I Thought Tim Allen’s New Show Would Totally Be Renewed For Season 2. Turns Out There May Be Trouble In Paradise

by

Despite linear TV ratings consistently decreasing over the years due to the streaming era, the 2025 TV schedule is surprisingly stacked with more hits than expected, particularly in delayed-viewing windows that incorporate repeats and DVR. For example, Kaitlin Olson’s ABC dramedy High Potential achieved impressive double-digit ratings figures with its initial episodes, securing a renewal order even before the season finale’s twist was unveiled. This raises questions about the network’s other major freshman series, Shifting Gears.

With popular TV personalities like Tim Allen, Kat Dennings, Seann William Scott, and later additions such as Jenna Elfman, Shifting Gears started off with a bang, leading me to anticipate that it would receive renewal news from ABC in no time. However, the network has been silent on this matter since then, and it seems like the initial promising ratings may be the reason for their silence.

Shifting Gears Is Reportedly On The Cancellation Bubble Due To Its Major Decline In Viewership Stats

Shifting Gears roared onto ABC’s schedule in January 2025, much like one of Tim Allen’s sports cars, and it attracted an astonishing audience of 6.1 million viewers on its premiere day, a feat seldom achieved by network comedies at that stage. However, when the delayed totals were added up, the debut episode was viewed by over 17 million people across ABC, Hulu, Disney+, and VOD platforms. It’s almost surprising that the renewal wasn’t announced immediately.

Regrettably, none of the subsequent episodes managed to match the initial record-breaking viewership, and the final episode of ‘Shifting Gears’ had only 3.8 million viewers when it was first broadcast. Compared to the scale of post-pandemic scripted television, this isn’t the steepest or most alarming decline for many shows. However, considering that Tim Allen is the lead actor, even a decrease in viewership is significant. According to Deadline, the sitcom’s dip in ratings was also reflected in its streaming figures.

Instead of having a typical 20+ episode run spanning from September to May with numerous holiday pauses, the sitcom “Shifting Gears” deviated from this pattern during its first season. It was initially given a limited order of ten episodes, and there was just one brief week-long break separating the sixth and seventh episodes.

It’s Also Costly For A 30-Minute Sitcom

For quite some time, television executives often found sitcoms to be cost-effective due to their frequent use of prefabricated sets and minimal filming on location. However, although this is true for the show Shifting Gears, it possesses an exceptional budgetary requirement that most other programs lack: the presence of Tim Allen.

After the (second) halt in production of Last Man Standing, Allen’s first appearance on live studio audiences marked a significant and probably financially advantageous opportunity for the actor. However, given its potential long-term demands and possible future pay increases, it might have been challenging for him to agree to such a deal annually.

It’s worth noting that Kat Dennings, Seann William Scott, and Chill Mitchell are not only well-known but also respected in their respective fields. (Similarly, it’s important to mention that a significant amount of funds from the numerous cars in Matt’s garage end up in Allen’s pocket.)

However, ABC’s Lack Of New Shows And Existing Comedies Could Help Save Shifting Gears From Cancellation

Despite the pessimistic signs suggesting that “Shifting Gears” might be phased out without exploring Matt’s growing relationship with Eve, there’s a glimmer of hope: ABC’s scripted programming seems to be shrinking, and it appears they don’t have many projects in the pipeline that are likely to air on television soon.

As “The Conners” enters its final six episodes, “Abbott Elementary” will become the sole half-hour comedy on the network. This seems surprising for a broadcast channel that once housed the iconic TGIF sitcom block. At present, only one new series in development is the spinoff titled “9-1-1: Nashville”.

To put it another way, ABC has the smallest number of scripted programs airing during primetime at the moment, with only 9 shows compared to CBS (18), NBC (15) and Fox (16). It’s surprising that Fox is leading in these numbers given that they only broadcast two hours of primetime programming as opposed to three on other networks. Although Fox can lean heavily on its Bachelor Nation series, American Idol, Celebrity Jeopardy!, and other shows without needing multicamera sitcoms, it’s worth noting.

In simpler terms, one factor that might tip the scale towards this comedy being successful is that it premiered mid-season, and shows that debut during fall tend to be more successful. This suggests that decision-makers may believe its prospects could increase if it’s moved to a different time slot or given an earlier release date.

In the meantime, while everyone is eagerly awaiting news about renewals or cancellations, nothing will be confirmed until ABC makes their decision privately. So, let’s keep our patience and subscribe to Hulu to watch all of the first season.

Read More

2025-04-02 20:37