Few actors and comedians have had the lengthy and fruitful career of longtime funnyman Tim Allen.
After first entering the scene as a stand-up comic in 1975, Allen toiled in relative obscurity until 1991. That’s when ABC sitcom “Home Improvement” debuted — and swiftly became a smash success.
From there on out, Allen bounced from major project to major project, ranging from other lauded sitcoms, such as “Last Man Standing,” to smash hit movies, such as the “The Santa Clause” and “Toy Story” franchises, while still popping back into the stand-up scene periodically.
That being said, the 70-year-old actor hasn’t had a ton on his plate after “Last Man Standing” (a great sitcom) ended in 2021, and “The Santa Clauses” (avoid this one) ended in 2023.
According to Deadline, Allen’s upcoming project is tentatively titled “Shifting Gears,” and the upcoming ABC pilot is swiftly taking shape.
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The outlet is reporting that sitcom veteran and MCU actress Kat Dennings will be starring opposite Allen in “Shifting Gears.”
(Of note, Dennings is also set to produce the tentative sitcom.)
Dennings is perhaps best known for her roles as Max Black in “2 Broke Girls” and quirky scientist Darcy Lewis in several Marvel projects.
And now, the actress is moving into a role with a tad bit more emotional heft, at least according to the Deadline synopsis of what “Shifting Gears” will be about.
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“Shifting Gears centers on Matt (Allen), the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop,” the outlet states. “When Matt’s estranged daughter Riley (Dennings) and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.
“Dennings’ Riley butted heads with her father growing up and left to marry the boyfriend he hated. Now divorced, Riley’s forced to move back home with two kids, hoping she and her dad can make it work this time.”
For any longtime fans of Allen’s work — and this writer certainly classifies as one — that short synopsis should sound eerily familiar.
While never widowed, Allen’s father figure characters in both “Home Improvement” and “Last Man Standing” do sort of fall in line with “Matt.”
In both of those shows, Allen portrays a stubborn, but well-meaning, father. His “Home Improvement” character, Tim Taylor, actually did work on cars in his own garage.
“Matt” sounds like an older version of those same characters.
Apart from “Shifting Gears,” there is a non-zero chance Allen will be returning to, perhaps, his most recognizable role: Buzz Lightyear in “Toy Story 5.”
“Shifting Gears” is in pre-production (Allen is an executive producer for that project) and has no release window. “Toy Story 5” is slated for a 2026 release.
