Tim Allen knows he’s a bit of a throwback. The Home Improvement and Last Man Standing star has spent over three decades cracking jokes in front of a live studio audience, and in his latest series, Shifting Gears, he’s right back where it all began: center stage, with punchlines timed to laughter and stories built for the long haul. And apparently, that formula still works – even in the era of binge-drops and algorithm-driven content. Speaking about the surprising success of Shifting Gears, Allen shared how surreal it feels to still be making multi-cam sitcoms in the age of swipes and streams.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen. I feel like I’m in an antiques show because I’m on linear TV, remember that? A live studio audience,” Allen said to Entertainment Tonight ahead of the Disney upfronts earlier this week. “It’s all of us vintage guys on Shifting Gears staring at the crowd saying it’s unbelievable, it’s like a theater play. My daughter’s age, they’re all swiping on Instagram, but I brought them to see it. Ratings have been stellar, so who knows.“
Allen’s comments reflect a broader curiosity in the industry as those on top begin to wonder, can traditional network sitcoms thrive in a time when most viewers consume their comedy in short-form bursts on TikTok or binge hours of prestige dramedies? For Allen, it’s not just possible, it’s what made his career. The studio audience format is what launched his career in the 1990s, and he clearly hasn’t lost his appreciation for the craft of timing, crowd interaction, and classic storytelling.
What Is ‘Shifting Gears’ About?
Shifting Gears, which follows Allen as Matt, a retired mechanic who finds himself reluctantly reuniting with his estranged son to run the family’s garage, leans heavily into nostalgia – but with a modern edge. The show brings together a cast of sitcom veterans (and some fresh faces), delivering the kind of weekly, family-centric laughs that Allen has always excelled at. Kat Dennings and Seann William Scott are just two of the big names in the main cast, while Allen’s Last Man Standing wife Nancy Travis has also made an appearance. While many shows have pivoted to single-camera formats and streaming release models, Shifting Gears is defiantly old-school, airing weekly on network television with a full laugh track – earned live, not added later.
Shifting Gears Season 2 was recently announced. Season 1 can be streamed now on Hulu.
