Tim Allen is no stranger to charming audiences via that evergreen genre of situation comedies, or sitcoms as we like to say. But even though his latest series, Shifting Gears, is already a ratings smash for ABC, Allen is thinking ahead and shifting gears himself, from full speed ahead, to parking the acting car. At 71, Allen has built a legendary career in TV comedy, leading three long-running sitcoms that have dominated network primetime — Home Improvement, Last Man Standing, and now Shifting Gears. But despite comparisons to TV’s GOATs—one person even likened him to “the Tom Brady of sitcoms”—Allen knows nothing lasts forever.
“This probably will be the end of it,” Allen revealed to USA Today. “That sounds depressing, but I did (Shifting Gears) because it seemed like a good idea that would be fun. That’s really it.”
Allen added that he felt at home in on a set and in front of the lights, and that the idea of giving it up hurt him, but he also admitted that time was running out for him to continue performing at the level to which he, and by extension, the audience, have grown accustomed.
“I just love being around the camera people and actors and the crew, so much so that I’m more uncomfortable at the thought of leaving the set and, God forbid, going to play golf.”
What is ‘Shifting Gears’ About?
Shifting Gears finds Allen playing Matt Parker, an old-school auto restoration shop owner and widowed father struggling to adjust when his daughter Riley (2 Broke Girls star Kat Dennings) moves back home with her kids. The cast also includes American Pie’s Seann William Scott and Galaxy Quest’s Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Parker’s shop crew and, for Allen, it feels like this is the final evolution of the TV persona he’s been shaping for decades.
“This is getting closer and closer to the guy you see at my stand-up shows now,” he explained. “‘Home Improvement’ was literally just my stand-up show, where Last Man Standing reflected the fact that I had daughters and I wanted a lead guy who was smarter than Tim Taylor. So this new guy now, Matt Parker, he’s more of what I really am.”
