Tim Allen Wants to 'Make a Statement' With New Comedy Series

Tim Allen is returning to network TV for a new comedy series and he is hoping things will change. It was announced that the actor will be reuniting with the team from Last Man Standing for a new ABC sitcom pilot called Shifting Gears. The series will follow Allen's Matt, a widower who is the owner of a classic car restoration shop. His routine and status quo is messed up when his estranged daughter comes to live with him, along with her children.

Allen spoke to ET about the upcoming pilot, sharing that he is "very excited." He continued. "You know, I tried really hard with Home Improvement and then Last Man Standing. Maybe three's a charm! Maybe I can finally make a statement with this. It was a big event for me, 'cause I really loved Home Improvement, [so] to do Last Man Standing was a big push, and then I love that family so much. But then ABC said, 'If you come up with an idea,' and I said, 'If I did it, it would be this.' And we came up with this idea, and we're getting there."

It sounds like Shifting Gears will be somewhat different than Home Improvement and Last Man Standing and might even be a dramedy rather than just a sitcom from the sounds of the synopsis. Either way, Tim Allen is "very geeked to be given this opportunity" after it has been long in development. Allen seems very passionate about Shifting Gears, and to be working on it with the executive producers from Last Man Standing will make it even better.

Shifting Gears comes just three years after Last Man Standing came to an end after nine seasons. Allen has been pretty busy since then, starring in the TV movie Silent Hours and reprising the voice role of Buzz Lightyear for the video games Disney Dreamlight Valley and Disney Speedstorm. He also reprised the role of Scott Calvin/Santa Claus for Disney+'s The Santa Clauses, which dropped its second season last winter. As of now, a third season has yet to be announced, and if it does, it's unknown how that will work with Shifting Gears, schedule-wise.

If picked up to series, Shifting Gears would premiere during the 2024-25 season, joining new series High Potential, which was pushed back due to the strikes. No other information on the sitcom, including cast, has been announced but hopefully more details are released soon.