Shifting Gears introduced Tim Allen again to ABC for his third sitcom with the community after his earlier hits Dwelling Enchancment and Final Man Standing. Whereas the sitcom was an enormous business hit for ABC, critics didn’t respond to Shifting Gears practically as a lot in its freshman season.
In Shifting Gears, Allen performs Matt Parker, a lately widowed auto store proprietor reconnecting along with his estranged daughter and grandkids. It’s a basic Allen character – a blue-collar, conservative-coded father with a coronary heart of gold hidden beneath a gruff exterior. It’s a components that labored for Allen previously, however taking part in a 3rd model of himself didn’t resonate with reviewers.
Audiences responded to the nostalgia and low-concept simplicity of a household/office sitcom, however Matt appeared like a thinly-veiled variation of Tim Taylor or Mike Baxter that didn’t replace the shtick with the instances. Nonetheless, the Shifting Gears season 2 premiere proves that Allen taking part in a model of himself can work for viewers and critics alike.
Why Tim Allen’s Character Matt Didn’t Work In Shifting Gears Season 1
Matt Parker Was Too Related To Previous Allen Sitcom Characters – However Extra Remoted
Matt Parker felt like a thinner, lonelier model of Tim Allen’s earlier iconic sitcom roles. On Dwelling Enchancment and Final Man Standing, Allen’s characters had been framed by household — wives and youngsters who softened his tough edges and gave him dimension.
In Shifting Gears, Matt begins out much more remoted: his spouse has died, his daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) is estranged, and he’s by no means even met his teenage grandkids. That setup left him one-note for a lot of the season, outlined extra by bitterness than heat.
Enjoying a conservative-leaning character is totally different in the present day than it was in 1991 when Dwelling Enchancment premiered, and Matt’s humor typically leaned on dated stereotypes, like a careless “two-for-one variety rent” joke aimed toward his Black, wheelchair-using worker. What might need flown within the ’90s feels uncomfortable and flat in the present day.
Nonetheless, glimpses of depth emerged in Shifting Gears season 1, episode 4, when Matt and Riley finally confronted their grief. A few of Matt’s most human moments in season 1 got here by way of his bond with one other widowed character performed by Nancy Travis, who performed his spouse in Final Man Standing.
These moments confirmed the human core critics felt was lacking. Matt’s journey to turning into a extra nuanced, balanced character continues within the Shifting Gears season 2 premiere.
This 1 Joke In The Shifting Gears Season 2 Premiere Reveals How Tim Allen’s Shtick Can Work In 2025
The Overtly Self-Conscious Humor Works With The Characters, As an alternative Of Punching Down
The season 2 premiere has already discovered a sharper technique to make Allen’s comedy land, and one joke proves it. As Riley tries to persuade Matt to love Eve, she tells him to consider her as “a feminine Joe Rogan who smells like a dry rub.” As an alternative of bristling, Matt leans into the bit, saying that is his dream girl.
It’s a small second, nevertheless it’s telling: the humor now pokes enjoyable at Allen’s “man’s man” persona with out punching down. It’s funnier and extra elevated than the dated one-liners that slowed down Shifting Gears season 1.
What makes this work is that Matt isn’t as remoted anymore. His contentious relationship with Riley has shifted right into a supportive partnership, and their household has a rhythm at dwelling. Within the premiere, Matt has an entire (though unexpectedly sad) reunion with his Home Improvement costars, now within the type of a widow help group.
Add in Matt’s willingness to embrace the future and act on his feelings for Eve, and he feels extra human. He’s nonetheless the gruff traditionalist audiences count on, however Shifting Gears season 2 offers him the connections that make that persona endearing in in the present day’s sitcom panorama.
- Launch Date
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January 8, 2025
- Administrators
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John Pasquin, Victor González
