“Shifting Gears” Season 2 Shockwave: Major Cast Shake-Ups, Bold New Storylines, and a Surprising Schedule Shift Revealed!
Shifting Gears Season 2: Confirmation & Everything We Know
ABC’s uproarious new sitcom Shifting Gears features TV legend Tim Allen in one of its lead roles, and now the father-daughter comedy has been renewed for season 2. Debuting in the early days of 2025, the series follows a widower named Matt (Allen) who reunites with his estranged daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) and her two kids when she hits the end of her rope and needs somewhere to stay. While the pair try to work out their differences, Riley tries to figure out what she’s going to do with her life, and Matt tries to adjust to his new living situation.
While it might be getting generally bad reviews, Shifting Gears has one big thing going for it, that being the TV starpower of Tim Allen. The Toy Story and The Santa Clause star has rarely missed in his TV ventures, with long-running sitcoms like Home Improvement and Last Man Standing being the comic actor’s true wheelhouse. This will certainly continue in ABC’s latest sitcom outing, and Allen alone might have been the only thing Shifting Gears needed to score a season 2 renewal.
Shifting Gears Season 2 Latest News
ABC Renews Shifting Gears After Troubling Reports
Just a few days after it was announced that the show was on the bubble, the latest news confirms that Shifting Gears has been renewed for season 2. Troubling reports surfaced in late March that indicated Shifting Gears had seen a sharp decline in ratings across the first 10 episodes of season 1. Despite this, ABC opted to pick up another season, and renewed Shifting Gears alongside Grey’s Anatomy, 9-1-1, The Rookie, and Will Trent. No further details are known about season 2 yet, but information will likely come soon.
Shifting Gears premiered with to 6.10 million viewers (via Programming Insider) but dropped to 3.77 by episode 10 (via Programming Insider).
Shifting Gears Season 2 Is Confirmed
A Second Gear For Shifting Gears
If ratings continue to slide into season 2, the series likely won’t be around for season 3.
Though Shifting Gears got off to a blazing hot start, it became clear as season 1 wore on that ratings were dipping considerably. However, ABC opted to renew the show in April 2025, and green-lit the Tim Allen comedy for a second season. This renewal is a good sign that the show can recover, but it’s clear that ABC will be keeping a close eye on Shifting Gears in season 2 to make sure their investment was worthwhile. If ratings continue to slide into season 2, the series likely won’t be around for season 3.
No production information is known at this time, but it can be assumed that ABC is aiming to have the show air in the midseason slot. Shifting Gears wasn’t part of the network’s fall slate, and based on the ratings, it would make sense to leave it for January or February 2026. Midseason shows are an important part of any network’s yearly success, and Shifting Gears just doesn’t have the momentum to take a fall schedule slot from one of ABC’s bigger series.
Shifting Gears Season 2 Cast Details
Expect The Main Ensemble To Return
Since sitcoms often rely on a familiar ensemble from season to season, it’s expected that the main cast of Shifting Gears will return to reprise their roles in season 2. Leading the show as its star (and principal draw), Tim Allen will certainly return as widower and auto mechanic shop owner Matt Parker. Coming back to play Matt’s adult daughter Riley, MCU and Two Broke Girls star Kat Dennings will undoubtedly be back. Meanwhile, it’s almost certain that Sean William Scott will be on hand to once again play Gabriel, a close family friend of Matt and Riley’s who works for Matt’s shop.
Daryl “Chill” Mitchell adds to the supporting cast as Matt’s longtime employee and right-hand-man, Stitch, while youngsters Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis play Riley’s kids, Carter and Georgia, respectively. The series will likely follow in the footsteps of other sitcoms and employ a wide range of guest stars from week to week, but it’s unclear which of those could stick around. Often, sitcom guests become full-fledged supporting characters over the long run, but it’s too early in the show’s run to speculate.
The cast of Shifting Gears season 2 will probably include:
Shifting Gears Season 2 Story Details
More Generational Clashes Are Expected
Shifting Gears is hardly the most groundbreaking sitcom of all time, and with that in mind, it will likely continue to deal with familiar themes and ideas going forward. The heart of the story is the slowly growing relationship between Matt and Riley, but the two still have a long way to go before they can fully heal 15 years of separation. On top of that, they’re both dealing with their own grief as they separately try to deal with the loss of Matt’s wife (Riley’s mom). While this could be the thing that ultimately brings them together, it could be another wedge as well.
Meanwhile, Riley will probably continue to struggle with deciding what to do with her life, and she may try out various occupational and educational paths throughout upcoming episodes. Gabriel is potentially being set up as a love interest for the free-spirited mom of two, but it remains to be seen if sparks will ever actually fly. Shifting Gears also explores Matt’s growing relationship with his grandchildren, and the bulk of the show’s humor comes from his old-fashioned ways clashing with the youth of today.
