After months of worrying about Shifting Gears’s fate on ABC, the network renewed the Tim Allen-starring comedy for Season 3 in April, and without any major casting changes being noted. But then along came Fox’s new drama The Interrogator, with Jenna Elfman taking a co-lead role opposite UK great Stephen Fry. So does that mean Elfman’s Eve won’t be reconnecting with Allen’s Matt in upcoming episodes?
At least for now, it sounds like any worries about Elfman’s potential exit from Shifting Gears are unnecessary. Speaking with US Weekly at Fox’s Upfronts presentation, the Fear the Walking Dead vet confirmed her return to the sitcom for Season 3, simply saying:
I can go play on Shifting Gears.
It's not exactly a contract signed in blood, but it's something! And actually, this update makes a lot of sense after seeing that ABC's Fall TV lineup didn't have a spot dedicated for Shifting Gears. It'll be returning after all the 2026 TV premieres have concluded, and will be joining High Potential as a 2027 midseason entry. It's disappointing for anyone with predictions for how Riley's romantic foible turns out, but good to know that the delay will seemingly make it easier to bring Elfman back.
The Interrogator is one of Fox's fall debuts, and assuming it doesn't have a 23-episode order already locked down, there's a chance its debut season could be done with its production at a point where Shifting Gears is ramping up filming for Season 3. I don't think anyone expects Eve to appear in every episode, since she's still not a series regular, so even if The Interrogator is still producing new episodes going into the new year, she'll likely be able to reprise Eve in sporadic bursts.
What's more, Elfman already has ideas about getting Tim Allen onto her new show, saying:
[Having Tim Allen on] would be very entertaining. He’s very funny and I think Stephen interrogating Tim Allen [would be cool].
I might not ever expect that to happen, though. Allen is not the kind of actor who frequently pops up on other TV shows just for the sake of it, so it may need to be a very special role. Though he might love Stephen Fry enough to do it even without all that.
What Fans Can Expect To See From Jenna Elfman's The Interrogator
The new series was created by Matador and MTV's Scream writers Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie, and has been described as such:
- Set in Washington, D.C., The Interrogator centers on former MI6 agent Conrad Henry (Stephen Fry) and his handpicked team of brilliant outsiders. When conventional methods have failed, Henry’s quirky charm, superior intellect and mind-bending behavioral maneuvers make him the only man able to lockpick the minds of the world’s most dangerous criminals. Lisa Ann Woodrow (Jenna Elfman) oversees Henry’s cases. Once a rising star within the CIA, her career was derailed after a mission went wrong, leading her to the D.I.A., where she now serves as handler for Henry’s team. Though she challenges him and the two often clash, Conrad is always seven steps ahead while Woodrow is rarely more than five steps ahead.
If Conrad is seven steps ahead of everyone else, I'm afraid Matt Parker would be two or three car lengths behind him if Tim Allen made a cameo. And I can't even do the math on what that actually means. (Not that Allen would be playing Matt in this show, but shhh.)
Here's hoping this new show is a solid gig for Elfman, giving audiences a chance to see her across both Fall and Winter TV without interruption.
