April 10, 2024
Sthanlee B. Mirador/Sipa USA
Kat Dennings, who grew up in Wynnewood, will portray the daughter of Tim Allen's character in the ABC sitcom pilot 'Shifting Gears.'
Tim Allen is hoping to star in another network TV sitcom. This one prominently features an actress with suburban Philadelphia roots.
Kat Dennings, best known for her roles in the CBS sitcom "2 Broke Girls" and the "Thor" movies from Marvel Studios, will co-star in "Shifting Gears," the working title for the ABC sitcom pilot. Dennings also will be a producer, Deadline reported.
Allen portrays a widower named Matt who owns a classic car restoration shop, while Dennings plays his estranged daughter Riley. After Riley divorces her husband, she and her two teenage children move in with Matt as they try to restore their relationship.
"Shifting Gears" is a production from 20th Television and comes from writers Mike Scully ("The Simpsons") and Julie Thacker Scully ("Duncanville").
Dennings was born in Bryn Mawr and grew up in Penn Cottage in Wynnewood. Though she very briefly attended Friends Central School in Lower Merion Township — apparently for a half-day — she ultimately was homeschooled.
Dennings graduated high school at 14 and moved to Los Angeles with her family to pursue an acting career. Her other acting credits include "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "The House Bunny" and "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist."
Should ABC pick up the pilot, it will be Dennings' first network sitcom role since "2 Broke Girls" was canceled in 2017. Since then, Dennings led the Hulu comedy "Dollface" from 2019 to 2022 and reprised her "Thor" role in the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe shows "WandaVision" and "What If...?"
Allen is, of course, most famous for his 1990s sitcom "Home Improvement." His 2010s sitcom "Last Man Standing" aired on ABC from 2011 to 2018, when it moved to Fox. The show ended in 2021.
