‘Home Improvement’ Reunion Set For ‘Shifting Gears’ Season 2 Premiere: Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn & Debbe Dunning To Appear

Headshots of L to R: Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning
L to R: Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning Getty, Courtesy

Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn, and Debbe Dunning will guest star alongside their former co-star, Tim Allen, who stars and executive produces Shifting Gears. The trio will appear in the Season 2 premiere, airing on Wednesday, October 1. Their characters will support Allen’s character, Matt Parker, in an unexpected way. Details regarding who they will play are under wraps.

Going into its sophomore season, Shifting Gears follows Matt, the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When Matt’s estranged daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) and her kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.

In addition to Allen and Dennings, the sitcom also stars Seann William Scott as Gabriel, Daryl Chill Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter, and Barrett Margolis as Georgia. Nancy Travis and Jenna Elfman will also return as guest stars this season.

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Patricia Richardson and Tim Allen in ABC’s ‘Home Improvement’ Mario Casilli/TV Guide/©Touchstone Television via Everett Collection

Home Improvement ran on ABC for eight seasons from 1991-99, with Allen leading the series as Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, later taking on EP duties during the show’s final two seasons. Richardson played Tim’s wife, Jill Taylor, and the mother of their three sons: Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and Mark (Taran Noah Smith). She also supported Allen by appearing twice as Helen Potts in a different ABC series, Last Man Standing. She is repped by Vanguard Management.

Karn played Al Borland, Tim’s friend and the co-host of his home improvement show, Tool Time. Both Richardson and Karn appeared in all eight seasons of Home Improvement. Like Richardson, Karn appeared twice on Last Man Standing, in the role of Bill McKendree. He and Allen also co-hosted two History Channel shows: the reality competition series Assembly Required and, later, More Power, where they discussed the history of tools. Karn is repped by Wright Entertainment, Inc., and Mavrick Agency.

Dunning portrayed Heidi, the show within a show’s model, from seasons 3 to 8, following Pamela Anderson’s time as Lisa.

From left: Richard Karn, Debbe Dunning and Tim Allen in ABC’s ‘Home Improvement’ Gene Trindl/©Touchstone Television via Everett Collection

Allen executive produces Shifting Gears alongside Michelle Nader, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, John Pasquin, Jim Patterson, Bob Daily, and John Amodeo. Dennings is a producer on the ABC series, which is produced by 20th Television.