Tim Allen’s New Sitcom Is a Hit, But Critics Are Confused

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The initial episode of Tim Allen’s fresh ABC sitcom, Shifting Gears, set new streaming premier viewership records, surpassing those of The Conners’ debut in 2018. Created by Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully, who are known for their work on The Simpsons, the series garnered nearly 17 million views across the first seven days on ABC, Hulu, and Disney+, according to ABC. The Wrap states in its report:

In my perspective, I was utterly amazed by the comedy series starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings. The number of viewers skyrocketed, jumping from an initial 6.2 million to a staggering 16.95 million! This is a whopping 173% increase, as reported by Nielsen. Among adults aged 18 to 49, the show garnered an impressive rating of 0.87. Simply put, it’s clear that this series has struck a chord with audiences.

This remarkable milestone signifies Allen making a comeback to network TV after six years since “Last Man Standing”. The impressive ratings could be due to Allen’s charisma, as he has amassed a substantial fanbase from his past sitcoms like “Home Improvement”. In “Shifting Gears”, we follow Matt (Allen), a widower and classic car shop owner, whose life takes an unexpected turn when his estranged daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings), returns with her children, Carter and Georgia (Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis). The cast also includes Seann William Scott, famous for “American Pie” and “Dude, Where’s My Car”, as well as Daryl “Chill” Mitchell from “Fear The Walking Dead”, who play the roles of Gabriel and Stich, two eccentric mechanics at Matt’s car shop.

The sitcom drew mixed reactions from critics, neither praising nor criticizing it strongly; they generally agreed that its uninspired premise, dull humor, and poor character dynamics failed to leave a lasting impact. Similar to his previous work (and some say even his show Home Improvement, the character portrayed by Allen is a classic stubborn patriarch whose conservative views often contrast sharply with his liberal-leaning daughter and grandchildren from Gen Z, nothing new compared to his past productions.

Is ‘Shifting Gears’ Part of a Sitcom Renaissance?

Changing Gears isn’t exactly revolutionizing the sitcom genre or straying from ABC’s typical television offerings. Yet, its successful debut suggests a growing appetite for this type of entertainment. It will be intriguing to observe how many viewers ABC manages to keep tuned in over the coming weeks. Despite the viewership numbers, the show has garnered a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes at present.

It’s possible that audiences are longing for the traditional aspects of shows like “Shifting Gears“, such as live studio audiences and set-based filming, which might be what they’re yearning for at the moment. Even though family sitcoms haven’t gone away completely, recent versions have experimented with different formats or moved to streaming services, giving them a distinctly modern look and feel. (Notably, there seems to be a trend of mockumentary-style shows trying to replicate the success of “The Office“) It remains to be seen if we’re witnessing a resurgence of sitcoms, but for now, viewers can appreciate this new series.

Watch Shifting Gears Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC. You can stream it on Hulu here.

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2025-01-20 01:35