Shifting Gears is coming back for Season 3, but there were concerns that not everyone would be back.
On ABC’s hit comedy’s February season finale, Matt (Tim Allen) and Eve (Jenna Elfman) reconciled and left for Spain for a happy ending. Click here for more information. But Matt’s daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) finds herself in a more complicated position in love.
After two seasons, Riley confesses her feelings to Gabe (Seann William Scott) and ends her romance with newcomer Andy (Jesse Williams). However, viewers were shocked when Gabe chose not to take the plunge and explore his interest in Riley. That was until the final moments of the episode, when he changed his mind and started fighting for Riley – so did Andy.
“The long-term plan from when I started the show, including when I cast Sean, was that these two were meant to be and destined to be together. He’s been in love with her ever since they were kids, and she didn’t realize it at first. And then at the end of last season, he confesses his love,” showrunner Michelle Nader exclusively told Us Weekly about the show’s initial idea. “We cast[Gabe as a love interest]and it was interesting and worked well. And when we thought about this arc for Riley, the idea was that she and Andy would break up.”
The cast of Shifting Gears has more success in their dating lives than the fictional cast. Shifting Gears, which premiered in January 2025, featured an auto repair shop opened by Matt, played by Tim Allen. After reuniting with his estranged daughter Riley (Kat Dennings), the two men work on the car and mend their relationship. (…)
“They were definitely going to break up at the end, because we knew what we wanted and where we were going. At the time, I was like, ‘Oh my God, Jesse Williams is so funny.’ So I was like, ‘What are we doing?’ ” I thought. ”
Williams’ performance ultimately “pivoted” the show in a new direction.
“I don’t know right now. I don’t know who she should be with,” Nader admitted. “That’s the story right now. For us, it was just happening in real time.”
Meanwhile, Shifting Gears has other surprises in store for its third season.
“Obviously we want to continue the love triangle with Jesse, Sean and Kat. We obviously want to bring Eve back. But I can’t say right now, but there’s probably something we’d like to do and we’re already talking to the writers about it,” Nader teased to Uss. “This is another potential bomb in someone’s life.”
Keep scrolling to find out who’s coming back for season 3 and who’s not.
Tim Allen
Shifting Gears would not exist without Allen and his character Matt.
kat dennings
Kat Dennings and Barrett Margolis from “Shifting Gears.”
Disney/Raymond LiuRiley will be front and center for Dennings in his third season.
sean william scott
sean william scott
Raymond Liu/Disney via Getty ImagesSeason 3 begins after a cliffhanger involving Scott’s character Gabriel.
Darryl “Chill” Mitchell
Mitchell will reprise his role as Stitch when Shifting Gears returns.
Maxwell Simkins
Riley’s son will appear in the third season of Shifting Gears.
barrett margolis
As part of the Parker family, Georgia will continue to play a major role.
It’s never easy to suddenly say goodbye to your favorite character. And in 2026, a string of shocking departures hit TV screens, from Grey’s Anatomy to Virgin River. Virgin River fans were surprised when showrunner Patrick Sean Smith confirmed that multiple characters were leaving the show after season seven. Marco Grazzini said (…)
Jenna Elfman
After Elfman appeared on Fox’s The Inquisitor, she gave an interview about her future as Eve on ABC’s hit comedy.
“I’d be open to appearing in Shifting Gears,” she revealed in May 2026, later hinting that she might make a cameo role in the Fox project due to her interest in Shifting Gears. “It would be very interesting[to have Tim Allen in it]. He’s very funny, and I think it would be[cool]for Stephen to interrogate Tim Allen.”
jesse williams
Williams’ role was expanded after appearing in season two.
luke macfarlane
MacFarlane, who appeared in Season 2, may return in the future.
