Shifting Gears Sparked Another Last Man Standing Reunion. See The Moment Kaitlyn Dever Surprised Tim Allen On Set

Mike and Eve sitting on the bed.
(Image credit: Fox)

Shifting Gears has been bringing the reunions during the 2025 TV schedule, with actors from Home Improvement and Last Man Standing paying Tim Allen a visit. His on-screen wife, Nancy Travis from LMS, has even been recurring on the ABC sitcom, but that’s not all. Gears fans were just treated to another Last Man reunion when Kaitlyn Dever surprised Allen on set, and there's sweet video of that moment.

Dever portrayed Eve Baxter, the youngest daughter of Allen’s Mike Baxter, on Last Man Standing. The actress starred in the first six seasons before her character was accepted into the Air Force Academy. With that, Dever recurred throughout the final three seasons. While Last Man Standing ended in 2021, it seems like Dever is still close to her on-screen dad, because the official Shifting Gears Instagram shared the lovely BTS video of the moment Dever surprised Allen. Take a look:

It's evident that at the time, Allen was surprised, and the reaction he had to see his former on-screen daughter on set is priceless. It should be noted that Dever is not appearing on Shifting Gears (at least, not yet). Based on what's known, she simply wanted to pay a surprise visit to Allen, which I actually don't mind over a TV cameo. Allen shared his own comments about the little reunion on X, and this is making me want to rewatch Last Man Standing with a Hulu subscription:

Dever has done a lot of projects and has remained busy as of late, so it’s unknown if she'd ever be able to make the time to guest star on Shifting Gears. Still, at the very least, it appears that Last Man Standing still holds a place in her heart, enough for her to visit her longtime co-star. Relationships between colleagues can vary by show, so I'm pleased that Dever and Allen still have love for each other.

The only thing that would have made this reunion even better was if Travis were also on-set, because if Dever reunited with both of her on-screen parents from Last Man Standing, it would be even more emotional for me.

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With Hulu's Ad-Supported or Ad-Free tiers, subscribers can stream ABC shows like Shifting Gears and the since-ended Last Man Standing as well as a host of titles exclusive to the streamer. New and eligible returning customers can enjoy a whole month of the service for free before paying, and plans starting from $9.99 a month.

All of that aside, Shifting Gears has still been pumping out some Last Man Standing reunions. Along with Travis, Jay Leno cameoed on the hit show earlier this year as himself. He referenced Home Improvement and not the other Tim Allen-led sitcom he recurred on. It was entertaining and fun, and I certainly hope more reunions are on the way, whether Leno returns or other Last Man Standing stars make appearances.

Considering the reunions that have occurred on Shifting Gears thus far, I wouldn't be surprised if more were to follow. Perhaps one will include Kaitlyn Dever and Tim Allen reuniting on screen, but fans will just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, catch new episodes of SG when they air on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Megan Behnke
Freelance TV News Writer

Passionate writer. Obsessed with anything and everything entertainment, specifically movies and television. Can get easily attached to fictional characters.

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