Tim Allen has built a long-standing career portraying a sitcom dad, first on “Home Improvement” and later on “Last Man Standing”, and now he’s back once more with “Shifting Gears”, which debuted last week according to the 2025 TV lineup. In his new role as Matt Parker, Allen’s character is dealing with estranged daughter Riley (played by Kat Dennings), hinting at a potential reunion of Allen with another of his television offspring. The actor has mentioned the possibility of Jonathan Taylor Thomas joining “Shifting Gears”, and that’s one comeback I would eagerly watch.
The show titled “Shifting Gears,” which can be streamed through Hulu, made its debut on ABC on January 8. Interestingly, it seems Tim Allen wasn’t the only cast member who returned to the set of their ’90s sitcom, “Home Improvement.” It’s been reported that Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who portrayed middle child Randy, dropped by the set. This leads us to wonder if we might see Jonathan Thomas Thomas (JTT) reconnect with his on-screen dad. Allen mentioned to US Weekly:
1. Any situation can be a reality. He returned to the set where we last filmed. He appeared at the filming location. He grew up under my care for eight years while I worked on Home Improvement.
2. Another option: Everything is a potential scenario. He came back to the place where our previous episode was shot. He made an appearance on the movie set. I’ve been taking care of that child for eight long years during Home Improvement.
It would be quite significant if Jonathan Taylor Thomas were to make an appearance on Shifting Gears, as he has largely stepped away from acting since leaving Home Improvement before its final season. Following his departure, he’s mostly limited his work to occasional guest roles on shows like 8 Simple Rules, Smallville, and Veronica Mars during the early 2000s.
Despite parting ways professionally after the end of “Home Improvement,” JTT reconnected with Tim Allen for four episodes and even directed three on “Last Man Standing.” This suggests that they’ve stayed in touch over the years. When referring to JTT as his on-set son, Allen was also including Zachery Ty Bryan and Taran Noah Smith (Brad and Mark) in the family. Allen’s comment about Bryan seemed to allude to the latter’s legal issues.
All of these are my kids and I’m kind of sick about this.
Zachary Ty Bryan has faced accusations of assault, with a domestic violence incident happening on January 1st this year being the latest. Additionally, he’s been arrested for driving under the influence no less than five times throughout his life, with two such arrests occurring in the year 2024. Similarly to JTT, Taran Noah Smith stepped away from acting after Home Improvement.
It’s plausible to think that, since Jonathan Taylor Thomas collaborated with Tim Allen on “Last Man Standing” and seems to be present on the set of “Shifting Gears”, he could potentially team up with his old TV father on another venture, whether as an actor or a crew member. However, I wouldn’t get too excited about a real “Home Improvement” spinoff at this point.
Although Tim Allen has discussed a potential concept with Jonathan Taylor Thomas and their on-screen brothers, any proposed reboot in 2024 was rejected by Tim’s TV wife Patricia Richardson. She mentioned that Thomas himself had denied discussing this idea with Allen.
It appears that Tim Allen’s latest ABC sitcom, titled “Shifting Gears“, could potentially bring back the cast together again. The show has received mixed reviews so far, with critics pointing out numerous generational humor and comments about today’s youth – a common theme in Allen’s comedic style. If you’re interested in watching the series and hoping for a possible return of Jonathan Taylor Thomas, “Shifting Gears” airs every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, with episodes available for streaming on Hulu the following day.
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2025-01-12 19:37