Leading up to Wednesday's Shifting Gears premiere on the 2025 fall TV schedule, there was a lot of talk about Tim Allen reuniting with the Home Improvement gang. That included Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn, and Debbe Dunning (otherwise known as Allen’s on-screen wife Jill, his pal Al Bordland and the immortal Heidi). People have followed Allen from show to show for years, so this type of cameo is much welcomed; however, it’s not the only callback the show gave us in Season 2, Episode 1.
Spoilers below, of course, so if you haven’t caught the premiere episode yet, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Shifting Gears’ Season 2 Premiere Didn’t JUST Feature A Home Improvement Cameo
Shockingly, the Season 2 premiere wasn’t just satisfying for Home Improvement fans. The writers took the opportunity to bring back Nancy Travis after her delightful first appearances on the show in Season 1. As you probably are well aware, Travis is also a nod to Allen’s long and storied career, and she'd said after the first round she'd had no doubt she'd make it back to Shifting Gears.
During Season Season 1, Travis guest-starred and became a sort of confidante for Allen’s Matt Harper. The two meet sometimes at the graves of their respective loved ones, who reside just across the hall from one another. It’s a good fit, and fans will appreciate the two still verbally spar in a manner similar to Last Man Standing.
I guess I should have seen this coming given what the showrunners teased before the Season 2 premiere, but I was honestly surprised to see Charlotte back for the premiere, particularly given how much the Home Improvement cast cameoing was hyped before the episode aired on ABC, but it turns out she was the conduit to getting Matt to meet this new-old gang, and I really appreciate how the writing all came together to bring these co-stars from Allen's past back into the fold all at once.
How The Home Improvement Team Factored In
It was actually Charlotte who actually was the catalyst to getting Matt to a grief group. There, Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning were all playing characters mourning their spouses, just like Charlotte and Matt. Charlotte said she’d gone for a while after the death of her husband, it was ultimately a fun setup, and it leaves some breathing room for the characters to come back in this universe should Matt ever be having trouble letting go of something his wife used to do for him, etc.
I still sometimes watch old episodes of Home Improvement, so it honestly felt so odd to see how much time has passed on the new show. Patricia Richardson is rocking silver hair now (she looks great) and Karn is giving grandpa vibes (probably because he reportedly is a grandpa.) Dunning honestly looked basically unchanged all these years later, which was also fun to see. And contextually the cameos fit into the storyline on the show.
Shifting Gears usually has pretty tight writing, and the Charlotte inclusion made the whole thing even better for me. Now, I just have to say: Since Seann William Scott’s Gabriel is back in the dating pool, please find a way to bring The Santa Clause’s David Krumholtz on as a Kat Dennings love interest, please and thank you.
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