Tim Allen is one step closer to returning to ABC for a third time. The Alphabet net has given a pilot order to his latest sitcom, “Shifting Gears,” from 20th Television. Allen is on board to star and executive produce the multi-cam sitcom pilot — which is still a working title — which will also be written and executive produced by Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully.
In the project, Allen plays Matt, the “stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When Matt’s estranged daughter and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.”
Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker and Rick Messinaare the non-writing exec producers on the show.
“Shifting Gears” continues Allen’s long association with ABC and Disney, including the long-running hit (1991-1997) “Home Improvement.” Allen later starred on ABC’s “Last Man Standing,” which aired on the Alphabet web from 2011 to 2017, then moved to Fox from 2018 to 2021.
Allen also most recently starred in, and executive-produced, the Disney+ series “The Santa Clauses.” In that series, he reprised his role as Scott Calvin/Santa. Also at Disney, Allen has served for decades as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Disney’s Oscar-winning “Toy Story” franchise.
As for the Scullys, their recent credits include the animated series “Duncanville.” Mike Scully is perhaps best known for his time on “The Simpsons,” on which he was an executive producer and showrunner for four seasons. He was also a producer on “The Simpsons Movie,” which was released in 2007. He has also worked as a writer-producer on hit shows like “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The Carmichael Show,” and “Parks and Recreation.”
Thacker Scully was also a writer and co-executive producer on “The Simpsons” as well as shows like “Fuller House” and the animated series adaptation of “Napoleon Dynamite,” which Scully co-developed. She and Scully co-created shows like “Complete Savages” for ABC starring Keith Carradine and Erik Von Dettern and “The Pitts” for Fox, which was an early starring role for Lizzy Caplan. Both Scully and Thacker Scully have also directed in addition to writing and producing.
Allen is repped by Messina Baker Entertainment, WME and Ziffren Brittenham; the Scullys are repped by Verve.
