Kat Dennings Joins Tim Allen’s ABC Pilot Shifting Gears

Summary

• Kat Dennings joins Tim Allen on ABC pilot Shifting Gears as his estranged daughter, Riley.
• The show follows Matt, a widowed classic car shop owner, adjusting to new family dynamics.
• Duncanville creators Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully are writing, with Dennings set to produce.

Dollface actress Kat Dennings has joined Tim Allen for the ABC pilot Shifting Gears, Deadline reports. Dennings has been cast as Riley, Allen’s character’s estranged daughter who “butted heads with her father growing up and left to marry the boyfriend he hated.” Now newly divorced, she is forced to move back to her father’s home (along with her two kids), hoping she and her dad can make it work.

Shifting Gears’ logline reads:

“Matt (Tim Allen) is the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When Matt’s estranged daughter and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.”

Shifting Gears is written by Duncanville co-creators Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully. The two will be executive producers alongside Allen, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, and Rick Messina. Dennings is set to produce the series; 20th Television is the producing studio.

Shifting Gears will mark Dennings’ return to network comedy following her work on 2 Broke Girls. From 2011 to 2017, Dennings co-starred with Beth Behr in the popular FOX sitcom. Dennings recently starred in Hulu’s Dollface alongside Brenda Song, Shay Mitchell, and Esther Povitsky. The series was canceled in 2022 after two seasons. She is also known for her work as Darcey Lewis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portraying the character in three films in the Thor franchise, WandaVision, and the animated What If…?. Other notable projects include The40-Year-Old Virgin, Charlie Bartlett, and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

Related Kat Dennings’ 10 Best Performances, Ranked Kat Dennings has proved through her film and television roles that she is a highly talented actor. Let’s look at her best performances so far.

ABC

Among Allen’s most notable roles is his portrayal of Tim “The Toolman” Taylor on ABC’s Home Improvement. Throughout its eight-season run from 1991 to 1999), the series earned many award nominations, with Allen earning a Golden Globe and a People’s Choice Award.

In late 2023, Allen discussed a Home Improvement revival, noting that he had spoken with several co-stars about a spin-off. Despite those comments, it seems unlikely we’ll see Allen back as Tim, as Patricia Richardson (who portrayed his wife Jill throughout the series’ run) said that Allen was being untruthful about having conversations with castmates about bringing the sitcom back.

“I would hear on [social media] that he was coming out publicly and saying this stuff about how everyone was on board to do a Home Improvement reunion, but he never asked me, and he never asked Jonathan [Taylor Thomas]. I called Jonathan one day and I said, ‘Has he asked you about this?’ And he went, ‘No. Why is he going around telling everyone that we’re on board when he hasn’t talked to you or me?’ I think that’s weird. He was lying to people and telling them that I was on board and I didn’t know anything about it,” Richardson said.

Allen’s last collaboration with ABC, Last Man Standing, aired on the network until 2017. ABC opted not to renew the series for a seventh season — while there were rumors that the cancelation was a result of Allen’s political views, the network declined those claims, instead citing “business and scheduling reasons.” FOX picked up the series following its ABC cancelation, extending the sitcom’s run to nine seasons until its 2021 conclusion.

Allen last appeared in The Santa Clauses, reprising the role of Santa Claus/Scott Calvin from the popular The Santa Clause franchise.

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