Shifting Gears brings Tim Allen and Kat Dennings back to television, and the ABC comedy’s showrunner has high hopes for the impact it will have on viewers.

The show, which premieres Wednesday, follows Matt (Allen), the headstrong and widowed owner of an auto restoration shop, who is surprised by the arrival of his estranged daughter Riley (Dennings), who arrives at his home along with her teenage children. Once the family reunites, they can begin to heal their complicated relationship, marked by years of distance and disagreements.

The emotional premise is told in the format of a traditional sitcom show, a genre that has long tackled important issues with laughter and a light heart. And that’s exactly what Michelle Nader, who joined “Shifting Gears” as showrunner and executive producer after creators Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully left before the show was released, hopes to achieve with this new series.

“Tim is definitely the voice of a certain generation and Kat speaks to a different generation, so we get to explore the generation gap and their different perspectives on the big life issues we tackle,” Nader told TheWrap. “I think people are ready to just laugh again and engage with characters that resonate with us.”

Indeed, Allen returns in full force in Shifting Gears, with Dennings meeting his match at every turn when it comes to politics, social issues or raising her children. And topics are addressed with humor and heart.

The show also marks a reunion for Nader and Dennings, who previously worked together on the hit sitcom “2 Broke Girls” and the Hulu comedy “Dollface.” Below, the author talks about working with Allen behind the scenes, what to expect from the show and more:

TheWrap: What made you decide to serve as showrunner for this new comedy series?

Nader: That’s a very simple but complicated question because I love Kat Dennings and have followed her professionally for virtually her entire career. When I found out she was doing that, I did “Deli Boys” (for Hulu).

I had no connection to it at all. Then the showrunners pulled out of the series and 20th Television came to me and I looked at the pilot and I think that’s the real answer. I saw the chemistry between Kat and Tim and thought, “Oh, this is something special.” There’s a magic and a synergy that will really capture people’s attention, like it did for me.

That was the moment when I just wanted to work with Kat again. It was like divine intervention and I will surrender to it.

She and Kat worked together on “2 Broke Girls” and “Dollface.” How does this long-standing partnership help in the implementation of this project? And how did Kat react to you coming on board?

We were both so happy. It really felt like it was fate. Because here too I had nothing to do with it and we went our separate ways. Then it was Tim Allen who brought us together.

She was thrilled, as was I. And you know, she’s an incredible talent and also a beautiful person inside and out. But what we have is a shortcut. I really understand her voice and that’s really helped me fit into this show in a way that if not, there’s a learning curve. But it really helped me get excited about doing this show and hit the ground running.

There’s nothing like a sitcom directed by Tim Allen, and that DNA is everywhere in the first two episodes. How much influence does he have on the comedy we see on screen, and how does that fit into what you and Cat already have?

Tim is heavily involved in the process as an executive producer and he knows his voice. I think I’ve really come to speak his language.

I was a fan and I know his work and stuff, but when it comes to writing it’s different and he has a very specific voice. And it’s deceptively difficult to capture. He’s obviously very funny, but he’s such an interesting actor. He does things that I only see in the movies, which is crazy. He is involved in all phases of the process – collecting stories and looking at sketches. And then he plays it. And it all comes together. As you know, the show is about car restoration, but also about that relationship. That’s the theme we’re really pursuing, our north star. Healing the relationship between Matt and Riley.

You started in broadcasting, then you did “Dollface,” and later this year you have “Deli Boys.” What was it like returning to the world of sitcoms here?

It’s a different language and different skills, and it’s deceptively difficult. I think that in some ways sitcoms are the highest level of difficulty and the least praised… I can barely do it. It’s very hard to make it seem real and understand the rhythm.

So I approached it the same way Matt Parker modernizes classic cars on the show. I wanted to modernize a classic shape. I wanted it to be a kind of reinvention of the form without losing the parts that we love. That’s what I really explore in terms of the sets and the way jokes are done, the laugh track and the music.

What can you say about the journey this family will take this season?

Matt and Riley get together, so of course they need to repair their relationship. But each of them has their own journey. Riley left her husband, who we’ll see come back. And she will start to officially break up with him and get a divorce. We’ll do that in this first season and then we’ll start dating at some point. There’s a small hint of a romantic relationship between her and Gabriel (Seann William Scott), which we play with very slowly, in true romantic comedy style. I think the audience will be in favor of that because we are.

As for Tim’s character Matt, he lost his wife. He deals with his grief and they are all like family. But at some point he will also move on to dating and moving on. Both of them getting ready to date and get out could also make for an entertaining second season when we get there.

“Shifting Gears” airs Wednesdays at 8pm ET/PT and streams the next day on Hulu.

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