🚗Shifting Gears Season 2 (2025): Cast, Plot, Release Date & Where to Watch – Recap of Season 1 & What’s New in Season 2 with Tim Allen & Kat Dennings Return with More Comedy and Family Drama

The engines are revving once again! After a successful first season, ABC’s hit sitcom Shifting Gears is back for Season 2, premiering October 1, 2025. Starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings, this family comedy blends garage banter, heartfelt moments, and laugh-out-loud clashes between generations.

Whether you’re a longtime Tim Allen fan or fell in love with the show’s new spin on the family sitcom formula, here’s everything you need to know—starting with a quick look back at Season 1.

🔧 Season 1 Recap – When Family Moves In, So Does the Chaos

In Season 1, we met Matt Parker (Tim Allen), a stubborn, old-school mechanic still mourning the loss of his wife. His quiet life running a classic car restoration shop takes a sudden turn when his estranged daughter Riley (Kat Dennings)—newly divorced and down on her luck—moves back home with her kids, Carter and Georgia.

What follows is a clash of values, personalities, and lifestyles:

• Matt believes in grit, grease, and doing things “the right way.”

• Riley embraces modern independence, trying to raise her kids without repeating her father’s mistakes.

• Meanwhile, the grandkids (played by Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis) bring plenty of mischief and heart.

Alongside the Parker family drama, the shop crew—Seann William Scott as Gabriel and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as Stitch—added their own comedy sparks, while guest stars like Jay Leno and Nancy Travis brought extra laughs.

By the season finale, Matt and Riley weren’t exactly a well-oiled machine, but the family found common ground in rebuilding both cars and relationships.

🎬 What’s New in Season 2?

Season 2 promises to shift gears with bigger laughs, deeper family ties, and a few surprise faces. The new season will run 13 episodes, giving fans even more time with the Parkers.

Here’s what’s coming up:

• New Guest Stars: Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn, and Debbe Dunning (a mini-Home Improvement reunion!) will join the fun, alongside Lilly Singh as Jen.

• Nancy Travis returns, keeping that Tim Allen chemistry alive.

• Riley continues to juggle single motherhood, a new boss (Jenna Elfman as Eve Drake), and her complicated ex (Lucas Neff as Jimmy).

• Matt faces challenges both at home and at the shop, where his old-school ways are tested in a changing world.

Expect more heartwarming moments as Matt learns that restoring relationships can be even tougher than restoring cars.

😂 Why Fans Love Shifting Gears

The series has quickly become a fan-favorite because it blends:

• Tim Allen’s trademark cranky-but-loveable comedy style.

• Kat Dennings’ sharp wit and modern take on parenting.

• The chemistry of a family trying (and often failing) to figure each other out.

As Matt quips in Season 1: “Engines are simple. Families… now that’s a whole different mess.”

📺 Release & Streaming Details

• Season 2 Premiere Date: October 1, 2025

• Episodes: 13

• Where to Watch: ABC (with next-day streaming on Hulu)

🚦 Final Thoughts – A Sitcom with Heart and Horsepower

Shifting Gears Season 2 is set to deliver more laughs, more family squabbles, and more of Tim Allen doing what he does best:

playing the gruff dad with a heart of gold. With Kat Dennings balancing his energy perfectly, and a stellar supporting cast, this comedy is proving it has plenty of mileage left.

As Riley says in Season 1: “Families aren’t built in a day… but hey, neither are cars.”

🔥 Mark your calendars: Shifting Gears Season 2 premieres October 1, 2025, on ABC.