Love Kat Dennings. Love Sean William Scott. Tolerate Tim Allen.

But regardless of how you may feel about its stars “Shifting Gears” is missing something after its first few episodes. It feels like we’ve already seen all of it’s pitches and it’s the top of the second inning.

The jokes are mostly flat. This week, they decided to focus on grief, which is an important part of the show, with Riley and Matt both nibbling around the edges of therapy.

It’s important but not very sitcom-friendly. But its not going to go away because of the premise of the show.

Which is why we may need some flashbacks with the mom.

Yeah, I know it’s an overused angle these days, but with the right actress, it could pump some much needed energy into some of these episodes.

The reason is that we haven’t known Riley and Matt long enough to understand why they are the way they are. The car shop stuff isn’t funny. The random angles like school and dating are fun, but even when they’re working, there is still some space in the show for something more.

When you look at how “The Conners” handled moving on from Roseanne, there was an extra level of understanding because we knew who the person was, and how her dynamic fit into the lives of the characters that were still with us.

“Shifting Gears” could use some of that energy. Viewers on the alphabet are already seeing it, you might as well use some parts we know that will make the ride a little smoother.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

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