Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Shifting Gears episode called "Uncle Sam." Stream it with a Hulu subscription and read at your own risk!
Shifting Gears introduced a new member of the Parker family, and fans of Hallmark will have recognized the actor. Season 2 introduced Matt's son and Riley's brother Sam, and although it was initially jarring to see him, I need more of him if the series returns for Season 3.
While I'm loving the ABC series so far in the 2026 TV schedule, the season finale is next week. We still don't know if Tim Allen and Kat Dennings' series will return in the fall season, but if it does, Luke Macfarlane's Sam needs more screen time.
Sam Retiring From The Navy To Become An Actor Is The Perfect Shifting Gears Storyline
When Shifting Gears revealed that Sam retired from the Navy to pursue an acting career, I laughed out loud. Retiring was enough to send Matt over the edge, especially since he was so proud of his son, the "future Admiral." Becoming an actor really twisted the knife, even when Sam pointed to other military veterans-turned-actors like Jimmy Stewart and Adam Driver.
Ultimately, Matt got over his son's decision and decided it was best to support him and enjoy having Sam around rather than cut him off or continue to groan about it. I'm glad Matt came to his senses, but not surprised. After he dated Eve, I don't think anything he does can be more shocking.
If Shifting Gears Returns For Season 3, We Need More Of Sam
After watching him recreate a scene from Top Gun, I'm all-in on Sam becoming a bigger part of the cast if Shifting Gears returns for Season 3. He might've been a great spy in the Navy, but he has a long way to go before he can be a successful actor. There's some great storytelling potential there, and I'd love to see the writing staff run with it.
Of course, there's no guarantee that Shifting Gears will return to ABC for another season. The series was reportedly on the cancellation bubble after Season 1 saw a steep decline in viewership. It feels like there was an effort in Season 2 to pull in more cameos from celebrities and other stars of past sitcoms, but who knows if that moved the needle enough to ABC's liking?
The good news is that Tim Allen has had a series canceled by ABC and then picked up elsewhere before, so if that does end up happening, perhaps he can make some calls and get back on the air elsewhere in no time at all.
Shifting Gears airs its season finale on ABC on Wednesday, February 4th at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to see Matt move forward in his love life, and Riley and Gabe have an unexpected moment I can't wait to see more of.
