Shifting Gears is “a narrative about relationships that may be repaired,” sitcom legend Tim Allen says of his return to community TV. “Or restored, as we are saying,” he clarifies with a figuring out smile.
Restoration is on the coronary heart of the brand new multicamera comedy, in additional methods than one. Allen stars as Matt Parker, the proprietor of a North Hollywood basic automobile transforming and restoration store. Already coping with the latest passing of his spouse, Matt’s world is upended when his estranged daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) comes crashing again into his life.
“She simply exhibits up on his doorstep together with her two youngsters. She’s getting a divorce, and her life is falling aside,” Dennings says. “She has no cash and he or she wants to stick with him. So it turns each their lives the wrong way up.”
“It’s a really relatable story of a household making an attempt to revive itself,” explains showrunner Michelle Nader, who’s reuniting together with her “muse” Dennings after collaborating on 2 Broke Women and Dollface.
Disney / Mike Taing
After 15 years aside, that gained’t occur in a single day. Matt and Riley “have such completely different types and fully completely different beliefs,” Dennings tells TV Information Journal. “However what’s enjoyable about them is that she is his daughter, and they’re precisely the identical. So once they butt heads, it’s simply very, very humorous.”
Their characters is perhaps at odds, however the actors themselves couldn’t be extra grateful for each other. “Kat’s so freaking gifted,” Allen gushes. “We’re born on the identical day, which is sort of bizarre. Definitely completely different ages!”
Dennings shares the sentiment. “Tim’s a extremely superb actor, and I’ve advised him this to his face, so I’m positively joyful to say it in print!”
The ensemble forged additionally consists of Seann William Scott (of the Deadly Weapon collection) as coworker Gabriel, “a man who grew up with the household,” Scott says, “and has labored at Matt’s automobile store since he was 15. He simply loves automobiles and is a weirdo in all one of the best methods.”
“I’ve been so freaking lucky,” Allen says of all his costars, who embrace Daryl Mitchell as Sew, one other member of the automobile transforming workforce. “All of them can do their very own scenes, whether or not I prefer it or not, with out me. And it’s simply as humorous with out me in these scenes. Not a great factor for me!”
Disney / Raymond Liu
Past the theme of the collection itself, there’s a broader restoration the collection is driving at — that of the multicamera community sitcom, filmed in entrance of a stay studio viewers. Streaming could have put the format into impartial for a number of years, however Shifting Gears hopes to “restore the basic kind and modernize it a little bit bit,” Nader says. “I believe individuals are actually prepared for that reinvention.”
The collection’ stars are definitely excited to gear-shift again into multicam. “It’s so in contrast to every other method of constructing TV or movie,” says Dennings, who rose to fame on 2 Broke Women. “It’s a collaborative, magical, enjoyable expertise between the viewers and the actors.”
It’s additionally a brand new journey for Scott. “That is my first multicam expertise and I’m completely loving it — simply doing one thing completely completely different than something I’ve performed. It’s not usually you get to try this and to be challenged in a very completely different method.”
“There’s nothing like sitcoms,” agrees Allen. “They appear drained. Till you watch one in individual.”
Talking even briefly to the TV veteran, you get a way that what retains him coming again to sitcoms is a component of a bigger reverence for craftsmanship. It’s no coincidence Allen at all times performs males who work with their arms. Development (Residence Enchancment), the outside (Final Man Standing), and auto design are all passions of his. In truth, Allen owns an auto store in actual life, and lots of the basic automobiles featured on the present are ones that he’s restored himself.
“I’ve performed a full circle. I go searching and I’m on the Disney lot, and I maintain strolling by the Residence Enchancment set, which is over that method. I sat in entrance of the set they usually nonetheless have an indication on it: Residence Enchancment. I’m sort of ending, if you’ll, the place I began.”
Shifting Gears, Sequence Premiere, Wednesday, January 8, 8/7c, ABC