Tim Allen‘s ABC sitcom, Shifting Gears, is no stranger to bringing aboard big-time guest stars, and there is one star in particular that showrunner Michelle Nader has her eyes on.
Speaking with Us Weekly at the ABC Summer Soirée on September 5, Nader revealed that there are a “couple of people” who have been in touch to say they want to join the show. “I can’t say who and we’re thinking of how to get the right role,” she noted.
However, Nader also admitted to having her own list of “people that we want to see” make a cameo on the sitcom. And the name at the top of that list? A popular Emmy-winning White Lotus star.
“I want to get Jennifer Coolidge in the show,” Nader told the outlet. “I want to get some of those people to come around. We have a lot up our sleeve.”
Shifting Gears premiered on January 8, 2025, and centers on Allen’s Matt, a widower who runs an auto restoration shop with his estranged daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings). Jenna Elfman plays Riley’s boss and Matt’s love interest, Eve, while Seann William Scott plays Riley’s on/off boyfriend, Gabriel.
Coolidge previously starred alongside Dennings on the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, playing Zofia “Sophie” Kaczyński, a buxom middle-aged Polish woman who lives in the apartment above the girls.
Earlier this year, ahead of the Shifting Gears Season 1 finale on March 19, Dennings told People she is long overdue for a catch-up with Coolidge but was struggling to get a hold of her after all her White Lotus success.
“Oh my God, I’ve tried to get back in touch with her, but I think she’s too busy to talk to me right now,” Dennings joked. “I’m just kidding. But I have reached out just to tell her how amazing she is and I didn’t really ask any questions, so maybe that’s why she didn’t answer?”
Despite not getting to catch up, Dennings said of her former co-star, “I think she’s just an iconic person and actress and I’m so excited that she’s had this renaissance. She really deserves it.”
The first season of Shifting Gears featured cameos from Running Point star Brenda Song, Almost Perfect alum Nancy Travis, and former Tonight Show host Jay Leno.
As previously reported by Deadline, Season 2, which premieres on October 1, will feature a Home Improvement reunion, with guest appearances from Allen’s former co-stars Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn, and Debbe Dunning.
Shifting Gears, Season 2, Premieres, Wednesday, October 1, 8 pm ET, ABC