Tim Allen is thankful to be working with ABC on a third primetime sitcom as he looks to make his upcoming show, SHIFTING GEARS, his best showing yet.
“I am very excited,” Allen told Entertainment Tonight in March. “You know, I tried really hard with HOME IMPROVEMENT and LAST MAN STANDING; maybe three’s a charm, maybe I can finally make a statement with this.”
“It was a big event for me [when the pilot was ordered] because I really loved HOME IMPROVEMENT, to do LAST MAN STANDING was a big push, I loved that family so much. And then ABC said, ‘If you come up with an idea’ and I said, ‘If I did it, it would be this.’ And we came up with this idea and we’re getting there. I’m very geeked to be given this opportunity.”
Allen’s previous shows have been recognized by Movieguide® for their family-friendly content. The actor received a Teddy Bear Award® and a Grace Award® nomination for the “Back to School” Episode of LAST MAN STANDING. Hopefully, this approach to storytelling will continue in his upcoming project.
“SHIFTING GEARS centers on Matt (Allen), the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When Matt’s estranged daughter Riley and her kids move into his house, the real restoration begins,” a description of the show reads, per Deadline.
While there is no public timeline for when the show will reach audiences, a slew of actors have joined the project to fill out the cast. Kat Dennings is set to play the female lead as Matt’s daughter, with Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis playing her kids. Froy Gutierrez has also joined the show, playing Matt’s son who quit his coding job and returned home to help his dad with his shop, along with Daryl Mitchell’s character — an ex-Marine who is now a mechanic at the shop.
The pilot will be directed by Josh Pasquin. The show is penned by Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully, who will also serve as executive producers alongside Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, and Rick Messina. Pasquin will also serve as a producer as will Dennings and 20th Television.
The cast for Tim Allen’s pilot SHIFTING GEARS continues to fill out as Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis join as Allen’s character’s grandchildren.
“So happy and honored to get to work on such an incredible show with such incredible people!!! This is just the beginning… can’t wait to get to work!!:),” he posted following the casting announcement.
