Tim Allen’s Shifting Gears may have already brought in some familiar faces for longtime fans of the actor’s sitcoms, but according to Last Man Standing star Nancy Travis, there may be even more familiar names coming soon. Travis, who played Allen’s on-screen wife Vanessa Baxter for nine seasons on Last Man Standing, recently appeared on Shifting Gears, and she’s confident that she won’t be the last cast member from the series to show up.
“Oh, of course. I have no doubt [about that]. Tim is nothing if not loyal,” Travis told Us Weekly about the possibility of more Last Man Standing cameos. “So it was great to walk on that set and see most of the crew was from Last Man Standing. The director John Pasquin did so many episodes of Last Man Standing and is a personal friend. It was just so great to feel this sense of reunion.”
With Travis at the forefront of the guest appearances, it sounds like more of Allen’s former TV family could be stopping by Shifting Gears sooner rather than later. “I wouldn’t be surprised if everybody from Last Man Standing shows up on Shifting Gears in one way or another,” she teased. “If Tim has his way, he’ll make sure that everybody from [Kat Dennings’] 2 Broke Girls comes on too.”
Could We See ‘Home Improvement’ Stars on ‘Shifting Gears’?
Allen, of course, has been at the center of multiple beloved sitcoms over the years. After his run as Tim “The Toolman” Taylor on Home Improvement from 1991 to 1999, he returned to network television as Mike Baxter on Last Man Standing. That show ran for nine seasons and saw several reunions between Allen and his former Home Improvement co-stars, including Patricia Richardson (who played his wife, Jill Taylor) and Jonathan Taylor Thomas (his on-screen son, Randy Taylor).
Allen even hinted that Home Improvement alum Thomas, who made guest appearances on Last Man Standing, could find his way to Shifting Gears as well. “Everything is a possibility,” Allen said, adding that Thomas had visited the set of Shifting Gears recently. “He’s literally my kid. I raised that kid for eight years on Home Improvement. All of these are my kids and I’m kind of sick about this.”
