Seann William Scott Joins Tim Allen and Kat Dennings’ New ABC Sitcom ‘Shifting Gears’

Seann William Scott is joining Tim Allen and Kat Dennings at ABC. Deadline reports that the American Pie star has been tapped for the network’s upcoming multi-camera comedy Shifting Gears. Ordered to series in July, the series follows Allen’s Matt, a stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop, whose estranged adult daughter Riley (Dennings) and her teenage kids move in.

Scott will play family friend Gabriel, who works in the shop. Gabriel was not part of the initial pilot and will replace Froy Gutierrez’s Nick, Matt’s son, and Riley’s younger brother, who was a game coder. This likely means that the pilot will be reshot when production kicks off in November. A reason for the change is unknown, but it might just be that Nick wasn’t the right character. Meanwhile, Scott also joins previously announced cast members Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Maxwell Simkins, and Barrett Margolis.

Shifting Gears marks Scott’s first TV role since Fox’s Welcome to Flatch, which ran for two seasons from 2022 to 2023. Other credits include Lethal Weapon, Bloodline, Super Troopers 2, Ice Age, the American Pie franchise, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Dude, Where’s My Car?, and Final Destination, among others. Scott will be a lead in Shifting Gears, and will be his first significant role on a multi-cam sitcom.

Michelle Nader serves as showrunner on Shifting Gears, replacing Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully, who served as writers and executive producers on the pilot. Nader, Allen, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, and John Pasquin will executive produce alongside Jim Patterson, Bob Daily, and John Amodeo. Dennings serves as producer. 20^th Television is the studio.

As of now, a premiere date for Shifting Gears has not been revealed, but it was previously reported that the show was being developed for the 2024-25 season. With production starting in November, that might make a mid-season premiere difficult, but it’s possible it could premiere later in the winter or early spring. Once filming starts, there should be more information releasing, but it sounds like the cast is coming along pretty great. The wait will be worth it for Tim Allen’s return to the sitcom world. With the success of Home Improvement and Last Man Standing, it wouldn’t be surprising if Shifting Gears became yet another hit for him. Fans will just have to wait and see how it all turns out.