Here's something most people don't realize: Two Hollywood stars who played mother and son in a blockbuster franchise never actually filmed a single scene together. And now, they're hoping to finally fix that—but there's one massive problem...
Seann William Scott Opens Up About 'Shifting Gears' Season 2 and His Dream of Reuniting With 'American Pie' Legend Jennifer Coolidge: "She's Likely Fully Booked For the Next Three Decades"
The ABC comedy series Shifting Gears has barely kicked off its second season—we're talking just one episode in—yet the show featuring Kat Dennings, Tim Allen, and Seann William Scott has already rolled out an impressive roster of special guest appearances. From beloved cast members of Allen's iconic Home Improvement to automotive enthusiast Jay Leno and actress Brenda Song, the sitcom isn't slowing down its star-studded momentum anytime soon.
During an exclusive conversation with DECIDER about the show's sophomore run, Scott revealed exciting details about what's coming. Not only will Season 2 showcase previously confirmed celebrity names including baseball superstar Mookie Betts, Shark Tank's Lori Greiner, and comedian Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias, but the production team is also harboring ambitious aspirations for future celebrity cameos—specifically, stars who share professional history with multiple members of the current cast.
"Honestly, we'll probably never land her because she's likely completely booked solid for the next three decades, but Jennifer Coolidge would be incredible. She's just phenomenally talented," Scott confided to DECIDER when discussing his ultimate wish list for guest stars who might visit the automotive repair shop that serves as the series' primary setting. "Kat collaborated with her on 2 Broke Girls, and Jennifer and I worked together on American Pie, but here's the crazy part—we never actually shared screen time together. I genuinely think bringing her on would be absolutely phenomenal."
But here's where it gets controversial... In the American Pie franchise, Scott portrayed the unforgettable Steve Stifler while Coolidge brought to life his mother, Jeanine "Stifler's Mom." Despite both appearing in the franchise's first two installments and being cast as mother and son, the two actors remarkably never appeared in the same scene together. Meanwhile, Dennings spent considerable time working alongside the Emmy-winning White Lotus star throughout their tenure on 2 Broke Girls, the CBS sitcom co-starring Beth Behrs that entertained audiences from 2011 through 2017.
Michelle Nader, the showrunner behind Shifting Gears—who previously held writing and producing positions on 2 Broke Girls—expressed nearly identical sentiments when questioned about her ideal guest star lineup for Season 2 and future episodes. "Getting Jennifer Coolidge onto the show is definitely on my wish list. I'm eager to bring some of those talented individuals into our world. We've got plenty of surprises planned," Nader shared with Us Weekly back in September.
Curious about what's on the immediate horizon for the series and what Scott finds most rewarding about transitioning into the realm of live-audience sitcom production? Dive into DECIDER's comprehensive interview with the actor featured below.
DECIDER: It feels like I'm speaking with you during what might genuinely be your best year professionally, because I'm an enormous fan of The Righteous Gemstones, and your performance throughout the most recent season was absolutely outstanding.
SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT: Thank you so much, I genuinely appreciate hearing that. Yeah, that experience was truly special. I've been reflecting on how fortunate I've been to receive two amazing opportunities that are completely different from each other. With Gemstones, you're working with HBO and collaborating with people who are absolute legends in the industry. Danny McBride didn't reveal much initially. When they first approached me about the role, literally all the information I received was that the character operated a pig farm. My reaction was basically, "Okay, I'm in." I mean, honestly, that's all the information you really need. It wasn't until I actually arrived on set that someone from the wardrobe department casually asked, "Did anyone tell you what happens with your character in the finale?" I responded, "Nope, no idea." That's when she described the Michael Jackson costume and explained how my character embarks on a shooting spree while dressed in this Michael Jackson outfit. Then I finally got the script and my reaction was, "Oh my goodness, this is insane." The whole thing was just an incredible gift.
I have to admit, I think describing it as "pig farmer" is being generous with the details. If Danny McBride personally called me, I wouldn't even require a character description: "Sign me up immediately, I'm absolutely ready."
That's completely accurate. I actually first met Danny way back around 2004, maybe earlier, along with David Gordon Green. We attempted to collaborate back then and they had created one of the most hilarious scripts I've ever had the pleasure of reading, and David was set to direct it, but Universal Studios was hesitant, saying, "We're not sure about this." Not long after our project fell through, I remember thinking, "Oh no, what a missed opportunity." So we've been wanting to work together ever since that time, and you're absolutely right—I didn't need any convincing whatsoever. When I received the call, my response was, "I'll be your water boy, your production assistant, whatever role you need filled."
Well, another project you absolutely couldn't pass up is the one we're here to discuss: Shifting Gears. I know we're now in Season 2, but walk me through how this opportunity initially came to you?
The timing was actually while I was in the middle of working on Gemstones. To be completely transparent, there was approximately one month where I was separated from my daughter, and I never want to experience that again. For The Righteous Gemstones, the situation was somewhat more manageable, but I kept thinking, "I never want to do this again." Then my agent contacted me and mentioned, "There's a sitcom production happening in Los Angeles," and my initial response was, "I'm not sure, I've never really considered doing a sitcom before," but then he added, "It's starring Tim Allen," and immediately I said, "Okay, I absolutely love Tim Allen, he's a genuine legend." However, I don't believe the character of Gabe was completely developed at that point.
