What FATHERHOOD Taught Me

RAISING TWO DAUGHTERS MADE THE STAR OF THE NEW SITCOM SHIFTING GEARS A BETTER MAN

- Louise A. Barile

Funnyman Tim Allen has played a lot of dads over his long career — from Home Improvement ’s Tim Taylor and Last Man Standing ’s Mike Baxter to Scott Calvin of The Santa Clauses. This month, Tim returned to TV on Shifting Gears as Matt, a widower who takes in his estranged adult daughter and her children. It airs on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu.

Tim, 71, sees Matt, who restores cars for a living, as an “evolution” from his previous TV dads. “He’s a creative guy who’s in grief over the loss of his wife,” he tells