Tim Allen's latest sitcom venture, Shifting Gears, kicked off its second season on ABC this week, pulling in a wave of nostalgia that's hard to ignore. Starring alongside Kat Dennings as the estranged daughter Riley, Allen reprises his role as the gruff widower Matt, running a classic car restoration shop. But it's the guest spots that have everyone talking—Patricia Richardson and Nancy Travis, Allen's onscreen spouses from Home Improvement and Last Man Standing, respectively, make their way into the mix, turning the premiere into something of a family affair for longtime fans.
Indeed, the episode aired October 1 doesn't hold back on the callbacks. Richardson, who played Jill Taylor opposite Allen's Tim for eight seasons back in the '90s, shows up in a grief support group scene that's equal parts heartfelt and awkward. Travis, meanwhile, reprises her Last Man Standing chemistry with Allen as Charlotte, even dropping a cheeky line calling him a "slut" amid his budding romance with Jenna Elfman's Eve. It's all played for laughs, of course, but one can't help wondering if the show is leaning a tad too heavily on these reunions to keep the engine running. Season 2 boasts an expanded order of 22 episodes, up from the first season's 18, giving plenty of room for more such cameos—Jay Leno popped in earlier this year, after all.
However, beneath the familiar faces, Shifting Gears tackles some thornier family dynamics. Dennings' Riley navigates life with her teenage kids after a separation, clashing with Matt's old-school ways in the workshop. The sociopolitical jabs are there too, subtle enough not to alienate, but pointed in Allen's signature style. Moreover, hints of a shared universe with his past shows surfaced in episode 3 of season 1, and now with Travis and Richardson crossing over, it feels like Allen's building his own little TV empire. Seann William Scott joins the regular cast as a new mechanic, adding fresh energy to the garage antics.
Critics have mixed takes—some praise the warmth, others see it as comfort food that's gotten a bit stale. Still, with streaming on Hulu boosting viewership, the numbers suggest audiences are hooked. As these reunions unfold across the season, it invites curiosity about whether fresh stories can match the pull of the past.