Why Tim Allen's New Sitcom Is Already In Trouble

Tim Allen is one of television's most bankable stars, so it's not surprising ABC's given him another shot at sitcom glory. With "Last Man Standing," which saw a downfall but wrapped successfully after nine seasons and a network switch and "Home Improvement" being a legendary hit for the Alphabet Network, it's not surprising that they've picked up another series from him. "Shifting Gears" is set to be another family sitcom about a mechanically-inclined father dealing with his difficult offspring. There's only one problem: The series has already lost its co-creators, and it has yet to replace them.

Deadline reports that Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully, who were also serving as co-showrunners for "Switching Gears," have departed the project. They also state that executive producer Allen has been actively looking to replace both Scullys since they left the series, but he has not found the right person or persons for the task. The process has taken a number of weeks. On top of that, the role of Nick is in the middle of being recast. 

All of that chessboard shuffling means that the product audiences will see this fall probably won't match the pilot that convinced ABC to pick it up in the first place. It will take time for viewers to figure out if that's a good or a bad thing, but they can rest assured that "Switching Gears" sounds like more of Allen's usual winning formula of fatherhood, mechanics, and family ties.

"Switching Gears" will feature Tim Allen as Matt, a widower who restores classic cars and owns a garage that specializes in bringing them back to their glowing beauty. Matt's gearheaded life takes a sudden shift when his daughter, Riley (former "2 Broke Girls" star Kat Dennings) returns to the roost, accompanied by her own growing brood. Riley and Matt have had a bumpy relationship, and father and daughter will be forced to face the cracks in the way they communicate as they share a house. Presumably, all bets will be off very quickly as they try to figure out how to coexist.

Also involved in the sitcom are Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter and Barrett Margolis as Georgia. The sitcom is ABC's first pilot pickup for the 2024-2025 season, and the only show they've ordered to series so far. All of that should at least augur auspicious things for the series. Its fate will play out this fall before the eyes of sitcom-loving fans everywhere.