“Shifting Gears” stars Tim Allen and Kat Dennings talk family, fun on set and those cars!

LOS ANGELES– Tim Allen is gearing up for his return to TV’s “Shifting Gears.”

“So many people came up to me so long ago and said, ‘Would you like to do another sitcom,'” Allen said on the red carpet during our visit to the set.

Allen, who previously starred in “Home Improvement” and “Last Man Standing,” said when “Shifting Gears” was pitched to him, “I thought it was a funny idea.”

“It’s about a guy who just became a widower, and then his daughter comes back.”

Kat Dennings plays this girl, Riley, who returns with her two children while she is going through a divorce.

“Now that her mother is gone and she’s getting divorced, she has to crawl home and admit he was right about her husband and deal with all of this,” she said .

Allen said he spoke to show executives about getting the series to address the subject of grief.

“That’s what motivated everything. My mom has friends who have gone through so much heartbreak in their lives, and they still function every day,” Allen said. “I’ve always appreciated that people have a sense of humor somewhere and nothing can stop it.”

“I would easily curl up into a ball and roll down the street and you would never see me again because life is so hard,” Dennings added, of her ability to retrace her grief journey.

“So there’s something really beautiful about seeing a father and daughter who don’t have much in common on paper, but are somehow the same person. And that’s where the comedy for me stands out too, because he and I are together shows have extremely different styles… whatever, but we are so similar that the butts are just hilarious.

In addition to Allen and Dennings, “Shifting Gears” stars Seann William Scott, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Barrett Margolis and Maxwell Simkins.

Allen’s character, Matt, restores cars for a living, which seemed like a perfect fit for the self-proclaimed car guy. In fact, most of the cars you see on set are from Allen’s personal collection.

“I said, you can use any of the prop cars that I have, because I built movie cars, so you can use them. And it’s like being at home,” said revealed Allen.

For the actors who play Dennings’ children, being on set in the auto shop is the most fun.

“Every episode it seems like more cars are coming from somewhere. But, you know, Tim is a car guru, so he knows everything. He’s like, ‘yeah, it’s an F1- 5,000. “I’m like, ‘Okay, cool, cool,'” Simkins laughed.

“I love all the machines and cars and stuff. I think it’s really cool!” Margolis said.

Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, who previously worked with Allen (on 1999’s “Galaxy Quest”), said he had his eye on a few of Allen’s cars.

“You know, since I’ve known him for so long, he’s a good friend. I could just walk in and say, ‘yo Tim, slip me this, Playboy,’ you know? You’re not going to miss it!, “Mitchell joked.

Dennings wants in on the action too!

“I’m learning about cars from this man, through the show. And I feel like when we finish, I should have one. I mean, no pressure, but you know, it doesn’t seem like that you use it,” Dennings joked.

On The Red Carpet has a soft spot for the 1968 Camaro, Tim Allen…if you’re listening.

“Shifting Gears” premieres Wednesday, January 8 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of this ABC station.