{"id":61636,"date":"2025-01-10T20:38:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-11T02:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/?p=61636"},"modified":"2025-01-23T21:14:24","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T03:14:24","slug":"shifting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/10\/shifting\/","title":{"rendered":"TV Review of &#8220;Shifting Gears&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>TV Review!<\/strong><\/h3>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- TVMEGBODY -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1056557952271337\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8801203268\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-61627\" src=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shiftinggearscast.png\" alt=\"DARYL &quot;CHILL&quot; MITCHELL, SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT, MAXWELL SIMKINS, BARRETT MARGOLIS, TIM ALLEN, KAT DENNINGS SHIFTING GEARS \u2013 ABC\u2019s \u201cShifting Gears\u201d stars Daryl \u201cChill\u201d Mitchell as Stitch, Seann William Scott as Gabriel, Maxwell Simkins as Carter, Barrett Margolis as Georgia, Tim Allen as Matt, and Kat Dennings as Riley. (Disney\/Justin Stephens)\" width=\"372\" height=\"239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shiftinggearscast.png 468w, https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shiftinggearscast-300x192.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 372px) 100vw, 372px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Shifting Gears&#8221; on ABC Review by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvmeg.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/13\/biosuzanne\/\">Suzanne<\/a> 1\/\/10\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>First, I have to admit that I&#8217;m not a fan of Tim Allen, and that was true long before he became vocal about his conservatism. I just never found his brand of humor funny in either &#8220;Home Improvement&#8221; or &#8220;Last Man Standing.&#8221;\u00a0 He was much better in his movies, such as &#8220;Galaxy Quest,&#8221; &#8220;The Santa Clause&#8221; and the &#8220;Toy Story&#8221; franchise.<\/p>\n<p>To be fair, comedians and actors are only as good as the writing. Allen wrote the first sitcom, but not the second, and he&#8217;s not a writer on this series, either.\u00a0 It was created by husband-wife writing team Mike Scully and Julie Thacker-Scully, who previously wrote for &#8220;The Simpsons&#8221; and &#8220;Parks and Rec.&#8221; I just don&#8217;t think this comedy they wrote is very funny (which is the main prerequisite for a sitcom). The characters are fine, but the jokes are very predictable: Tim Allen&#8217;s character, Matt, is at odds with his daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings). They argue about everything. In between their arguing, Matt says a lot of lame right wing comments that are, I guess, supposed to make us laugh (whether we&#8217;re laughing at him, or his jobs, I&#8217;m not so sure).\u00a0 The acting is fine, but the actors aren&#8217;t given much to work with, comedically-speaking.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the show does have a lot of heart, which is the only thing that works at all.\u00a0 Both Riley and her dad are still mourning Riley&#8217;s mom, who died suddenly. The feelings between them, and about the late wife, feel very real.\u00a0 Perhaps they should have made this a drama instead.<\/p>\n<p>One thing that I found interesting is that Matt is a toned-down version of Allen&#8217;s previous characters. His right-wing rants are not nearly as bad as they were in &#8220;Last Man Standing.&#8221; Also, the show seems to be more of an ensemble show than &#8220;Home Improvement.&#8221;\u00a0 Riley has two children that enjoy spending time with their grandpa. Matt runs an auto body shop, where we quickly see a potential love interest for Riley is Gabriel (Seann William Scott). The only bright spot among the cast, besides Dennings (who&#8217;s wasted here), is Daryl Chill Mitchell (Stich), who doesn&#8217;t look like he ever ages. He&#8217;s funnier than the others in this show.