenes, however. The project was initially deveooped with Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully serving as writers and executive producers. Both Scullys have now exited the sitcom, and the search is underway for a new showrunner. The two will still be credited as executive producers for the pilot episode.
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According to the official logline for Shifting Gears, the sitcom stars Allen as Matt, “the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When Matt’s estranged daughter (Dennings) and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.”
One Pilot Actor Will Have His Role Recast in the Series
There will also be a change in the cast following the pilot. Teen Wolf star Froy Gutierrez had originally been cast for the role of Nick in the pilot, but a new actor will play the role moving forward. The search is on for a replacement. Along with Allen and Dennings, other cast members include Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter, and Barrett Margolis as Georgia.
Tim Allen and Kat Dennings are joined by a Galaxy Quest star for a new comedy series pilot.
Allen will be serving as an executive producer on the series. Other executive producers include Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, and pilot director John Pasquin. Dennings is on board as a producer, while 20th Television is the producing studio.
While he’s starred in the Toy Story franchise and other feature films, Allen may be best known for his comedy work on multiple hit sitcoms. He famously played Tim Taylor in Home Improvement from 1991 to 1999, and the actor has even teased doing a revival or reunion special with that show, though one of his co-stars has said that won’t be happening. After his time on Home Improvement, Allen would later go on to star in Last Man Standing, a hit comedy series that aired for six seasons on ABC from 2011 to 2017 before airing for another three seasons on Fox from 2018 to 2021.
Dennings is also partly known for her sitcom work. She was one of the main stars of the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, which aired for six seasons between 2011 and 2017. Dennings also played Bob Saget’s daughter in Raising Dad, a WB sitcom that aired for one season between 2001 and 2002. Of course, Marvel fans will know her best for her role as Darcy Lewis in the Marvel CInematic Universe.
