Why Tim Allen’s Shifting Gears Character Matt Isn’t a ‘Man’s Man’

Tim Allen is proud of how his Shifting Gears character differs from his past sitcom roles — starting with not being a typical “man’s man.”

“He’s more like me. I’m more of an artist. I was a design student and a philosopher and my standup comedy is really about messing with people in a good way,” Allen, 71, exclusively told Us Weekly. “I came from a huge family run by women. So my perspective is very different about men. I don’t think we run things. So I want this to be that guy. He’s not a ‘man’s man’ in that term, and he wasn’t trying to be anything but what he does.”

The actor noted that Matt is “not like the other guys” he brought to life.

“This is a new character and it’s much closer to [who I am]. I’ve been through grief in my life with losing my father,” he shared. “I’ve been blessed to be a comedian and so that’s who this [character] is. If I did it again, I wanted to get as much closer to the [man] that I am.”

Before Matt, Allen was known for playing Tim “The Toolman” Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement, which ran from 1991 to 1999. He moved on to Last Man Standing, where he played Mike for nine seasons on ABC. Shifting Gears, meanwhile, follows widowed father Matt (Allen) and his estranged daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings), as they find themselves living together and working to repair their relationship.

“From the very beginning, [the creative team has said] that we’ve never seen Tim Allen in a sitcom with a romantic interest. And I said, ‘Well, I’ve just lost my wife so I don’t see it.’ So I love where we are,” Allen told Us. “I said, ‘If it happens over time and happens organically with two people that do not get along then it is OK. I just am really cautious about this. I just want it to happen where it’s organic and proper.”

In addition to Allen and Dennings, 38, Shifting Gears also stars Seann William Scott, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis. Jenna Elfman, meanwhile, has been cast in a recurring role as spirited choreographer Eve Drake, who owns a dance studio across from the classic car restoration shop run by Allen’s character.

Us exclusively revealed earlier this month that Shifting Gears is hosting a reunion between Allen and Nancy Travis. The duo previously shared the screen on Last Man Standing, where Travis, 63, played Allen’s onscreen wife.

“The Nancy Travis story is really, really clever,” Allen teased before reflecting on his offscreen friendship with Travis. “Nancy Travis once told me [something] after I called her during Last Man Standing. I said, ‘Have you talked to the girls [who play our daughters] over the summer?’ Then there’s this long pause and she goes, ‘Tim, these aren’t our daughters and I’m not actually your wife.’”

He quipped: “She was so wonderful about it because sometimes when they were having trouble on the show, I’d go, ‘How do you think they feel?’ And she would respond, ‘Tim, they’re actors. We just read [what is on the page but] she’s not really that sad.’”

While Allen has enjoyed shaping his character on Shifting Gears, he admitted he wasn’t initially sure about joining the show.

“It was a complicated decision. I was doing Disney+’s Santa Claus series at the time and I said, ‘I really can’t think about this now,’” he continued. “Do I want to do linear TV? I was so depressed at how streaming has hurt television. So if I did it, I want to elevate it.”

It was his sitcom past that eventually caused Allen to reconsider. “I’ve done Mike Baxter [on Last Man Standing] and Tim Taylor [on Home Improvement],” he noted. “So if I do this again, I pitched three things: I want a guy that lost his wife recently, so he’s dealing with grief; I want a guy with the family that doesn’t get along; And then he has a custom car shop.”

Shifting Gears airs on ABC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Hulu.