Naman Shrestha
With Michelle Nader as the showrunner, ABC’s ‘Shifting Gears’ is a sitcom that focuses on the relationship between a father and his estranged daughter. Tim Allen portrays Matt, a stubborn widower who owns a successful car restoration shop, dealing mostly with classic and vintage cars. It has been several years since he last heard from his married daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings). Thus, it comes as a shock to him when his estranged daughter knocks on his doorstep along with her two teenage children.
When Riley asks if she and her children can stay with him, Matt obliges and looks at it as a great opportunity to reconnect with his daughter and form a bond with his grandchildren. Known for restoring classic vehicles, now he embarks on a mission to restore his relationships. Besides Allen and Dennings, the comedy series also features other talented actors in supporting roles, including Daryl Mitchell, Seann William Scott, Maxwell Simkins, Barrett Margolis, and Jenna Elfman. Since most of the story unfolds in Matt’s house and his car workshop, they serve as additional characters, adding more depth to the narrative.
Shifting Gears Filming Locations
‘Shifting Gears’ is shot in its entirety in California, specifically in Burbank. After the pilot episode was filmed in June 2024, the show was picked up by ABC. From the looks of it, principal photography for the rest of the episodes got underway in front of a live audience in December 2024, with the schedule being wrapped up by February 2025. What makes the entire filming experience all the more special to the cast and crew is the presence of a live audience in the studio.
Burbank, California
All the pivotal sequences for ‘Shifting Gears’ are lensed in the city of Burbank, situated within Los Angeles County, California. In particular, the production team sets up camp at one of the sound stages of the Walt Disney Studios at 500 South Buena Vista Street in Burbank. Constructed in 1940, the film studio is spread across 51 acres and consists of various sound stages, production offices, a backlot space, and other necessary filmmaking amenities. Out of all the sets present, the cast and crew of ‘Shifting Gears’ take over a set that has enough accommodation for a live audience. In an interview, Seann William Scott, who portrays Gabriel in the sitcom, was asked to highlight the differences between working on ‘Shifting Gears’ as compared to his previous projects.
He admitted that it was an entirely new experience for him as he had never done a multi-cam before the Tim Allen starrer. He elaborated that he had a lot of fun acting in front of a live audience. Comparing the entire experience with doing theater, something he had never done, he said that one gets to work on different plays with the same people each week. They also rehearsed together and acted in front of a live audience to get a positive response from them. Apart from ‘Shifting Gears,’ Walt Disney Studios has hosted the production of various other film and TV projects. Some of the notable ones include ‘The Proposal,’ ‘The Princess Diaries,’ ‘8 Simple Rules,’ ‘Home Improvement,’ ‘Boy Meets World,’ and ‘My Wife and Kids.’
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