Tim Allen returns to network television in a new series for ABC. The comedian plays Matt Parker, a widower who takes in his daughter and grandchildren when her marriage falls apart. The pair must deal with their differences while working through their shared grief for the one person who kept their relationship alive.

Tim Allen

Shifting Gears marks the third network series for Allen. He starred on Home Improvement on ABC for 9 seasons between 1991 and 1999 where for a period of time it was the highest rated show on television. He even had a stretch in 1994 where he had the top rated show, the number one film at the box office and the number one book on the New York Times Bestseller List.

However, Allen has come under fire in recent years for speaking about his politics. This cast a bit of a cloud over the show as some didn’t want it to be his own personal firebrand. The first episode covers Matt Parker having political opinions but also hating everyone in politics. It’s mostly apolitical and for good reason. This series seems to intend to show people with differing views coming together after having trouble with each other in the past.

Kat Dennings

Kat Dennings plays Matt Parker’s daughter, Riley. When she was 18 she left the home in her father’s car to get married to her musician boyfriend. Over the years, her mother kept her in her father’s life enough for him to have some kind of relationship with his grandchildren. In the pilot, she returns home because she’s getting a divorce after her musician husband cheated on her while on the road.

Supporting Characters

Rounding out the cast are Matt’s employees at his garage and Riley’s children. Sean William Scott and Darryl “Chill” Mitchell play Gabriel and Stitch. Gabriel seems to be a good-hearted man who was friends with Matt’s son and Riley’s brother. They also hint in the first episode that Gabriel may have had a crush on Riley when they were younger. IT'S A FAR CRY FROM THE GUY WHO PLAYED THE BUTT OF JOKES IN THE AMERICAN PIE SERIES, THE RUNDOWN AND DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR? Meanwhile, Stitch rounds out the crew as the clearly platonic friend for Riley who loves Matt but recognizes his faults. Plus, it’s a reunion for Allen and Mitchell who both appeared in Galaxy Quest.

(Disney/Justin Stephens)

Meanwhile, Riley’s kids don’t seem to be fully fleshed out characters yet. Her son, Carter, is scared of driving. The first episode shows Matt trying to teach his grandson how to drive when Carter gets into a minor accident. This leads to animosity between Matt and Riley until Carter admits he once crashed her car into a fence and is now scared to mess up again. In contrast, his little sister, Georgia, is a precocious go-getter who loves Shark Tank and wants to be a successful business woman. Both are fine archetypes that need to be explored in greater detail throughout the series.

Rating

This series breaks no new ground. It hits a lot of notes we’ve seen for years both in Allen’s own filmography and television in general. We have a parent and child from different generations who see the world differently. They’ve gone their separate ways and have experienced a lot of pain from not having each other. They reunite after losing the one person who always had each of their backs. We’ve seen this previously.

That being said, everything is well put together. It’s inoffensive enough in the little bit of politics it covers for anyone to enjoy. It doesn’t try to tell you one political side or the other. It just glosses over politics while focusing on the greater family story. This is something Tim Allen at which Tim Allen excels. He did that in Home Improvement. He did that in Last Man Standing and he’s doing it here. Tim Allen has a specific niche that some love and some hate. For better or worse, he’s not straying from his formula in Shifting Gears.

Check out Shifting Gears on ABC and streaming on Hulu.