Tim Allen Says He's 'Geeked' About Returning to TV With 'Shifting Gears' Pilot (Exclusive)

Tim Allen is gearing up for his return to network TV, and the actor couldn't be more excited for his new sitcom, Shifting Gears.

Allen and his wife, actress Jane Hajduk, walked the red carpet at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 32nd annual Oscars viewing party on Sunday in West Hollywood, and the pair spoke with ET's Cassie DiLaura about Allen's forthcoming ABC pilot.

"I am very excited," Allen said. "You know, I tried really hard with Home Improvement, and then Last Man Standing. Maybe three's a charm! Maybe I can finally make a statement with this."

"It was a big event for me, 'cause I really loved Home Improvement, [so] to do Last Man Standing was a big push, and then I love that family so much," Allen explained. "But then ABC said, 'If you come up with an idea,' and I said, 'If I did it, it would be this.' And we came up with this idea, and we're getting there."

In Shifting Gears, Allen stars as Matt, the gruff owner of a classic car restoration shop -- and a widower -- whose routine and status quo is flipped upside down when his estranged daughter and her children come to live with him.

"I'm very geeked to be given this opportunity," Allen admitted with a smile.

Allen and Hajduk were also excited about stepping out in style at Sunday's star-studded Oscars viewing party, which was held to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Allen has been going to the celebration -- organized by John and husband David Furnish -- for years, and marveled at how much it has grown.

"The effort that Elton has done with David over the years, it's hard to describe the gratefulness, and to be able to be asked to be part of this thing, that's the least that we can do," Allen shared. "It started off as a bunch of people who love movies and would go to these little tiny dinners, and then [evolved] into this thing."

This year's Oscars party -- which featured an exclusive live performance from the retired "Rocket Man" singer -- raised a record-shattering $10.8 million for the foundation, Variety reports. The event has raised over $100 million in total over the three decades since it began.

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