Tim Allen to Headline ABC Comedy From Last Man Standing EPs — What Does This Mean for The Santa Clauses?
Tim Allen is getting back in business with ABC.
The network responsible for Home Improvement and Last Man Standing has ordered Shifting Gears, a multi-camera sitcom pilot starring TV’s erstwhile Mike Baxter.
The potential series, which is being written by Duncanville creators Mike and Julie Scully, centers on Allen’s Matt, “the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop,” according to the official logline. “When Matt’s estranged daughter and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.”
UPDATE (APRIL 9): Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls) has been cast as Allen’s TV daughter.
The Scullys are executive-producing alongside Allen and Last Man Standing EPs Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker and Rick Messina. If it moves forward, Shifting Gears would air during the 2024-25 TV season.
Last Man Standing Cast Changes Over the Years
Allen, of course, is best known for his breakout role as Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor on ABC’s Home Improvement, which ran for eight seasons and ended in 1999. That was followed by Last Man Standing, which ran for a combined nine seasons across ABC and Fox, and ended in 2021.
More recently, Allen reprised his big-screen role as Scott Calvin in the Disney+ sequel series The Santa Clauses, which thus far has aired two seasons. According to our sister site Deadline, there’s been no decision on a potential Season 3 renewal, though the earliest it is expected to return is 2025.
Should Shifting Gears receive a series order, Allen will be able to do both shows; Shifting Gears and The Santa Clauses are produced by the same studio, 20th Television.
TVLine will keep you posted once we learn more, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back soon. In the meantime, hit the comments with your reactions to the news.
