While Tim Allen fans will be able to hear the comedian’s (definitely not “old”) voice loud and clear as Buzz Lightyear in the long-awaited Toy Story 5, we’ll be waiting a bit longer to see him return to the small screen for Shifting Gears Season 3. The sitcom was absent from ABC’s Fall TV lineup, and won’t be returning for the 2026 TV schedule at all, as it’s being held as a midseason premiere alongside High Potential. Thankfully, Allen dropped a few update-related breadcrumbs.
Allen spoke with US Weekly about several of his most iconic projects and characters, with the bulk of the conversation geared towards Pixar’s next mega-sequel. But the conversation did gets steered towards Shifting Gears, which will officially kick off the third season’s production in July, with Allen suggesting he wants the show to follow in the footsteps of another sitcom he enjoys. But first, he teased a possible romantic dilemma coming Matt’s way involving Jenna Elfman’s Eve after his shocking decision to join her European trip in the Season 2 finale. As he put it:
My relationship with the grandkids is growing, and my son came back from the Navy. My question is — and we haven’t talked about it yet — but is [love interest] Jenna [Elfman] going to move in with me, or am I going to move in with her? I’d like to stretch it out where we’re just dating for a bit.
We still have yet to see Matt and Eve back on U.S. soil, and he’s talking about possibly moving in with her?!? I guess Tim Allen mentioning it is different from “Matt” talking about it, but it still seems like good intel. I’m having the same aghast reaction thinking about Eve moving in with Matt’s fam in Season 3. I mean, wasn’t Matt literally on a date with another woman in the finale when he and Eve crossed paths again?
Interestingly enough, Jenna Elfman landed a lead role in another new TV show, Fox’s The Interrogator, but she’s since said that she’ll be able to “go play” with the Shifting Gears cast and crew without worries about conflicting. That obviously doesn't mean they definitely getting together for the long haul in the nearest future, especially if Allen's desire for them to take things slowly is taken into account.
How Tim Allen Wants Shifting Gears To Take Note From The A+ Sitcom Kim's Convenience
Stemming from his thoughts about living situations possibly changing in Season 3, Tim Allen namechecked the beloved Canadian comedy Kim's Convenience, which helped turn Simu Liu into a bigger star, when sharing how he'd like the Parkers' dynamic to change up. As he put it:
A show I really like is Kim’s Convenience — it [split] out from the different apartments and everybody’s got their own life; our show has [the] capacity to [do that with] Kat [Dennings] and her kids if they move out. I don’t want them to because I love them, but you’ve got so many great people who can do a scene by themselves.
It's an interesting comparison to make, all things considered, but both shows are about working blue-collar characters, so it matches up well enough.
In Kim's Convenience, the Kim family's apartment is just above the titular shop, making for quite convenient location changes, while Janet eventually moves into her own, with Jung living with his bestie Kimchee in another apartment.
With Matt's long-gone son Sam (played by Luke Macfarlane) returning near the end of Season 3, it's certainly possible that Matt's house will be a little too full for comfort. But if Riley is able to put money together for her and the kids to move out, or if Matt moves in with Eve and gives his kids the family home, that could ease some of the pressure.
Here's hoping Shifting Gears Season 3 goes the whole nine yards by not only taking inspiration from Kim's Convenience for the characters' living quarters, but by actually bringing in stars Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Jean Yoon for cameos.
Stay tuned for more Season 3 details, and stream the first two seasons of Shifting Gears via Disney+ subscription.
