Tim Allen has had three successful sitcoms, with Shifting Gears airing on the 2026 TV schedule, and starred in the fan-favorite holiday trilogy The Santa Clause. However, one of his most successful roles has to be Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story franchise. Not surprisingly, there is one sweet Toy Story favor he will do for his former TV co-stars, including Last Man Standing’s Kaitlyn Dever.
Toy Story is still such a big deal that a fifth Toy Story is on the 2026 movie schedule. As the franchise remains a massive hit, Allen is making sure to spread the Buzz Lightyear love while keeping in touch with his former TV co-stars. The actor admitted to Us Weekly that he’s made his on-screen TV kids' kids happy by doing something very sweet related to Toy Story:
We do holidays, birthdays, weddings, and, unfortunately, funerals. Their lives have moved on, [but] I’ve done the Buzz Lightyear voice for [their kids].
Between Home Improvement, Last Man Standing, and Shifting Gears, Allen is certainly keeping himself busy when it comes to the family reunions. The fact that he’s so willing to do the Buzz voice for the kids of his former TV kids, basically his fake grandchildren, is pretty great. Of course, it can be assumed that Allen has done the Buzz voice for a lot of people over the years and a lot of fans, but it’s just sweet that his former co-stars are on the list.
That being said, the Buzz voice is not all that Allen has given to his co-stars. Having been in the business for decades, the actor has quite a lot of wisdom to impart on the people he works with, especially the kids, who don’t have the experience he does. Allen has stepped into a mentor role, and he noted that while reflecting on working with Dever on Last Man Standing. He said:
On Last Man Standing with Kaitlyn Dever, I was a mentor because I aligned myself with her comedy style. I really was all about encouraging her the best I could. She listened, and I didn’t know that she was picking it up until every now and then in her scenes.
Considering Dever recently surprised Allen on the Shifting Gears set, it’s not surprising to know that they were mentor and mentee during the Last Man Standing days. It just shows how close Allen was to her and a lot of his former TV co-stars, and it can be assumed that once Shifting Gears ends, hopefully in the very distant future, that closeness will continue.
If one thing is clear, it’s that Allen will never let go of the Buzz Lightyear voice for his co-stars, and he'll continue to serve as a mentor to them and give them advice. It’s also clear that Allen is still close to a lot of his former co-stars, as evidenced by the Home Improvement reunion at the beginning of Shifting Gears Season 2, and hopefully, there will be many more on the way.
Now, if you want to hear Tim Allen do the Buzz Lightyear voice, you can catch Toy Story 5 in theaters on June 16. To see him working alongside his sitcom co-stars, new episodes of Shifting Gears air on Wednesdays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET. You can also stream both the Toy Story movies and the aforementioned sitcom with a Hulu and Disney+ subscription.
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