‘Shifting Gears’ Season 2 Is Giving Us the ‘Home Improvement’ Reunion We’ve Been Waiting For in First Look

Tim Allen as Matt Parker in Shifting Gears Image via ABC

Tim Allen’s new comedy isn’t just shifting gears — it’s shifting into nostalgia overdrive. ABC’s Shifting Gears returns for its sophomore season on October 1, and the premiere promises to be a love letter to Allen’s TV legacy. Swoon has posted an exclusive first look at Season 2, featuring a reunion of Allen’s past onscreen wives — Nancy Travis (Last Man Standing) and Patricia Richardson (Home Improvement) — alongside his current love interest, Jenna Elfman. Yes, you read that right. Eve (Elfman), Charlotte (Travis), and Jill Taylor herself (Richardson) will all appear together with Allen’s Matt Parker, the old playboy. Tim’s still got that charm going on, clearly.

Richardson, beloved for her eight-season run as Jill Taylor opposite Allen’s Tim Taylor on Home Improvement, makes her return to the Allenverse in a guest role. Travis, meanwhile, reprises Charlotte, the widow who bonded with Matt during Shifting Gears’ first season. And Elfman’s Eve — last seen sharing a kiss with Matt — is back in the picture, leaving fans to wonder if this relationship will hit full speed or slam on the brakes.

First-look photos show all three women together, with Matt caught in the middle of his past and present loves. In another image, Allen and Travis share a warm moment, while a separate shot teases sparks still flying between Matt and Eve. The Season 2 premiere finds Matt juggling his conflicted feelings for Eve while Charlotte pushes him to attend a grief group. Meanwhile, Riley (Kat Dennings) navigates her own romantic crossroads with Gabe (Seann William Scott). And the reunion doesn’t stop there. Home Improvement favorites Debbe Dunning (Heidi) and Richard Karn (Al) are also set to guest star this season, making Shifting Gears feel like a full-fledged Tim Allen multiverse event.

Tim Allen Loves Being a Sitcom Dad

Home Improvement' Reunion Set For 'Shifting Gears' Season 2
Allen recently reflected on his daughters, both fictional and real. Writing for AARP, he compared Kat Dennings’ sharp-tongued Riley to his real-life daughter Katherine Allen:

“Kate, just like Kat on the show, is very sharp and acerbic. You can get cut pretty easily if you’re not careful. Sometimes it can be a little alarming.”

His other daughter, Elizabeth Allen Dick, has already joined her father onscreen, starring as Sandra Claus in Disney+’s The Santa Clauses. Allen praised her quick thinking and their shared sense of curiosity:

“Elizabeth shares my fascination with how things work and stubborn determination to fix anything. I’m really good with computers, cameras, phones and all that stuff, but sometimes I get confused. She’ll just take it out of my hand, press three buttons and it’s back on.”

Shifting Gears Season 2 premieres October 1 at 8/7c on ABC and streams next day on Hulu.