A new insight into Changing gears proves that it is so Tim AllenThe path – or the highway.

In Us weeklyIn the exclusive first look at the ABC sitcom, Allen’s character Matt tries to find common ground with his on-screen daughter Riley Cat Dennings. Matt is living with his estranged daughter again, and things aren’t going smoothly.

“I’m broke and need a place to stay until I figure out what the rest of my life looks like,” Riley tells Matt, who quips, “So a few days.”

The sneak peek clip shows Matt explaining that he has a “certain way of doing things,” which Riley emphasizes is just his way or not his way. Riley gets advice from Gabriel, a family friend (Seann William Scott), who works in Matt’s vintage car restoration shop.

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“Your father loves you – and cars. You and cars,” Gabriel remarks. “The order is not important.”

According to the promo, Matt and Riley are in for a wild ride as “the wheels come off” during their tense reunion. The series synopsis revealed that Riley’s children with her ex will also play a big role Changing gears. The main cast includes Allen, Dennings and Scott Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Maxwell Simkins, Barrett Margolis And Jenna Elfman in a recurring role.

Allen, 71, has some experience in sitcoms, having played Tim “The Toolman” Taylor on ABC DIYer from 1991 to 1999. He later appeared as Mike Baxter Last man standingwhich ended in 2021 after nine seasons.

“The word that keeps me alive is ‘grateful.’ “I love what I do. I enjoy entertaining people much more than anything that has to do with money,” Allen said exclusively Us in 2020. “I love the live audience we have. I tell them every night, ‘This is old school stuff, what TV and radio started with.’ I don’t know the future, but this (show) is rare.

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Reflecting on the elements that make a show successful, Allen added: “We did the same thing we did on Home Improvement. It’s all about the relationships – we don’t address current issues. But (now) I just did it. I have girls, so you see how different a man’s perspective is when he has so many strong women around him.”

He continued: “We never make fun of (each other). It is a loving family. I like the fact that we simultaneously honor and make fun of marriage, the institution, children, babies, and people. But in the same way.”, we respect it. We’re not being snappy about it.

Dennings, 38, also has a history on network television, playing Max on the CBS sitcom 2 broke girls from 2011 to 2017. Changing gears is Scott’s third series regular role, having appeared in ” Welcome to Flatch And Deadly weapon.

Changing gears Premieres on ABC on Wednesday, January 8 at 8pm ET before streaming on Hulu the next day.