Tim Allen’s latest taping of ABC’s multi-camera sitcom “Shifting Gears” turned into an unexpected reunion when Kaitlyn Dever walked onto the soundstage and surprised her former TV father in front of a live audience. The drop-in, filmed during a scene on the show’s kitchen set and first reported by Deadline, quickly circulated online as a mini “Last Man Standing” reunion for longtime fans.
In the clip shared by the “Shifting Gears” Instagram account, Allen enters the scene appearing to expect current co-star Kat Dennings at the refrigerator. Instead he finds Dever waiting in character position, which stops him cold before he breaks into laughter and pulls her into a long hug as the studio audience erupts. An announcer introduces “the amazing Kaitlyn Dever” and the three actors – Allen, Dever and Dennings – take a moment to greet the crowd while cameras keep rolling.
Dever played Eve Baxter, the youngest daughter of Allen’s Mike Baxter, on “Last Man Standing,” serving as a series regular for the first six seasons and returning periodically through the show’s ninth and final year. Their last on-screen interaction came in the 2021 series finale, where Eve appeared only via FaceTime because Dever was shooting the “Dear Evan Hansen” film under tight COVID protocols and could not share the stage with the rest of the cast.
The unannounced visit continues a pattern for “Shifting Gears,” which has leaned into Allen’s sitcom history across its second season. Former “Last Man Standing” lead Nancy Travis has recurred on the show, while Jay Leno and several “Home Improvement” alumni have already stopped by for guest spots that play directly to long-time viewers of Allen’s earlier hits.
Allen later shared a photo from the taping on X, writing that Dever’s appearance left him feeling “such a lucky man” and “truly blessed” to have worked with so many co-stars over the years. Dever, who has gone on to acclaimed work in “Booksmart,” “Dopesick” and “The Last of Us,” is not currently slated to appear on “Shifting Gears,” but the enthusiastic response to the video has already sparked speculation among fans about a proper guest turn. New episodes of “Shifting Gears” air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC, with the fall finale set for Dec. 10 and streaming availability the next day on Hulu.
