Kat Dennings and Tim Allen Become Roommates in an Unexpected Way inShifting Gears: See the First Look (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Kat DenningsandTim Allenare moving in together — kind of.The new ABC sitcomShifting Gearsstars Dennings and Allen as they play a widowed father Matt and his estranged daughter Riley who find themselves living together and working to repair their relationship.PEOPLE’s exclusive first look shows the dynamic between the two as they navigate life under one roof, as Riley and her kids move back home.“Is that my GTO? I built that 15 years ago and somebody stole it,” the trailer begins, showing Matt, an owner of a classic car repair shop, watching Riley drive in.“Hi, dad,” she says before he exclaims, “And there’s the thief!”Kat Dennings and Tim Allen.ABCWords then flash across the screen reading: “Coming home is a bumpy road.”“I’m crawling home because I’m broke,” Riley explains. “I need a place to stay until I figure out what the rest of my life looks like.”“So a couple of days!” Matt quips, promoting laughter from the studio audience.Viewers then get a peak into the father-daughter dynamic, with Matt recalling, “I asked if you locked that back door, you looked back at me and you gave me a double bird.”“I was 18, the double bird is how I ended all of our conversations,” Riley jokes before the preview comes to an end.‘Shifting Gears’ cast with Kat Dennings and Tim Allen.ABCIn addition to starring in the sitcom, Allen, 71, serves as executive producer and Dennings, 38, as producer. The series also starsSeann William Scottas Gabriel, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter and Barrett Margolis as Georgia.Allen is no stranger to sitcoms. He is well known for his role in the ‘90s hitHome Improvementand, more recently,Last Man Standing,which ended in 2021. He also starred inThe Santa Clausemovies, which was made into a Disney+ seriesThe Santa Clausesin 2022.Dennings also made her mark in the sitcom world with CBS'2 Broke Girls, which aired from 2011-2017.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Shifting Gearspremieres Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.

Kat DenningsandTim Allenare moving in together — kind of.

The new ABC sitcomShifting Gearsstars Dennings and Allen as they play a widowed father Matt and his estranged daughter Riley who find themselves living together and working to repair their relationship.

PEOPLE’s exclusive first look shows the dynamic between the two as they navigate life under one roof, as Riley and her kids move back home.

“Is that my GTO? I built that 15 years ago and somebody stole it,” the trailer begins, showing Matt, an owner of a classic car repair shop, watching Riley drive in.

“Hi, dad,” she says before he exclaims, “And there’s the thief!”

Kat Dennings and Tim Allen.ABC

ABC

Words then flash across the screen reading: “Coming home is a bumpy road.”

“I’m crawling home because I’m broke,” Riley explains. “I need a place to stay until I figure out what the rest of my life looks like.”

“So a couple of days!” Matt quips, promoting laughter from the studio audience.

Viewers then get a peak into the father-daughter dynamic, with Matt recalling, “I asked if you locked that back door, you looked back at me and you gave me a double bird.”

“I was 18, the double bird is how I ended all of our conversations,” Riley jokes before the preview comes to an end.

‘Shifting Gears’ cast with Kat Dennings and Tim Allen.ABC

In addition to starring in the sitcom, Allen, 71, serves as executive producer and Dennings, 38, as producer. The series also starsSeann William Scottas Gabriel, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter and Barrett Margolis as Georgia.

Allen is no stranger to sitcoms. He is well known for his role in the ‘90s hitHome Improvementand, more recently,Last Man Standing,which ended in 2021. He also starred inThe Santa Clausemovies, which was made into a Disney+ seriesThe Santa Clausesin 2022.

Dennings also made her mark in the sitcom world with CBS'2 Broke Girls, which aired from 2011-2017.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Shifting Gearspremieres Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.

source: people.com