Tim Allen and Kat Dennings team up in the Shifting Gears series premiere (Preview)

Tim Allen plays a widower whose estranger daughter comes back to live with him in Shifting Gears. Take a look at what to expect in the series premiere.

SHIFTING GEARS - ÒRestorationÓ - 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. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8 (8:00-8:30 p.m. EST) on ABC. 
KAT DENNINGS, MAXWELL SIMKINS, BARRETT MARGOLIS, TIM ALLEN, SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT
SHIFTING GEARS - ÒRestorationÓ - 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. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8 (8:00-8:30 p.m. EST) on ABC. KAT DENNINGS, MAXWELL SIMKINS, BARRETT MARGOLIS, TIM ALLEN, SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT

If you’re looking for a new comedy series to check out, ABC has you covered tonight. Shifting Gears premieres, and it looks perfect for Home Improvement fans.

Tim Allen stars as a widower who is set in his ways. He is happy with his life and the way he runs his business, and then things turn upside down. His estranged daughter comes back into his life looking for help, and she has his grandkids with her.

Riley comes back home in Shifting Gears

A good parent will always welcome their children back home. That’s what Matt does when his daughter, Riley, turns up at his work with the car she stole 15 years ago. Riley is down on her luck and figuring out what to do with her life, and she needs somewhere to crash land while she figures that out.

Of course, home is the place to turn. Matt may be stuck in his ways and point out how Riley left things in the past, but he’s not going to turn his daughter or his grandchildren away. He’ll give her a start, but it looks like she isn’t going to get a free ride—and that’s not necessarily what she wants.

The two haven’t been in each other’s lives since Riley was 18. Since then, she’s had two kids and Matt has run a successful business. However, the people who work for him make it clear that he is happy now that she is back in his life. They know the weight that having an estranged daughter was for him.

The problems between them clearly didn’t just start at 18, though. It sounds like it was the death of Riley’s mom/Matt’s wife that led to the major issues. Now the two need to figure it all out like adults. Can they do that?

Shifting Gears cast

They are joined by Seann William Scott as Gabriel, who works at the classic car restoration place. He’s the one who points out that Matt is happier now that Riley is back.

Daryl “Chill” Mitchell will also star as Ed, who also works at the shop. Cynthia Quiles will also star in the series at the shop, but her character isn’t named on IMDb or even on the ABC press site. She is in the promo for the series, though.

Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis will play Riley’s children, Carter and Georgia respectively.

Check out the promo for Shifting Gears and get ready for the first episode:

Shifting Gears premieres tonight, Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 8/7c on ABC. Catch up on the show the following day on Hulu.

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