After a Season 2 finale full of romantic curveballs, Shifting Gears is sitting in that nerve-wracking space between “see you next season” and “please don’t cancel us.” While ABC hasn’t confirmed Season 3 just yet, showrunner Michelle Nader already knows exactly where she’d take the Parker family next — and she’s not being vague about it.
Season 2 ended with Matt (Tim Allen) chasing love across the globe, literally, after realizing he couldn’t let Eve slip away again. Nader says the earlier breakup wasn’t just drama for drama’s sake — it was about making their reunion feel earned, as she explained in a new interview.
“I really wanted this romance — especially for people who are a little older — to feel real. What we were really chasing was: What are the challenges of relationships later in life? Eve is a career person. She has her own life. And the question became, can a guy like Matt do a long-distance relationship?”
That hesitation came from a deeply emotional place for Matt. As Nader put it, “The line we wanted him to say was that he already loves someone he can’t be with and he can’t do that again. That felt very poignant to us.”
But by the finale, Matt pushes past that fear. “The fact that Matt is willing to go to another country — that’s a huge step for him. That willingness is a really beautiful statement about him pushing past his own fears and comfort zone.”
And if the show returns, don’t expect more will-they-won’t-they backtracking. “Yes, exactly. I don’t think this is a ‘will they or won’t they’ anymore. They are in it now. The question becomes: How do they make it work?”
Eve hasn’t just been Matt’s girlfriend — she’s become a key emotional bridge between Matt and Riley, and that’s very intentional.
“When you start dating someone who has a family, you’re really dating the whole family,” Nader said. “That’s what we want to do in a sitcom. These are real people and real situations. It’s funny, but it’s also true — and that’s where the best stories come from.”
Looking ahead, that honesty may cause as much friction as healing. “Eve is a really interesting catalyst for both of them — she’s kind of a truth teller. She won’t take sides, but she will say what she really thinks, and that can be good and bad for them.”
What Happens to Kat Dennings in ‘Shifting Gears’?
While Matt gets clarity, Riley’s (Kat Dennings) romantic life is pure chaos — and Nader is leaning into that unpredictability.
“I honestly have no idea,” she admitted about Riley’s future with Gabe versus Andy. “The plan was always to get Riley and Gabe together — and then Jesse Williams walked in and we were like, ‘Holy s—.’ He’s incredible.”
Williams’ unexpected comedic energy changed the dynamic in the writers’ room. “I joke with him that I discovered this incredible comic talent that’s been hiding under all those dramatic roles. That really surprised us. So how it unfolds next season? Your guess is as good as mine.”
Shifting Gears streams on Hulu now.