ABC Orders Comedy ‘Shifting Gears’ Starring Tim Allen & Kat Dennings

ABC has given the green light to the multi-camera comedy “Shifting Gears” featuring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings. This comes after the show was initially ordered to pilot back in March. However, several changes have been made both in front of and behind the camera.

Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully, who were initially announced as writers and executive producers, have exited the series. They will still be credited as executive producers on the pilot episode. The hunt for a new showrunner is currently underway.

Originally, Froy Gutierrez was cast in the role of Nick in the pilot, but that part will now be recast as the show moves to series.

The show’s official logline describes Allen’s character, Matt, as a stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. The story unfolds when his estranged daughter, played by Dennings, along with her teenage kids, move into his house, sparking the real restoration to begin.

The cast also features Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter, and Barrett Margolis as Georgia.

Tim Allen will serve as an executive producer for the series, along with Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, and John Pasquin. Pasquin, who also directed the pilot, is another significant name attached to the show. As previously mentioned, Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully are credited as executive producers on the pilot episode, while Kat Dennings is listed as a producer. The studio behind the series is 20th Television.

Allen has a history with ABC, having starred in their and Disney’s multi-cam hit “Home Improvement” from 1991-1999. He later returned to the network with the comedy series “Last Man Standing,” which aired for six seasons on ABC and an additional three seasons on Fox.

As of now, ABC has only a few scripted comedies on its slate. “Abbott Elementary,” a hit single-camera show, is set to return for its fourth season on October 9. Additionally, the seventh and final season of “The Conners” is scheduled to premiere at midseason.

Source: Variety