Shifting Gears

The cast is great. Sean William Scott needed a new sitcom. His role is perfect for him. Love Tim Allen and all the callbacks to his previous hits. Nice to see Daryl Mitchell again after NCIS NOLA was canceled. But Kat Demmings is the lag.

Riley's exactly the same character as Max from 2 Broke Girls. The same sarcasm and one liner style...same slutty/drunk/party girl backstory as Max. There's virtually no separation between the 2 characters. The only difference is Riley has loving parents and no yellow waitress uniform.

Demmings' character in 2 Broke Girls worked. But in this show...it's already getting old and I'm on the 7th episode now. Hopefully they can change it up a bit by the end of the season. It's funny but her character being soooo similar to her previous series...makes you feel like you're at the end of the series rather than the first season. I'm afraid there won't be a season two without some kind of change with her character. There's great potential with such a good cast.

I really like Tim Allen and Kat Dennings, and so I was hopeful about their pairing as sitcom veterans in Shifting Gears. I like the premise too and find it relatable. It's challenging when you don't always see eye to eye with your parent but you love them regardless. And as someone who comes from a family with a mix of liberals and conservatives, I like shows that have characters from both sides of the table.

I will say, though...it could just be that it's the first episode and they need more time working together, but the chemistry of the actors seems off. Kat's not really giving me a "became a mom at a young age" vibe yet. Everyone just felt a bit awkard but I will say it's an awkward situation to have to ask your parent for help when your relationship isn't the best. But I couldn't help but feel everything was just a pinched forced.

Tim and the granddaughter connect well, though. She was the best out of all of them, in my opinion. She seemed to be the one that interacted with everyone the best and felt the most natural in the role. She has a bright eyed optimism that is refreshing to see that breaks from the stereotype of " kids these days are just spoiled screen zombies with zero social skills."

I still like the premise, though. And I still got a bit choked up at the end - it felt like Kat and Tim finally "clicked", not just as father and daughter, but as two actors telling a story. So maybe they will find their footing eventually? I'm going to give it more time. Hoping it becomes my comfort show.

Here I was thinking Tim Allen and Kat Denning, 2 actors I actually like, were going to blow it out of the park. 2 episodes in and all I can think is how long till they cancel this. Tim is the exact same character hes always been but theres no spring in his step. Its a stiff performance. Maybe he's trying to adapt to the character and hasnt nailed it yet.

Kat for the most part is phoning it in. Shes acting like shes in 2 Broke Girls but without the clever sexual innuendos. She was much better in Thor and Wandavision.

This just seems flat to me. I'll watch it for now, but I think this one wont get any legs to it. Its just not funny and the canned laughter is over done.

Nothing new or fresh here. The laugh track is embarrassing for what normally would not be laughs. The punchlines are way too predictable, which makes the laugh track pointless. Characters are too cliche'. Storylines as well. This is sitcom style from the 80s when streaming or pay TV was not in play. Now that it is, how can this be on the air? How desperate were the actors for work to sign on to this? Did they not read the script and think: "this type of garbage has been done over and over and over" We're better off watching a blank screen, or better yet quality programming from a pay or streaming service. Cancel this show and save these actors lives....... Unless they want to fall in to obscurity.

This is a typical Tim Allen showcase with plenty of scope to turn into a decent show. Granted its only the first episode but so far i'm not a big fan. Canned laughter is killing it for me, it happens way to much and when things arn't even that funny. Lose it completely and maybe it will go the distance but in the format its in i can see it getting cancelled after one season which is a pity, i'm a big tim allen fan and love kat dennings. Cant beleive that the trial screening didnt point this out. Its maybe worth watching up to 3rd or 4th episode to see if it improves but if it dosnt then its a big miss for me.