Tim Allen is breaking his silence about what Jenna Elfman‘s new show means for her future as his love interest on Shifting Gears.
In Us Weekly‘s latest cover story, on newsstands now, Allen, 72, recalled his reaction to Elfman, 54, joining Fox’s The Interrogator, saying, “I just saw Jenna. We went to see No Doubt with a whole group of people at The Sphere in Vegas. She said, ‘Now this is gonna only work for them if I can do eight episodes with you.’ And I said, ‘God, I’m glad that you said this.’”
Allen noted that he wanted to keep working with Elfman.
“I love doing the show and I love what we’ve got,” he added. “I’m amazed that they’re able to do this. But they’ve got it set up that she’ll be in most of the season.”
After seeing the reception to Matt (Allen) and Eve’s (Elfman) romance, Shifting Gears will continue to center around their fictional relationship.
“She’s so fun to be around and it’s brought out a whole different part of the show,” Allen told Us. “It brought a different audience to that show. … You’ve got romance for the people that want that on the show and it turns out the flirting and the actual activity between these two characters is working.”
Allen also hinted at the story lines that will be playing out in season 3, sharing, “My question is — and we haven’t talked about it yet because we’ll start in late July to do our new season — is Jenna going to move in with me or am I going to move in with her [on the show]? I don’t know. I’d like to stretch it out where we’re just dating a little bit.”
He continued: “I said I don’t foresee it coming but [showrunner] Michelle [Nader] and her team surprised me again. I’m uncomfortable with it — because I’m a comedian — so I don’t know where this goes. It doesn’t matter, it’s working. It makes a dynamic sitcom move a little bit wider, definitely.”
Concerns about Elfman’s future on Shifting Gears started when news broke in May about her new show. According to the official synopsis, Stephen Fry will play a former MI6 agent Conrad Henry while will portray Woodrow, who is a “former rising star in the CIA whose career was derailed by a mission gone awry.”
The actress’ new job raised questions about her future on ABC’s Shifting Gears. She was expected to return for season 3 after previously appearing in nine episodes while also filming AMC’s Dark Winds.
During the Fox Upfronts that same month, Elfman confirmed exclusively to Us that her joining The Interrogator as a series regular opposite Fry wouldn’t interfere with her role as Eve.
“I can go play on Shifting Gears,” she revealed to Us before suggesting a possible cameo on the Fox project from her Shifting Gears love interest. “[Having Tim Allen on] would be very entertaining. He’s very funny and I think Stephen interrogating Tim Allen [would be cool].”
Allen, meanwhile, has his hands full starring on Shifting Gears — and returning as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 5.
“It’s an amazing part of my life,” Allen said about the role, which he originated three decades prior. “Buzz has become such a part of me, and vice versa.”
Allen teased what fans can expect from the next chapter, which premieres in theaters on June 19, “When we did Toy Story 4, I said, ‘We need a little more Buzz in this.’ I was kidding, so it was very startling when I saw the storyboards. I said, ‘OK, you took that seriously.’”
He continued: “It was very challenging to be that many Buzzes [in a toy cargo container], and then it got very confusing [as to] who’s talking to who, and I’m not sure exactly how they smoothed it out, but it was very funny to be part of that. … Essentially, it’s a story about a wonderful friendship. Kids recognize it, and adults recognize it, and they’ve added a whole color palette with the other toys, so it’s like a little community. I think [if it were with] stick figures, it would still be very popular.”
Shifting Gears is currently streaming on Hulu. Toy Story 5 premieres in theaters on June 19.
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