Shifting Gears has made an effort to not directly address Tim Allen‘s character Matt’s political beliefs — and there’s a reason for that.
“You don’t understand how smart this guy is. You don’t know who Matt Parker is,” Allen, 72, exclusively told Us Weekly. “He’s a bit of hard to pin down about what he really thinks [specifically politically].”
Allen noted that he didn’t want politics to play a giant role in Matt’s story, adding, “I wish to skirt all that. This guy has to take care of a automobile shop and all the time desired to be a designer and artist. He’s not what you’re thinking that. He knows about ballet and art. We’ll discover all that. I’ve all the time desired to play an artist that’s also a fundamental fixer.”
ABC’s Shifting Gears had a distinct approach in comparison with other sitcom characters Allen has played prior to now — including Last Man Standing’s Mike.
“Mike Baxter did his vlogs and it showed his fix-it mentality,” he recalled. “When you were only a fix it person, how would you sort things? It’s whatever political system fixes things. I’m for it. Now you don’t know with Matt Parker.”
Shifting Gears, which premiered in January 2025, is about in a automobile restoration shop opened by Matt. After reuniting along with his estranged daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings), the duo work to repair cars — and their relationship.
The hit series began three years after Allen’s previous sitcom, Last Man Standing, accomplished its nine-season run. Before Last Man Standing, Allen was best known for taking part in Tim “The Toolman” Taylor on ABC’s Home Improvement, which ran from 1991 to 1999, in addition to lending his voice to the hit Toy Story movies and his holiday classic, The Santa Clause.
“It is a latest character and it’s much closer to [who I am]. I’ve been through grief in my life with losing my father,” Allen exclusively told Us in January 2025 about his latest role. “I’ve been blessed to be a comedian and in order that’s who this [character] is. If I did it again, I desired to get as much closer to the [man] that I’m.”
Allen revealed he wasn’t planning to return to network TV until Shifting Gears got here along.
“It was a sophisticated decision. I used to be doing Disney+’s Santa Clause series on the time and I said, ‘I actually can’t take into consideration this now,’” Allen noted. “Do I need to do linear TV? I used to be so depressed at how streaming has hurt television. So if I did it, I need to raise it.”
He continued: “I’ve done Mike Baxter [on Last Man Standing] and Tim Taylor [on Home Improvement]. So if I do that again, I pitched three things: I need a man that lost his wife recently, so he’s coping with grief; I need a man with the family that doesn’t get along; After which he has a custom automobile shop.”
More recently, Allen reflected on how playing a sitcom dad was inspired by his offscreen experience as a father, telling Us, “When it was easy to be a TV parent, it’s easy. When it’s difficult to be a TV parent, you actually are of no value. [With the] Home Improvement kids, it was so way back and I used to be brand latest, and it was very difficult for me to be anywhere near a mentor. It wasn’t until later that I became more of a mentor. But all of them had great parents.”
Shifting Gears airs on ABC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET before streaming the following day on Hulu.