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61628 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shiftinggearskeyart.png\" alt=\"Key art for &quot;Shifting Gears&quot; on ABC\/Disney\" width=\"271\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shiftinggearskeyart.png 271w, https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shiftinggearskeyart-203x300.png 203w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 271px) 100vw, 271px\" \/><strong>MORE INFORMATION: <a href=\"https:\/\/abc.com\/show\/0b64a2a5-a111-450a-a3c3-b0f8e69a2124\">Official Site<\/a>\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=j0WSd4qds4A\">Trailer<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"show-synopsis-content-5529\" class=\"font-extralight leading-5.5 mb-4 text-base prose prose-lg\">\n<p>\u201cShifting Gears\u201d follows Matt, the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When his estranged daughter, Riley, and her kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShifting Gears\u201d stars Tim Allen as Matt, Kat Dennings as Riley, Seann William Scott as Gabriel, Daryl Chill Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter and Barrett Margolis as Georgia.<\/p>\n<p>Tim Allen executive produces alongside Michelle Nader, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, John Pasquin, Jim Patterson, Bob Daily and John Amodeo. Pasquin also directed the pilot episode. Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully are executive producers on the pilot episode. Kat Dennings is a producer. The ABC series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios.<\/p>\n<p>01. &#8220;Restoration&#8221; Matt, the widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop, is confronted with his most unexpected and challenging project yet when his estranged daughter, Riley, and her adolescent children come crashing back into his life.<br \/>\nAir Date: 01\/08\/2025<\/p>\n<p>02. &#8220;Accommodations&#8221; Matt joins Riley at Carter\u2019s high school open house, where he\u2019s unsettled to learn about the \u201caccommodations\u201d made for his grandson\u2019s anxiety. Meanwhile, Riley reconnects with Caitlin, a former classmate, and sets her up with Gabriel.<br \/>\nAir Date: 01\/15\/2025<\/p>\n<p>03. &#8220;Job&#8221; Riley, desperate for work, reluctantly takes a job at Matt\u2019s shop. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Stitch secretly stray from Matt\u2019s vision on a high-stakes restomod project.<br \/>\nAir Date: 01\/22\/2025<\/p>\n<p>04. &#8220;Grief&#8221; When Riley discovers a closet filled with her late mother\u2019s clothes, she insists Matt hasn\u2019t processed her death and urges him to see a grief counselor. Meanwhile, Gabriel faces a crisis of confidence when he\u2019s put in charge of the shop for a day.<br \/>\nAir Date: 01\/29\/2025<\/p>\n<p>05. &#8220;Jimmy&#8221; Riley\u2019s estranged husband, Jimmy, shows up to win her back, much to Matt\u2019s dismay. While Matt struggles to get through to him, Riley finds support in an unexpected place.<br \/>\nAir Date: 02\/05\/2025<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- TVMEGBODY -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1056557952271337\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8801203268\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-61626\" src=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shiftinggearskids.png\" alt=\"MAXWELL SIMKINS, KAT DENNINGS, BARRETT MARGOLIS of &quot;Shifting Gears&quot; (Disney\/Mike Taing)\" width=\"371\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shiftinggearskids.png 506w, https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shiftinggearskids-300x178.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 371px) 100vw, 371px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Proofread and Edited by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvmeg.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/20\/biobrenda\/\">Brenda<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvmeg.com\/index.php\/primetime\/reviews\/\">Back to the Main Reviews Page<\/a><\/p>\n<p><i>The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The TV MegaSite or its other volunteers.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TV Review! &nbsp; &#8220;Shifting Gears&#8221; on ABC Review by Suzanne 1\/\/10\/25 First, I have to admit that I&#8217;m not a fan of Tim Allen, and that was true long before he became vocal about his conservatism. I just never found his brand of humor funny in either &#8220;Home Improvement&#8221; or &#8220;Last Man Standing.&#8221;\u00a0 He was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[327,79,2224,89,2222,2220,2223,341,2221,2218,447,2219],"class_list":["post-61636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-primetime","tag-abc","tag-article","tag-barrett-margolis","tag-comedy","tag-daryl-chill-mitchell","tag-kat-dennings","tag-maxwell-simkins","tag-review","tag-seann-william-scott","tag-shifting-gears","tag-sitcom","tag-tim-allen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61636"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61638,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61636\/revisions\/61638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}