Seinfeld filmed in front of a live studio audience. Friends also famously did it. For years, this format was the norm, but over time that changed as comedy creators got more experimental with single cam and other setups. So much so, that there’s been discourse over the past decade about whether or not the sitcom in front of a live studio audience is dead. Still, a few shows using the format are really popular, including ABC’s Shifting Gears, and that’s exactly how Tim Allen likes it.
The longtime comedy veteran has filmed in front of a live studio audience for decades now on major shows like Home Improvement, Last Man Standing and the aforementioned Shifting Gears. He revealed in an interview that as a performer this is his preferred format, telling USA Today he’s looking for a jolt when on set.
Back in the day, this is how it was, you rehearsed it and shot it in front of real people, and I love that. In the movies, OK maybe I make the crew bust up, but that's it. Doing Shifting Gears, I get to aim for the whole audience plus the crew. There's nothing like it.
Intriguingly, it's a sentiment similar to what his co-star Kat Dennings has expressed, and it seems to be working. Despite a rumored cancelation scare at the end of Season 1, Shifting Gears was one of the highest-ranked network TV comedies on the 2025 TV schedule, coming in just behind fellow newcomer Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Interestingly enough, Georgie & Mandy is another sitcom that still films in front of a live studio audience -- unlike some of its other high-rated contemporaries, including Abbot Elementary or Ghosts.
So, there’s clearly appetite for the format, which is good news for Tim Allen. The comedian, who is 72, has said that as long as the appeal is there, he wants to keep working. So, if you meet him, please don’t tell him it’s time to pop onto a golf course.
I just love being around the camera people and actors and the crew, so much so that I'm more uncomfortable at the thought of leaving the set and, God forbid, going to play golf.
He’d rather be tinkering with cars on TV.
It may have been (oddly in my opinion) touch and go for a bit, but Shifting Gears will be back for Season 2. It’s also worth noting that ABC’s already announced its 2025 fall schedule, which will have the series returning on October 1st, along with the aforementioned Abbott Elementary and the still fairly fledgling reality series The Golden Bachelor. Those shows might not have a ton in common, but in the ever-changing network TV landscape, it’s nice to see them all back.
