Tim Allen’s Shifting Gears Is Hit With Major Scheduling Change After Season 3 Renewal.

SHIFTING GEARS, from left: Kat Dennings, Tim Allen, ‘Loyalty', (Season 2, ep. 206, aired Nov. 5, 2025). photo: Raymond Liu / ©ABC/Disney

Shifting Gears will not be getting the fall premiere fans were expecting following news of the show’s season 3 renewal.

During ABC’s Upfronts presentation on Tuesday, the network announced that the family comedy is being moved to mid-season, while 2026’s breakout series, the Scrubs reboot, is getting the fall treatment. This isn’t new for the Tim Allen sitcom, however, with season 1 starting in mid-season, before moving to fall in season 2.

Ari Goldman, SVP of Content Strategy and Scheduling at ABC, explained the shift on Tuesday and said the move was not made as a result of Shifting Gears‘ performance, but rather to build on the momentum Scrubs has seen following its mid-season premiere.

We love the momentum on Scrubs, it was the No.1 new comedy on a multiplatform basis, it was the No.1 comedy in 18-49 on linear this season, so we want to really keep that show present and top of mind as we head into the fall. At the same time, Shifting Gears has been a really stellar and consistent performer for us across its two seasons. In fact, it ended Season 2 stronger than where it ended Season 1, which is not always the case in this challenging environment.

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While the show hasn’t been given a confirmed release date, Shifting Gears is expected to succeed Scrubs alongside Abbott Elementary for the mid-season, where, per Goldman, its return “will be very prominently featured alongside” the network’s high-profile sports and entertainment specials at the top of the year to promote it.

The move comes just weeks after Shifting Gears announced that it was returning for season 3 in a playful video shared to X last month. The clip, which kicked off with star Kat Dennings, saw cast members Seann William Scott, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Maxwell Simkins, and Barrett Margolis all saying the number three, before ending with Allen, who shared the happy news that the show is coming back.

“And… We’re back,” Allen quipped, as a burst of confetti exploded behind him.

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While at the time, the promo didn’t reveal a release date for the show’s third go around, it did give fans of the family comedy hope for the future, with Shifting Gears‘ fate secured for at least one more season. The promo followed an April report from ABC, which came over two months after the comedy wrapped season 2, confirming the fate of the series, as the network shared its scripted television schedule for the upcoming 2026-2027 broadcast year, and Shifting Gears was on it.

Created by Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully, the multi-camera sitcom debuted in January 2025, and follows Matt [Allen], a widower who owns a classic car shop. His seemingly simple life of restoring cars is turned upside down when his estranged daughter, Riley [Dennings], decides to move back home and in with her dad, forcing Matt to reluctantly welcome her and her two children into his home.

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In addition to starring in the series, the Home Improvement alum is an executive producer, along with Michelle Nader, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, John Pasquin, Jim Patterson, Bob Daily, and John Amodeo. Dennings is also a producer.

Seasons 1 and 2 of Shifting Gears are currently streaming on Hulu.