Tim Allen Is Set to Return to ABC For New Sitcom ‘Shifting Gears’
Tim Allen is returning to ABC, as the network has ordered its first pilot of the year.
The former Last Man Standing star will head a new multicamera comedy titled Shifting Gears.
The series will follow Matt (Allen), a stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. According to the show’s synopsis: “When Matt’s estranged daughter and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.”
The Shifting Gears pilot was co-written by Mike and Julie Scully, who also executive produced the project with Allen and Last Man Standing alums Mart Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, and Rick Messina.
Allen Continues to be Synonymous With ABC
Over the last 30+ years, Allen has been a stalwart on ABC. The comedian rose to fame as the star of Home Improvement on the network from 1991 until 1999.
Allen then returned to the Disney-owned station in 2011 for Last Man Standing. That series ran for six seasons on ABC before making the jump to Fox.
Interestingly, the Shifting Gears order is the first purchase by ABC as part of its new year-round developmental model. The series now joins the previously ordered High Potential as candidates for the 2024-25 broadcast season. The later show has been in development for more than a year. So far this year, only NBC has ordered new pilots.