One of the best parts of Shifting Gears is how it feels like a modern take on a classic sitcom with live audiences and, crucially, relatable and hilarious explorations of family. With the relatively low stakes and comforting tone, one wouldn’t expect people to find political meaning in the show. However, one article in the Wall Street Journal argues that the show was part of a larger “course correction in Hollywood” in “Trump’s America,” while the Daily Mail described it as “anti-woke” — with the main reason being that Tim Allen‘s character is clearly right-wing and implied to be a Trump supporter.
While it cannot be ignored that there has been a shift in recent times away from shows that critique conservative politics — the Wall Street Journal also pointed out the return of Live PD under its new name, On Patrol: Live — this is an ultimately incorrect reading of the role Matt plays in Shifting Gears. Simply put, just because a right-wing character is included does not mean the show is “anti-woke” or attempting to push one agenda over another. In fact, part of what makes the show stand out is that it focuses more on reflecting the trials and tribulations that modern American families may be experiencing.
Matt Isn’t Meant to Be a Positive Reflection of Conservative Politics in ‘Shifting Gears’
If Shifting Gears was truly meant to be aligned with conservative or Trump-like viewpoints, then any moral of its episodes would be one that reflected these ideas as correct and framed Matt as the voice of reason in the show. However, it is rare that Matt is seen as the moral compass of Shifting Gears. In fact, he is the butt of most of the jokes, with Riley (Kat Dennings) constantly afraid of what he is going to say to her kids next about fake news or conspiracy theories. Considering how grouchy he is at the beginning of the show, we are clearly meant to see him from Riley’s perspective, as she is the protagonist of the story. Therefore, his odd rants about fake news or conspiracy theories present him as illogical, not a conservative pragmatist.
In the end, Matt’s greatest wins come not from listening to his own traditional beliefs on how the world works, but when he listens to the women and the younger people around him — such as Riley, Gabe (Seann William Scott), Eve (Jenna Elfman), and Charlotte (Nancy Travis). Often, these are emotional growth moments for him, such as the Valentine episode where Charlotte helps Matt begin to form new relationships again.
Matt and Riley’s Relationship on ‘Shifting Gears’ Isn’t Severed by Their Opposing Views
The most significant focus of Shifting Gears is its portrayal of how Matt and Riley’s relationship as father and daughter improves when they become more accepting of each other. Despite Riley and her father’s opposing views, their political outlook is a major barrier in their relationship. Instead, when we see Riley’s reaction to Matt’s statements or how she raises her daughter, Georgia (Barrett Margolis), we know that she’s not convinced by her father’s political beliefs — and neither is he by hers.
Throughout the season, a great way Shifting Gears tries to strike a balance is by focusing on the emotional states of the characters to find unifying ideas. In Episode 4, “Grief,” we learn a lot about Matt’s character when he breaks down about how unfair the world is, that while bad people live, his wife is dead. It’s a similar anger at the world we have seen before in his rants, but the root of his frustration doesn’t stem from any political slant. It reveals a side of him that we’ve never seen and offers a real glimpse into his character.
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‘Shifting Gears’ Reflects Real Family Dynamics — That’s Just a Reality
A lot of the criticism launched at Shifting Gears ignores one of the things the show gets right. It might be a sitcom, but its concept is far from outlandish. In fact, it’s a reflection of real-life relationships between older and younger generations. Granted, Matt’s ideas are not as extreme as some of the worst in the far-right, but in a time when there are deep divides in homes and families, Shifting Gears shows how we can still find things to unify us. Some of the most successful sitcoms of all time, such as Friends, Big Bang Theory, and How I Met Your Mother, worked because they appealed to such a broad audience, and Shifting Gears achieves similarly here.
It’s important not to confuse the presence of a character archetype with a show’s intentions. Yes, there has definitely been a rise in media that caters to a more conservative audience. However, Shifting Gears is not trying to bring you over to Matt’s side. In fact, it often feels non-partisan at times and somewhat surface-level in its politics at that, though Dennings and Allen’s performances give the show the life it needs to carry on. Shifting Gears‘ intentions appear to be far simpler than what the aforementioned articles would have you believe — it shows how things are rather than how they ought to be.
Shifting Gears is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
