“Can We Have a Conversation Like Two Rational Adults?” “Haven’t You Watched the News? That’s Not a Thing Any More.”
My quest to find a good new sitcom was successful in the latest tv season with not one but two new shows I looked forward to watching each week. Both of them featured vets of classic sitcoms. While the first, Shifting Gears, still has some room to grow, season one has genuine laughs and promises more to come.
The show features Tim Allen as Matt, a widower who owns a shop that restores classic cars. (Hey, it’s Tim Allen, what did you expect?) His world is turned upside down when his daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings), arrives unannounced with her two kids (Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis). She’s just left her husband, a musician Matt never liked, and needs a place to crash while she figures out how to get her life back on track. The catch? The two have hardly spoken since she moved out almost two decades ago.
Rounding out the cast are two of the employees at Matt’s shop, Gabriel (Seann William Scott) and Stitch (Daryl Mitchell). That’s right, this show is a bit of a Galaxy Quest reunion, although so far, I haven’t caught any references to the show.
This show also doesn’t shy away from a little politics. Matt’s a conservative and Riley is liberal. Just one of the many things the two clash over. To be honest, I worried a little about how this would be handled, but I quickly started laughing at those jokes. They pick on both sides, and they’ve had some great lines. And, this is a small part of the show. If it were larger, I might be more bothered by it.
Tim and Kat play perfectly off each other. I think this is the first thing I’ve seen her in outside of the Marvel movies, and I’m really enjoying her performance. Any scene that features the two of them is guaranteed to feature some strong laughs.
Unfortunately, the rest of the cast isn’t as well developed yet. Yes, they’ve given us some laughs, but they still feel a little generic. I hope this is something that gets fixed as the series goes forward. Part of that is how little screen time some of them have had.
This includes Jenna Elfman, who plays the owner of the dance studio next door to Matt’s automotive shop. As a fan of the actress, I’m thrilled to see her again. They are obviously setting up her character to be important beyond the three episodes she’s been in so far. But she needs a little more to do. Given the right writing, I think she can be comedy gold with this cast. And yes, it is unfair to judge based on three episodes.
The other thing I appreciate about the show is that they are tackling some tough subjects like grief. No, they aren’t forgetting that they are a sitcom. But they are wading into these deeper topics and the results are strong. Yes, sometimes they hit some easy resolutions. Other times? They leave things a little open, which is realistic.
Speaking of that, do look for Nancy Travis, Tim’s co-star on Last Man Standing, who guest stars in a great episode.
Season one consisted of only ten episodes. And I fully recognize that is some of why the issues I’ve mentioned haven’t been worked out yet. Shows need a little time to grow as the writers and actors find the characters. Don’t misunderstand, I’m enjoying the show very much. But, it’s not where it can be yet.
The good news is that ABC has renewed the series for a second season. I’m hoping it’s closer to a traditional full season order. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing more of the characters.
Shifting Gears is giving me hope that the classic sitcom isn’t completely dead. If you’ve been missing this TV staple, you’ll be glad you checked out season 1.
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