The new ABC comedy sitcomShifting Gears, starring Tim Allen, will feature a2 Broke Girlsreunion for Kat Dennings. ABC’s comedy slate is going through a bit of change. Even thoughAbbott Elementaryseason 4is going strong, with a debut set for October 9, the network is losingThe Connerswhich will be entering its seventh and final season. But the comedy block will be getting a boost from three veterans of the genre.
Deadlinereports thatMichelle Nader is the new showrunner of the multi-cam comedyShifting Gears, taking over for writers and executive producers Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully following their exits in July. Nader, a veteran television writer and producer,previously worked with Dennings on2 Broke Girlsand the short-lived Hulu seriesDollface. Production on the ABC show is set to begin in November.
What To Know About Shifting Gears & Its New Showrunner
It’s A Family Comedy
Shifting Gearsfollows the stubborn and widowed Matt, who is played by Allen. He’s the owner of a classic car restoration shop. But his life changes when his estranged daughter Riley (Dennings) moves in with her teenage kids. That’s when the real restoration is set to begin. The cast also includes Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter, and Barrett Margolis as Georgia, with Mitchell having worked with Allen on the cult favorite sci-fi comedyGalaxy Quest.
Teen WolfandThe Strangers: Chapter 1star Froy Gutierrez had been cast in the pilot, but his role will be recast.
As for Nader, she hasworked in television for decades. Her early writing credits include episodes ofCaroline in the City,Spin City,Dharma & Greg, andThe King of Queens. More recently, Nader created the Molly Shannon-led comedy seriesKath & Kim. She wrote 22 episodes of2 Broke Girls, staying with the show until its final year in 2017, and two episodes ofDollfacewhich Dennings led.
2 Broke Girls Helped Launch Dennings' Career
It Ran For More Than 100 Episodes
Dennings got her start with guest-starring roles onERandCSIwhile also having a standout performance in the 2008 romcomNick and Norah’s Infinite Playlistopposite Michael Cera. But herbreakout turn came when she played Max Black on the CBS sitcom2 Broke Girls. That was preceded just months earlier by Dennings' debut asDarcy Lewisin 2011’sThor, a role she would go on to reprise in other Marvel projects.
The 10 Best Episodes Of 2 Broke Girls (According To IMDb)
2 Broke Girls gave audiences a highly relevant and relatable premise for its sitcom, and here are its ten best episodes according to IMDb.
Created by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings, and withBeth Behrs as the co-lead,2 Broke Girlsdebuted in September 2011 and ran until April 2017 for a total of six seasons and 138 episodes. The story unfolded in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, focusing on best friends Max Black and Caroline Channing (Behrs). Plots drew energy from the class differences between the two protagonists, with Caroline raised as the daughter of a billionaire while Max grew up relatively poor. The duo works at a diner, hoping to start a cupcake business.
With a supporting cast that includedSNLlegend Garrett Morris and futureWhite Lotusstar Jennifer Coolidge,2 Broke Girlsbrought in special guests that included Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian, and RuPaul, among others. It also had a steady stream of recurring actors, such as Eric André, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Ryan Hansen.
Jennifer Coolidge
Zofia “Sophie” Kaczyński
2 Broke Girlswas generally not well-reviewed by critics, with the series getting dinged for its reliance on stereotypes, and sexist and racist humor. Although the performances of Dennings and Behrs were praised, reviews were often disappointed and even baffled that the series squandered the potential of its premise to go for easy jokes and the lowest common denominator. The series was cancelled, partly due to declining ratings and CBS' desire to move on to other shows, anda proper series finale never aired.
Our Take On The Shifting Gears Team
It’s A Big Play For ABC
Allen, of course, starred in thevery popularHome Improvement. It aired on for eight seasons and 204 episodes, also on ABC. The actor has since starred inLast Man Standing, popular in its own right, which went for nine seasons. Adding another sitcom pro in Dennings, who is a familiar face for over a decade, and an established TV comedy writer in Nader bodes well forShifting Gears.
