Mild spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched Shifting Gears' Season 1 finale on ABC or streaming with a Hulu subscription.
Already one of the most popular shows to debut on the 2025 TV schedule, the ABC sitcom Shifting Gears easily proved Tim Allen and Kat Dennings’ combined value as a daddy-daughter sitcom pairing. Millions upon millions of viewers have turned in each week, and many of them are already likely expecting to see a follow-up to Matt and Riley’s unexpected complications seen in the finale. But Season 2 hasn’t actually been ordered yet.
I personally expected Shifting Gears to get renewed soon after High Potential and Abbott Elementary’s next seasons were confirmed. However, ABC execs still haven’t made the call, and that lack of an update has sparked differing reactions from co-lead Dennings and the sitcom’s showrunner.
Kat Dennings Is Inherently Pessimistic, But Hopeful For Season 2
Having previously starred in 2 Broke Girls, which was infamously canceled by CBS without giving fans closure on its cliffhanger finale, Kat Dennings knows that guarantees aren't always an option in Hollywood, and is thus keeping a practical mind about Shifting Gears' future. That said, when asked by Deadline about not getting renewed for Season 2 yet, she did point to the sitcom's ratings and general good word-of-mouth as reasons to remain hopeful. (Or at least for others to.) In her words:
No, we haven’t. Of course we’re all on pins and needles about it but hopefully we will. You just never know with TV, but we’ve gotten such great numbers and I’ve heard that people are happy. So who knows? I’m a very negative person, so I never expect anything to happen.
It has to be strange to be on one of the biggest and most prominent TV networks in the country, drawing a massive audience at a time when linear TV numbers are as low as ever, and still have to use phrases like "pins and needles" to talk about waiting for renewal news. All while other networks, studios and streaming platforms are putting in renewals for projects that may never reach a lifetime viewership that matches what a single episode of Shifting Gears brings in across ABC and Hulu.
Of course, TV renewals aren't always just about popularity. Tim Allen is a huge TV star who likely earns a rather large per-episode paycheck for his latest sitcom, and it's not like he's the only big name on there. Plus, it's possible that he and certain other cast and crew members may have other commitments that complicate the scheduling process, and would need to be ironed out before season orders are made. In any case, the showrunner definitely sounds more optimistic...
Shifting Gears' Showrunner Sounds More Confident About A Renewal
For all that Kat Dennings wisely played it cool and coy about the comedy's future, showrunner Michelle Nader spoke far more confidently about what she would like to see playing out in a follow-up season, and I'm almost convinced that she got some casual assurances from network execs about what's happening behind closed doors.
When asked by TVLine about Lucas Neff's Jimmy popping up for some big updates in the finale, Nader shared her hopes for how that character could be used in the future, saying:
Jimmy is touring with the Foo Fighters but he’s definitely still in love with Riley and wants to see his kids. We love Lucas so he would be a part of Season 2.
For what it's worth, we won't be very happy if RIley and Jimmy reconcile things so quickly, since this entire first season has been about her learning how to navigate her and her kids' lives without him. That said, I'm all about the comedic complications that will arise from Jimmy being around and NOT being able to romance Riley as much as he'd like.
And that's not the only character Michelle Nader would like to explore in Season 2, should it happen. The sitcom boss was also asked about references made to Matt's other child, Sam, and whether or not fans might see Riley sharing the screen with her brother down the line. As Nader put it:
We hope to introduce Sam in Season 2. We think he will be another fun casting opportunity and a great character for everyone to complain to!
It sounds like Shifting Gears' head honcho is as ready as can be to start crafting new storylines for these beloved characters, if only someone out there would make the call to confirm Season 2 is happening.
Not that I know if I can even withstand a reality where Tim Allen and Jenna Elfman are playing sitcom love interests without the '90s-fixated part of my brain collapsing in on itself like a black hole. But I'll be willing to try, so get on it, ABC.
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