Tim Allen Returning to Network TV With New Comedy Series

Tim Allen is returning to ABC. Deadline reports that the Last Man Standing actor will star in a new multi-camera sitcom pilot titled Shifting Gears. It will be written by Mike and Julie Scully and will center on Matt (Allen), "the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When Matt's estranged daughter and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins."

If Shifting Gears is picked up to series, it would mark Allen's third show on ABC, following Home Improvement and Last Man Standing. The latter moved to Fox for Season 7 before officially coming to an end after Season 9. 

Shifting Gears will air during the 2024-25 season if ABC orders it to series. Allen would serve as executive producer alongside the Scullys and Last Man Standing executive producers Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, and Rick Messina. Shifting Gears marks ABC's first pilot in contention for next season, and could join the new series High Potential on the 2024-25 schedule. More pilots will likely be announced in the coming months, and it's going to be interesting to see which ones move forward.

Allen is also currently working on Disney+'s The Santa Clauses, which has yet to be renewed for a third season. If it is renewed, it won't be airing this upcoming holiday season, but it's possible it will in 2025. Depending on the filming schedule for both shows, it is definitely possible for Allen to be on both.

Aside from Shifting Gears and the potential third season of The Santa Clauses, Tim Allen is remaining pretty busy. The actor is gearing up for a possible fifth installment of the Toy Story franchise. While Allen did have some reservations about doing another movie, especially considering where the fourth movie ended, it would be interesting to see what the toys would be up to now and if any of them were still with Bonnie or followed in Woody's footsteps and left.

Hopefully, more information on Shifting Gears will be released soon, including who will be joining Tim Allen on-screen. Since he is reuniting with the Last Man Standing team, the series is definitely in good hands and has a good chance of getting picked up. Especially since Allen is no stranger to ABC, Shifting Gears would be the perfect show for him to do for his return to the network.