ABC is kicking off Season 2 ofTim Allen’ssitcomShifting Gearswith a reunion that fans have been waiting decades for.Home ImprovementalumsPatricia Richardson,Richard Karn, andDebbe Dunningwill all guest star in the season premiere, airingWednesday, October 1.
The trio will reunite withAllen, who stars as Matt Parker, the stubborn widower running a classic car restoration shop while juggling family life after hisestranged daughter Riley (played byKat Dennings)moves in with her kids. While ABC is keeping tight-lipped on exactly who Richardson, Karn, and Dunning will play, the network teased that their characters will be helping Matt out “in an unexpected way.”
The guest stars join a cast that includesSeann William Scottas Gabriel,Daryl Chill Mitchellas Stitch,Maxwell Simkinsas Carter, andBarrett Margolisas Georgia. BothNancy TravisandJenna Elfmanwill also return in recurring guest roles this season.
Now heading into its sophomore season,Shifting Gearshas quickly become ABC’s latest multi-cam success. The show balances shop-floor banter with family tension, as Allen’s Matt struggles to restore his relationships as much as the vintage cars in his garage. Executive producing alongside Allen areMichelle Nader, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, John Pasquin, Jim Patterson, Bob Daily,andJohn Amodeo, with Dennings also serving as a producer. The series comes from 20th Television.
Why Is The ‘Home Improvement’ Reunion So Exciting?
For longtime fans, this reunion is pure nostalgia.Home Improvementran for eight seasons on ABC from 1991 to 1999, with Allen as Tim “The Toolman” Taylor. Richardson played his wife Jill, appearing in all 204 episodes, and later popped up twice on Allen’sLast Man Standing. Karn, who played Tim’s plaid-loving co-host Al Borland, also returned for multipleLast Man Standingcameos and co-hosted two History Channel shows with Allen:Assembly RequiredandMore Power. Dunning, meanwhile, joinedHome Improvementin Season 3 as Heidi, the Tool Time girl, followingPamela Anderson’sexit. Bringing the three back together with Allen on ABC feels like a full-circle moment. It’s the first time this group has shared a sitcom set in more than 25 years.
If the first season established Allen’s new sitcom world, Season 2 is leaning into its legacy — and nothing says that louder than aHome Improvementreunion.Shifting GearsSeason 2 premieres October 1 on ABC, with next-day streaming available on Hulu.
Shifting Gears
