Shifting Gears Getting Canceled? This Doesn’t Make Sense, ABC

After a successful debut for Shifting Gears, season 2 appeared to be a lock for the series — until now. Tim Allen’s comeback sitcom revolves around Allen’s Matt Parker, a widower who runs an auto restoration shop. At the beginning of Shifting Gears, Matt reconnects with his estranged daughter, Riley Parker (played by Kat Dennings), who asks him if she and her two children can move in with him. Riley and her husband are getting divorced, and she has nowhere else to turn to. So, Matt agrees, kicking off the show’s story, which seemed like it could continue for many seasons.

While waiting for season 2 renewal news, fans can catch up on all 10 episodes of Shifting Gears season 1 on Hulu.

The sitcom’s likely cancelation is shocking because it had an amazing start in January 2025. Shifting Gears set a six-year viewership record for ABC — its pilot was the most-watched series premiere for ABC since The Conners in October 2018. The first episode garnered 16.95 million views following a week of cross-platform viewing on ABC, Hulu, Disney+, and digital platforms. The Shifting Gears premiere’s viewership totals earned a 173% increase over the comedy show’s original Live+Same Day ratings, which added up to 6.2 million. Despite this accomplishment, though, season 2 might not happen.

Shifting Gears Is Reportedly On The Bubble For Renewal

Season 2 Isn’t A Guarantee

According to Deadline, Shifting Gears‘ season 2 renewal is up in the air instead of a slam dunk. The report describes its status as “heavily on the bubble.” Whereas other ABC TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy, 9-1-1, The Rookie, and Will Trent are all pretty much a lock to score renewals, the future of Shifting Gears and Doctor Odyssey is more uncertain. Meanwhile, ABC has already renewed Abbott Elementary for season 5 and High Potential for season 2. 9-1-1: Nashville also has a straight-to-series order, securing its place on ABC’s 2025–2026 TV programming schedule.

Unfortunately, Deadline is seemingly confident that fans should be worried about Shifting Gears‘ future. Even though it set an impressive record with its series premiere, ABC is reportedly seriously considering canceling the Tim Allen sitcom. There’s a high chance that Shifting Gears season 2 doesn’t happen, which is about as surprising and nonsensical as any renewal or cancelation news this TV season.

Why Shifting Gears Not Guaranteed A Season 2 Is Baffling

Tim Allen’s Sitcom Broke A Big Record For ABC

Shortly after the Shifting Gears season 1 finale, many just assumed that a second season was a guarantee for the comedy series, despite ABC’s lack of a decision. The sitcom has star power — Tim Allen has proven himself to be perfectly capable of leading a successful network TV show (e.g., Home Improvement and Last Man Standing), and Kat Dennings is certainly no slouch herself, given her work on 2 Broke Girls. Plus, the Shifting Gears pilot breaking The Conners‘ series premiere record speaks for itself. As a result, the fact that Shifting Gears is “on the bubble” is baffling.

The network needs more comedies for the future, meaning Shifting Gears should be an easy renewal.

ABC’s indecision concerning Shifting Gears is even more confusing since the network is significantly lacking in the comedy department. While it’s home to countless popular dramas (like Grey’s Anatomy, 9-1-1, High Potential, and more), ABC’s only renowned sitcom heading into the 2025–2026 TV season is Abbott Elementary. The Conners is ending after season 7, which airs in the spring of 2025, meaning ABC doesn’t even have the Roseanne revival to fall back on. The network needs more comedies for the future, meaning Shifting Gears should be an easy renewal.

Sure, Shifting Gears is critically panned (its Rotten Tomatoes score is 47%), but the audience matters more. And the sitcom has the legs to grow a substantial following. Based on all this information, it simply doesn’t make sense why ABC would even consider canceling Shifting Gears.

Shifting Gears’ Ratings Declined Throughout The Season, But It Still Ended With Strong Viewership

The Show’s Ratings Are Still Great

Per the aforementioned report, ABC might cancel Shifting Gears because of its declining ratings. While its start broke records, the sitcom’s viewership has been declining with each passing episode. The pilot accumulated 6.1 million Live+Same Day viewers, but its finale only earned 3.8 million. Nevertheless, this isn’t a strong enough argument to cancel Shifting Gears.

Shifting Gears Episode #
18-49 Demo Ratings
Views (Live+Same Day)

1
0.66
6.1 million

2
0.38
4.6 million

3
0.45
4.6 million

4
0.38
4.3 million

5
0.40
4.3 million

6
0.43
4.5 million

7
0.30
3.4 million

8
0.31
3.7 million

9
0.31
3.8 million

10
0.32
3.8 million

Almost every network TV series experiences a ratings decline following its premiere, with some, like High Potential, being the exception. However, it’s unfair to measure Shifting Gears‘ performance against rare phenomena. ABC can compare it to Happy’s Place, though, which puts out similar numbers to the Tim Allen sitcom. If NBC can renew Happy’s Place, surely ABC can order a second season for Shifting Gears (especially if the network wants to ensure it has more than one comedy series in its future lineup).