Tim Allen Shares New Details About His Shifting Gears Sitcom Character

Tim Allen will return to the world of sitcoms when Shifting Gears debuts on ABC. The actor, who plays Matt Parker in the upcoming show, recently offered some insight into his new character.

“Matt Parker went to Rhode Island School of Design, and on his way to school, his dad had a massive heart attack,” Allen told Screen Rant. “He had to come back to North Hollywood to take over the business and never became a designer. He never followed his dream, so there’s that little frustration [about] what [his] life could have been. [He] had two kids. One’s in the Navy, who we’ll meet later, and then Kat Dennings [who is] wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. She plays my daughter, who left [home] in high school.”

“I wanted a contentious relationship with her,” Allen said about his on-screen dynamic with Dennings. “All while my wife, the love of my life, went out jogging and had a heart attack and died. It sounds like a terrible tragedy, and it is. Somehow, this guy saved a sense of humor and turned into a crotchety [man]. We’re dealing with grief as it comes out. Then, his daughter comes back in his life and needs a place to stay. It’s just the wrong time, but he says yes anyway.”

Shifting Gears Brings A New Twist To Sitcoms

Per the official synopsis, “Shifting Gears follows Matt Parker, the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When his estranged daughter Riley (Dennings) and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.” The cast also includes Daryl Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter, and Barrett Margolis as Georgia. Jenna Elfman, of Dharma & Greg fame, will also appear on the show as Eve Drake along with Sean William Scott.

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Dennings previously discussed her character and the chaos that comes with moving back home. “She just shows up on his doorstep with her two kids,” the actor explained. “She’s getting a divorce, and her life is falling apart. She has no money, and she needs to stay with him. ” So it turns both their lives upside down. [The characters] have such different styles and completely different beliefs,” the former Two Broke Girls star continued.

“But what’s fun about them is that she is his daughter, and they are exactly the same,” Dennings added. “So when they butt heads, it’s just very, very funny. 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!” Allen also took the opportunity to praise his co-star, saying, “Kat’s so freaking talented [and] we’re born on the same day, which is kind of weird.”

Shifting Gears will premiere on ABC at 8/7c on Jan. 8, 2025.