Shifting Gears broke up Tim Allen and Jenna Elfman‘s characters — but is there a chance they could rekindle their romance?
The ABC series marked the first time Allen has starred on a sitcom where his character isn’t married. (Allen’s characters on hit sitcoms Home Improvement and Last Man Standing were already in committed relationships when each series began.)
“From the very beginning, [the creative team has said] that we’ve never seen Tim Allen in a sitcom with a romantic interest. And I said, ‘Well, I’ve just lost my wife on the show, so I don’t see it.’ So I love where we are,” Allen exclusively told Us Weekly when the show premiered in January 2025. “I said, ‘If it happens over time and happens organically with two people that do not get along, then it is OK.’ I just am really cautious about this. I just want it to happen where it’s organic and proper.”
After mourning the loss of his wife, Allen’s character Matt formed a connection with Eve (Elfman). The pair dated throughout the second season before calling it quits due to long distance. Allen and Elfman, however, didn’t rule out a reconciliation but remained tight-lipped about what a potential rekindling could look like.
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Keep scrolling for what Allen and Elfman shared about Matt and Eve’s future on Shifting Gears:
Having Hope for Matt and Eve’s Future
After joining the show, Jenna Elfman opened up about sharing the screen with Tim Allen.
“I love doing scenes with Tim. I got very excited and it took me a couple episodes to go, ‘OK, who are we in this? Who are you? How is he playing within this format? How is his timing?’ It takes a moment to see how we’re dancing together as partners,” Elfman told Us in February 2025.
Elfman specifically praised Allen’s ability to support her as his scene partner, adding, “He’s so confident as a comedic actor. He’s just confident and I’m confident and we don’t care if something [doesn’t land]. When you’ve been doing it long enough, you’re not paranoid about a joke not working and you don’t care. There’s no preciousness and there’s enough confidence to support the exploration of the scene of humor.”
Bringing Matt and Eve’s Love Story to Life
“I really appreciate that, because you have two confident people playing and it feels really good. The other thing I really appreciate from Tim is he grants me total freedom to occupy the space with whatever I’m bringing,” Elfman noted to Us. “I don’t feel like he’s sitting there judging. I don’t feel like he’s sitting there evaluating my comedy or my ability to do a joke.”
She continued: “I just feel like he has faith in my ability and everyone around him. I’m allowed to be myself in the space in front of him. That kind of trust when you’re doing comedy is really great.”
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Matt and Eve Will Keep Dealing With Obstacles
Before season 2, showrunner Michelle Nader teased the fictional couple’s journey.
“I will say that it is really interesting to watch them,” Nader shared with Us in September 2025 about the onscreen dynamic. “It’s interesting to watch their relationship develop, and so they’re going to go into high gear — but it’s going to be a little bit of a roller-coaster.”
Matt and Eve Aren’t Over Yet
Tim Allen shut down the assumption that Matt and Eve’s relationship was over after their shocking split halfway through season 2.
“Coming up, you’ll see it’s not over yet and it’s really a different thing for a comic to play this,” Allen told Us in January 2026. “In the show, by design there’s more drama to lay the comedy on top of. It’s something I’ve always liked to do.”
He concluded: “The reality of the story is that it was working and it was really romantic for the show. [While] they’re not really a couple yet, it just was really sad. Both of us really got affected by the writing of it and played it very well.”
