How Tim Allen’s Character Matt Is Getting Better

Shifting Gears brought Tim Allen back to ABC for his third sitcom with the network after his previous hits Home Improvement and Last Man Standing. While the sitcom was a huge commercial hit for ABC, critics didn’t respond to Shifting Gears nearly as much in its freshman season.

In Shifting Gears, Allen plays Matt Parker, a recently widowed auto shop owner reconnecting with his estranged daughter and grandkids. It’s a classic Allen character – a blue-collar, conservative-coded father with a heart of gold hidden beneath a gruff exterior. It’s a formula that worked for Allen in the past, but playing a third version of himself didn’t resonate with reviewers.

Audiences responded to the nostalgia and low-concept simplicity of a family/workplace sitcom, but Matt seemed like a thinly-veiled variation of Tim Taylor or Mike Baxter that didn’t update the shtick with the times. However, the Shifting Gears season 2 premiere proves that Allen playing a version of himself can work for viewers and critics alike.

Why Tim Allen’s Character Matt Didn’t Work In Shifting Gears Season 1

Matt Parker Was Too Similar To Past Allen Sitcom Characters – But More Isolated

Matt and Riley fighting Tim Allen Kat Dennings Shifting Gears

Matt Parker felt like a thinner, lonelier version of Tim Allen’s previous iconic sitcom roles. On Home Improvement and Last Man Standing, Allen’s characters were framed by family — wives and kids who softened his rough edges and gave him dimension.

In Shifting Gears, Matt starts out far more isolated: his wife has died, his daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) is estranged, and he’s never even met his teenage grandkids. That setup left him one-note for much of the season, defined more by bitterness than warmth.

Playing a conservative-leaning character is different today than it was in 1991 when Home Improvement premiered, and Matt’s humor often leaned on dated stereotypes, like a clumsy “two-for-one diversity hire” joke aimed at his Black, wheelchair-using employee. What might have flown in the ’90s feels uncomfortable and flat today.

Still, glimpses of depth emerged in Shifting Gears season 1, episode 4, when Matt and Riley finally confronted their grief. Some of Matt’s most human moments in season 1 came through his bond with another widowed character played by Nancy Travis, who played his wife in Last Man Standing.

Those moments showed the human core critics felt was missing. Matt’s journey to becoming a more nuanced, balanced character continues in the Shifting Gears season 2 premiere.

This 1 Joke In The Shifting Gears Season 2 Premiere Shows How Tim Allen’s Shtick Can Work In 2025

The Overtly Self-Aware Humor Works With The Characters, Instead Of Punching Down

Matt and Riley fist bump Tim Allen Kat Dennings Shifting Gears

The season 2 premiere has already found a sharper way to make Allen’s comedy land, and one joke proves it. As Riley tries to convince Matt to like Eve, she tells him to think of her as “a female Joe Rogan who smells like a dry rub.” Instead of bristling, Matt leans into the bit, saying that’s his dream woman.

It’s a small moment, but it’s telling: the humor now pokes fun at Allen’s “man’s man” persona without punching down. It’s funnier and more elevated than the dated one-liners that bogged down Shifting Gears season 1.

What makes this work is that Matt isn’t as isolated anymore. His contentious relationship with Riley has shifted into a supportive partnership, and their family has a rhythm at home. In the premiere, Matt has an entire (though unexpectedly sad) reunion with his Home Improvement costars, now in the form of a widow support group.

Add in Matt’s willingness to embrace the future and act on his feelings for Eve, and he feels more human. He’s still the gruff traditionalist audiences expect, but Shifting Gears season 2 gives him the connections that make that persona endearing in today’s sitcom landscape.