Tim Allen Is ‘Geeked’ About Returning to TV

Tim Allen is getting his "gears" back in motion to star in a television series once again. The Santa Clause star will star in a new sitcom on network TV titled Shifting Gears. While Allen and his wife, actress Jane Hajduk, walked the red carpet at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 32nd annual Oscars viewing party on Sunday (March 10), the pair spoke with ET about Allen's forthcoming ABC pilot.

"I am very excited," Allen, 70, said. Of his previous sitcoms, Home Improvement (1991 to 1999) and Last Man Standing (2011 to 2021), he told the publication that he tried really hard and hopes that with this third show, he can "finally make a statement." Of course, he has to be joking because his prior two shows lasted nearly a decade each, and he has awards to prove the shows' successes.

Thinking back on his love for his role as Tim "The Toolman" Taylor" on Home Improvement, Allen is still humbled by how big that was for him, over 30 years ago since the show debuted. When he came out with Last Man Standing over a decade later, he recalled, "it was a big push, and then, I love that family so much."

In Shifting Gears, Allen stars as Matt, the gruff owner of a classic car restoration shop -- and a widower -- whose routine and status quo is flipped upside down when his estranged daughter and her teenage kids come to live with him. The comedy show is ABC’s first pilot order of 2024, according to The Hollywood Reporter. With a smile, Allen told ET, "I'm very geeked to be given this opportunity." ABC supported the television veteran to come up with an idea and would back him up. Allen added, "And we came up with this idea, and we're getting there.