Kat Dennings and Tim Allen Become Roommates in an Unexpected Way in “Shifting Gears”: See the First Look (Exclusive)

In 'Shifting Gears,' which premieres Wednesday, Jan. 8, Dennings and Allen play a widowed father and his estranged daughter who find themselves living together and working to repair their relationship

Kat Dennings and Tim Allen are moving in together — kind of.

The new ABC sitcom Shifting Gears stars Dennings and Allen as they play a widowed father Matt and his estranged daughter Riley who find themselves living together and working to repair their relationship.

PEOPLE’s exclusive first look shows the dynamic between the two as they navigate life under one roof, as Riley and her kids move back home.

“Is that my GTO? I built that 15 years ago and somebody stole it,” the trailer begins, showing Matt, an owner of a classic car repair shop, watching Riley drive in.

“Hi, dad,” she says before he exclaims, “And there’s the thief!”

ABC Kat Dennings and Tim Allen

ABC

Kat Dennings and Tim Allen

Words then flash across the screen reading: “Coming home is a bumpy road.”

“I'm crawling home because I’m broke,” Riley explains. “I need a place to stay until I figure out what the rest of my life looks like.”

“So a couple of days!” Matt quips, promoting laughter from the studio audience.

Viewers then get a peak into the father-daughter dynamic, with Matt recalling, “I asked if you locked that back door, you looked back at me and you gave me a double bird.”

“I was 18, the double bird is how I ended all of our conversations,” Riley jokes before the preview comes to an end.

ABC 'Shifting Gears' cast with Kat Dennings and Tim Allen

ABC

'Shifting Gears' cast with Kat Dennings and Tim Allen

In addition to starring in the sitcom, Allen, 71, serves as executive producer and Dennings, 38, as producer. The series also stars Seann William Scott as Gabriel, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter and Barrett Margolis as Georgia.

Allen is no stranger to sitcoms. He is well known for his role in the ‘90s hit Home Improvement and, more recently, Last Man Standing, which ended in 2021. He also starred in The Santa Clause movies, which was made into a Disney+ series The Santa Clauses in 2022.

Dennings also made her mark in the sitcom world with CBS' 2 Broke Girls, which aired from 2011-2017.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Shifting Gears premieres Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.