‘Shifting Gears’ Season 2: Premiere Date, Guest Stars, and More Details

‘Shifting Gears’ Season 2 Sets ‘Home Improvement’ Cast Reunion

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It’s tool time! Tim Allen is reuniting with his Home Improvement costars in the new season of Shifting Gears.

Shifting Gears ended its first season on Wednesday, March 19, with a shocking kiss and many questions for fans. The ABC freshman comedy stars Allen as Matt, a widowed father whose daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings), and his grandchildren, Carter (Maxwell Simkins) and Georgia (Barrett Margolis), move in with him after things get rocky with Riley’s estranged husband, Jimmy (Lucas Neff).

During the Season 1 finale, Riley decides to finally divorce Jimmy when he comes home for Georgia’s middle school graduation after announcing plans to tour with the Foo Fighters. Matt fights with his nemesis Eve (Jenna Elfman), who works next door to him and hits his car with his door. By the end of the episode, the enemies become lovers and share a shocking kiss. To celebrate Riley’s new singledom, her boss Eve throws her a party. Riley drinks a little too much, so Gabriel (Seann William Scott), her childhood best friend and dad’s coworker, takes her home. She wonders aloud why a woman hasn’t married him yet, and he tries to confess his feelings for her, but she falls asleep as he confesses.

This left the show on a cliffhanger with many loose ends not tied up. So, will fans get answers in Season 2?

The sitcom recently announced some very special guest stars that relate back to Allen’s first major TV role. Here is everything we know about the sitcom’s next season.

Disney/Raymond Liu

Is Shifting Gears renewed for Season 2?

Shifting Gears will return for Season 2. The renewal comes after the sitcom had a noticeable drop in ratings since its premiere in January. Shifting Gears reached 7.8 million viewers in the Nielsen Live+7 ratings during its premiere episode, while the finale in March dropped to 5.17 million in the same time period. The show’s performance on Hulu has not been updated since January. The show ranked number five among ABC’s scripted series this season.

When will Season 2 premiere?

Shifting Gears Season 2 will premiere on Wednesday, October 1, at 8/7c on ABC. The sitcom is expected to air on Wednesdays for the rest of the season. Season 1 premiered in January with only 10 episodes, but this seems like a full season pickup.

What could happen in Shifting Gears Season 2?

After Eve and Matt shared a kiss, the former enemies could explore a relationship. But Matt could also still be healing from losing his wife. Riley and Gabriel might finally tell each other how they feel — though this could lead to a not-so-positive reaction from Matt.

Dennings told TV Insider what she hopes for her character in the upcoming season. “I hope we see Riley do some exploration of who she is now because she doesn’t really know who she is now without the ex-husband relationship and back living at home as a mom with two kids, and have her discover her personality without the things that she is used to. I think that would be cool,” she said.

Who will star in Shifting Gears Season 2?

Allen, Dennings, Scott, Simkins, Margolis, Elfman, as well as Daryl Mitchell, all starred in Season 1 and would most likely return.

On August 19, Deadline reported that Allen’s Home Improvement costars —Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn, and Debbe Dunning— will all appear in Season 2.

Richardson played Jill Taylor, Time’s wife, on the show for eight seasons. Karn was Albert “Al” Borland, Tim’s friend and assistant on the show-within-a-show, Tool Time, from seasons one to eight. Dunning played Heidi Keppert, the Tool Time girl, from Seasons 3 through 8.

The trio will appear in Season 2’s season premiere on October 1. Although details about their characters are under wraps, Deadline reported that they will “help Matt Parker in an unexpected way.”

Richardson and Karn also appeared in Allen’s second sitcom, Last Man Standing. Jonathan Taylor Thomas had a recurring role on the show. He was one of three sons on Home Improvement. In Season 1, Nancy Travis, his wife in Last Man Standing, also had a guest role.

Who helms Shifting Gears?

Allen, along with Michelle Nader, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, John Pasquin, Jim Patterson, Bob Daily, and John Amodeoserve serve as executive producers on the sitcom.  Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully executive-produced the first episode. Pasquin directed the pilot episode. Dennings is also a producer.

Where can you watch Shifting Gears Season 1?

All 10 episodes of Shifting Gears Season 1 are available to watch on Hulu. Season 2 will air on ABC and the next day on the streaming platform.

Shifting Gears, Season 2, Wednesdays starting October 1, ABC