I discussed it with the cast on Gemstones, telling them, "Hey, this incredible show opportunity came up." Their response was unanimous: "Do it, you absolutely have to do it. If you want to be present as a father and have quality time with your child, it offers the best schedule possible." Then I had a conversation with Michelle Nader, the showrunner, who was absolutely wonderful, and she was incredibly open to discussing the character's development. Honestly, I had absolutely no idea just how enjoyable the experience was going to be. Going to work now—I genuinely don't even want to call it work—we simply show up, have an amazing time, and laugh constantly, and then I'm finished in time to pick up my daughter from school. That's such an incredible gift.
It sounds like this has been a truly lifechanging experience for you professionally and personally.
It's been absolutely incredible. And then there's the experience of doing something completely different at this point in my career and feeling genuinely challenged throughout the entire process. Filming in front of a live studio audience and having to adjust your comedic timing, figuring out when to deliver your lines, when to exit while they're still laughing—the whole thing has been an amazing learning experience. The entire cast is just so wonderful to work with. I often just observe and watch Tim work his magic. The crazy coincidence is that before this opportunity even came around, I was watching The Santa Clause with my daughter. It became our thing—we were watching it almost every single night. And then about a month later, I'm thinking, "Oh my goodness, I actually get to work with him professionally." I brought my daughter to the set one day during one of the live tapings in the first season. Seeing my daughter's reaction to meeting Tim in person, you could literally see her mind being blown. She couldn't process it, she kept saying, "This is Santa Claus."
Was your daughter thinking, "Dad, I need to be on my best behavior around this guy because he sees me when I'm sleeping and knows when I'm awake"?
Exactly that. Now, she regularly asks, "Are you working with Santa today?" and I confirm, "Yes, I am," and she'll respond, "Oh, I better watch my behavior then."
Is your daughter watching the show? Has she seen all the episodes so far?
It's amusing, I've been attempting to show her various things—well, there's quite a lot of content I've created that I honestly hope she never discovers because she'll be absolutely horrified. But there have been scenes from movies or even clips from Shifting Gears where she's just completely unimpressed. It's classic child behavior, like, "Oh, you're an actor? Okay, whatever." This isn't directly related to Shifting Gears, but I did show her recently the scene from the third American Pie movie where I perform a dance battle, and she laughed so incredibly hard. Seeing her cackling with laughter is genuinely one of the greatest feelings imaginable—making my daughter laugh like that feels like my true purpose.
Maybe she'll eventually come around to appreciating Shifting Gears. There are so many elements to love about the show, including the dynamic relationship between Gabe and Riley, Kat Dennings' character. Is your on-screen chemistry as effortless as it appears?
Yeah, it genuinely is easy and natural. It's truly wonderful working with her. You're supposed to say complimentary things about people when you're promoting something, but I actually want to tell you that on a personal level, I just absolutely adore her. She's incredibly funny. I'm genuinely in awe of her talent, literally just her comedic timing and everything she does. We clicked immediately from the start. There are so many scenes where she does something unexpected and I just get completely taken out of character, either laughing or smiling, and I think it's actually okay because what she's doing is just so genuinely funny. If you're seeing chemistry on screen, it's pretty realistic because that's how we actually interact.
Well, Episode 1 of Season 2 concludes with perhaps a complication for those viewers hoping Gabe and Riley will get together romantically. We now know Gabe is in a relationship with Amélie—what are you personally hoping comes next for these two characters?
I haven't given it too much thought, to be completely honest. It's such a delicate relationship dynamic right now that I think you probably wouldn't want to rush them getting together romantically. My genuine hope is that we get the opportunity to continue the show for multiple additional seasons so we have the chance to keep that potential moment in front of us as something to build toward.
Let me wrap up with this final question: you've already welcomed so many incredible guest stars in just two seasons. Who's on your personal dream list for future episodes?
Well, I would have to say—we'll probably never get her because she's likely booked solid for the next three decades—but Jennifer Coolidge would be at the top. Simply because she's absolutely awesome at what she does. Kat worked with her on Two Broke Girls, and Jennifer and I worked together on American Pie, but here's the thing—we never actually worked together in the same scenes. I think bringing her on would be absolutely amazing. But I do think she's just slightly busy at the moment.
I'm confident she could find time for a quick guest appearance if asked.
I would absolutely love that. Oh my god, she's truly amazing.
How To Watch Shifting Gears
The premiere episode of Shifting Gears is currently available for streaming on Hulu. Fresh episodes broadcast on ABC every Wednesday at 8 p.m. and become available for streaming the following day on Hulu.
If you're brand new to Hulu, you can get started with a complimentary 30-day free trial on the streaming platform's basic (ad-supported) subscription plan. Following the trial period, you'll be charged $9.99 per month. If you prefer to upgrade to Hulu's ad-free experience, the cost is $18.99 monthly.
If you're interested in streaming even more content while saving some money each month in the process, we recommend subscribing to one of the Disney+ Bundle options, all of which include Hulu access. These bundle packages start at just $10.99/month for ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu and range up to $29.99/month for Disney+, Hulu, and Max, all completely ad-free.
And this is the part most people miss: Is it actually better for sitcoms to delay romantic pairings between main characters, or does that strategy risk losing audience interest? Some of television's greatest shows have been criticized for dragging out "will they/won't they" storylines too long. Do you think Shifting Gears should bring Gabe and Riley together sooner rather than later, or is Scott right to want to preserve that tension for future seasons? Share your thoughts in the comments—do you agree with the slow-burn approach, or are you already frustrated waiting for these two to get together?
