Tim Allen is officially returning to ABC.
The network has given a series order to Shifting Gears, a comedy starring Allen as a widower and owner of a classic car restoration business whose adult daughter (Kat Dennings) and teenage kids move back in with him. The series marks a return to ABC for Allen, who toplined the network’s 1990s hit Home Improvement and starred in Last Man Standing for six seasons before the show moved to Fox for its final three installments.
The series will move ahead with a new showrunner in place, as Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully (The Simpsons, Duncanville), who wrote and ran the pilot, have exited Shifting Gears. Sources say their departure was amicable and they will be credited as executive producers on the pilot. They also remain in business with Shifting Gears producer 20th Television. A new showrunner will be named soon.
Along with Allen and Dennings, the show’s cast featurs Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis.
Allen executive produces with Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina and pilot director John Pasquin; the Scullys will be EPs on the pilot.
Shifting Gears is one of two comedy pilots featuring former ABC stars that the network developed during the 2024-25 cycle. A decision on the second, Forgive and Forget starring Modern Family’s Ty Burrell, is expected in the near future.
ABC’s comedy roster also includes Abbott Elementary, which will begin its fourth season in the fall, and the final season of The Conners, set for early 2025.
