As ABC begins to announce its TV lineup for the fall, the Tim Allen-led SHIFTING GEARS was renewed for Season 2.
“We’re all on pins and needles about [a renewal]…” star Kat Dennings told Deadline when asked about renewal news from ABC. “You just never know with TV, but we’ve gotten such great numbers and I’ve heard that people are happy. So who knows? I’m a very negative person, so I never expect anything to happen.”
Deadline reported: “Marking the return to ABC of Last Man Standing and Home Improvement star Allen, Shifting Gears got off to a red-hot start, with the pilot episode logging almost 17M cross-platform viewers over its first week for ABC’s biggest new series launch in more than six years. it was the steady ratings decline, 40% in linear viewership and 50% in adults 18-49 over its 10-episode run, that sent the series to the bubble.”
“The audiences we’ve had on SHIFTING GEARS I’ve never experienced anything [like] before. I know that they’re there to see Tim, and that’s the beauty of the whole thing. They are so raucous,” Dennings said. “They have to turn down the volume of the audience in these edits because they’re screaming and laughing and it’s almost like a sporting event. It’s really something…So this has been a real treat.”
SHIFTING GEARS is a special show because it is made for any audience. Dennings and Allen’s characters represent different political ideas, while Dennings’ character’s kids make it accessible for younger audiences as well.
“I think the beauty of SHIFTING GEARS is it covers more than the average sitcom and dives deeper,” said star Maxwell Simkins. “One of the best parts of a family is when they care so much. That’s an element that I feel Tim brings to his character Matt – he cares so much, but he doesn’t know how to display it when Riley is talking about tracking and other things he can’t relate to.”
Movieguide® agrees, as the show’s emphasis on family values helps set it apart from most shows on TV. A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:
The pilot episode of SHIFTING GEARS teaches strong positive values. It stresses the importance of family, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Also, father uses an overt winsome reference to Jesus when discussing life with his teenage grandson. Despite their differences, the grandfather and his daughter still love each other and want the best for one another. They also bond over the loss of their wife/mom and remember her as a remarkable woman who kept the family together. However, the pilot episode of SHIFTING GEARS has some relatively light foul language and other issues. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.
