On its expertly polished and waxed surface, Shifting Gears may not appear to be more than your average good-vibes network TV sitcom, but there’s a more emotional undercurrent for both the characters’ storylines and for some of the characters themselves. Tim Allen has spoken about portraying a widower for the first time while also tapping into certain character elements he hadn’t before. But I wonder if he expected to have a fatherly impact on co-star Seann William Scott.
The comedic actor, whose work spans from American Pie to the Ice Age universe, portrays Gabriel, one of Matt’s loyal employees helping restore all the vintage cars in the shop (all of which are from Tim Allen’s personal collection). It’s been nearly 20 years since Scott lost his father William “Scotty” Scout, who passed away in January 2007 after having been diagnosed with bone cancer in one leg that eventually spread to the rest of his body. But it sounds like his on-set connection with Allen is a reminder of times past.
Talking with People about continuing to expand his TV career alongside one of the most popular sitcom stars of all time, Seann William Scott addressed the fatherly vibes he gets from the Santa Clause star, saying:
He kind of reminds me of my dad, actually. My dad passed away a while ago, you know, but even one of my brothers who loves the show sent me a text. He's like, ‘Tim really reminds me of dad,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, you know, it's true. He does.'
I can totally understand where he's coming from, since Tim Allen has been both a TV dad and a real dad for so many years that it'd probably be hard for the actor to NOT give off a parental aura.
Scott addressed the fact that he wasn't 100% sure what to expect when he first crossed paths with Tim Allen, and was pleased to find that the TV vet wasn't as stuffy and self-consumed as is the case at times with other veteran actors. According to the Lethal Weapon vet:
I think when you've had that much success, there's a good chance somebody could come in and not be as fun to work with and maybe just be kind of a jerk. . . . He's definitely a guy's guy, you know?
Not that he's only a guy's guy. Let's not forget that Kat Dennings has spoken lovingly about working with Tim Allen for the first time on this show, and how well they got along while filming. So he seems to just get along quite well with younger generations.
While promoting the first season, Allen reflected on his relationship with former Home Improvement co-star Jonathan Taylor Thomas (whom he reunited with on Last Man Standing), and how he still feels as if the younger actor is a son to him. Will he end up saying the same thing about Seann William Scott one day?
There’s probably a joke to make here about Tim Allen getting with Stiffler’s mom, but I'll save that for later.
Having already concluded its run after first hitting the 2025 TV schedule in January, the half-hour comedy is still awaiting word about a potential Season 2 from ABC. But in the meantime, it can only help if fans continue to stream the first season with a Hulu subscription.
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