Shifting Gears

The cast is great. Sean William Scott needed a new sitcom. His role is perfect for him. Love Tim Allen and all the callbacks to his previous hits. Nice to see Daryl Mitchell again after NCIS NOLA was canceled. But Kat Demmings is the lag.

Riley's exactly the same character as Max from 2 Broke Girls. The same sarcasm and one liner style...same slutty/drunk/party girl backstory as Max. There's virtually no separation between the 2 characters. The only difference is Riley has loving parents and no yellow waitress uniform.

Demmings' character in 2 Broke Girls worked. But in this show...it's already getting old and I'm on the 7th episode now. Hopefully they can change it up a bit by the end of the season. It's funny but her character being soooo similar to her previous series...makes you feel like you're at the end of the series rather than the first season. I'm afraid there won't be a season two without some kind of change with her character. There's great potential with such a good cast.

I'm quite enjoying this sitcom so far. The laugh track does not bother me, actually I find sitcoms with laugh tracks to be enjoyable and light hearted. It's not about telling me when to laugh but rather about feeling like I'm laughing along with an audience. It makes me feel like I'm there and that it's more of a "show".

I'm very excited to see Tim, Kat, Seam and Daryl interact, they are all favourites from separate shows and were great in those so I expect they will be great in this one.

So far I've watched the first 2 episodes and I think it's getting into it's groove. They are getting more into their characters and it's getting funnier. Every show needs a few episodes for us to get to know them and their rhythm, so let's see how this one's gonna be.

I really like Tim Allen and Kat Dennings, and so I was hopeful about their pairing as sitcom veterans in Shifting Gears. I like the premise too and find it relatable. It's challenging when you don't always see eye to eye with your parent but you love them regardless. And as someone who comes from a family with a mix of liberals and conservatives, I like shows that have characters from both sides of the table.

I will say, though...it could just be that it's the first episode and they need more time working together, but the chemistry of the actors seems off. Kat's not really giving me a "became a mom at a young age" vibe yet. Everyone just felt a bit awkard but I will say it's an awkward situation to have to ask your parent for help when your relationship isn't the best. But I couldn't help but feel everything was just a pinched forced.

Tim and the granddaughter connect well, though. She was the best out of all of them, in my opinion. She seemed to be the one that interacted with everyone the best and felt the most natural in the role. She has a bright eyed optimism that is refreshing to see that breaks from the stereotype of " kids these days are just spoiled screen zombies with zero social skills."

I still like the premise, though. And I still got a bit choked up at the end - it felt like Kat and Tim finally "clicked", not just as father and daughter, but as two actors telling a story. So maybe they will find their footing eventually? I'm going to give it more time. Hoping it becomes my comfort show.

Here I was thinking Tim Allen and Kat Denning, 2 actors I actually like, were going to blow it out of the park. 2 episodes in and all I can think is how long till they cancel this. Tim is the exact same character hes always been but theres no spring in his step. Its a stiff performance. Maybe he's trying to adapt to the character and hasnt nailed it yet.

Kat for the most part is phoning it in. Shes acting like shes in 2 Broke Girls but without the clever sexual innuendos. She was much better in Thor and Wandavision.

This just seems flat to me. I'll watch it for now, but I think this one wont get any legs to it. Its just not funny and the canned laughter is over done.

Six stars is probably being overly generous. This sitcom is quite simply not good. I loved Tim Allen and the entire cast of "Home Improvement". "Last Man Standing" wasn't great in terms of writing, but at least the cast was interesting and talented. "Shifting Gears" is simply a car crash of a show. Outside of Allen, the casting and acting is terrible. Chemistry among the mother and her two teenagers is completely nonexistent. The writing is dull and predictable. Why any executive greenlit this show for more episodes after watching the pilot is a mystery to me. I've seen the first two episodes and have zero interest in any more.