If anyone had questions about whether Tim Allen would enjoy a successful return to sitcom-land for ABC’s Shifting Gears, the show’s instantly massive ratings brought quick answers. So I think it’s a safe bet that fans will be watching Matt and Riley’s complicated relationship playing out well beyond the 2025 TV schedule. And it sounds like the comedian will be joined by another famous face that he knows quite well.
Both Allen and the Shifting Gears Instagram page gave viewers a big boost of excitement with the reveal that a very special guest star is on the way, with this as the teaser message:
A familiar face is coming to Shifting Gears 👀
Just how familiar she is will depend on fans' familiarity with Tim Allen's previous sitcom Last Man Standing, because we're talking about Ride star Nancy Travis!
That's right, the actress who starred as Vanessa Baxter across all nine seasons of Last Man Standing will be reteaming with Allen for at least one Season 1 episode of Shifting Gears. We can always hope for more, but that'll have to wait.
It does sound like sparks may fly in one way or another when Travis pops by, as she'll be taking on the role of Charlotte, described by US Weekly as a "spirited widow" who crosses paths with the car-restoring Matt Parker and makes a connection. Will it be something of a rebound romance, or something less direct? I can't wait to find out.
Tim Allen didn't have a lot to divulge by way of Charlotte's arrival, but did say this:
The Nancy Travis story is really, really clever.
Tim Allen talked about how Nancy Travis has had to call him out in the past when he asks about her and their younger Last Man Standing co-stars, reminding him that they're not actually his daughters, and that they're not the Baxters. Maybe only having her back for one episode will keep such an attachment from forming here.
The actor thankfully does seem to stay in good graces with his TV significant others. Patricia Richardson, who of course played wife and mom extraordinaire Jill Taylor on Home Improvement, has spoken kindly of Allen for years and has defended him against naysaying critics. She also notably reunited with her former co-star for a guest spot on Last Man Standing some years ago, so it would have been quite disappointing had that pattern not continued on with Shifting Gears and Travis.
Though considering his Shifting Gears character’s wife died while jogging ahead of the series’ narrative, I’m not sure if that means he’d have to get a ghost to guest-star in his next sitcom, or if showrunner Michelle Nader has plans to cast someone to play Matt’s wife for flashbacks. Either way, that likely won’t be an issue for years to come, if at all.
Shifting Gears airs Wednesday nights on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET, ahead of new episodes of Abbott Elementary, with new episodes streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription. Considering the school-set comedy was recently renewed for Season 5, does that mean a Season 2 announcement is coming for Allen’s latest?
