Tim Allen Reveals What Jenna Elfman’s New Role in Fox Show Means for Their ‘Shifting Gears’ Romance

While Jenna Elfman may have just been cast in Fox’s upcoming series, The Interrogator, fans of Shifting Gears don’t have to worry about her giving up her role as Tim Allen‘s on-screen love interest anytime soon.

“I just saw Jenna. We went to see No Doubt with a whole group of people at The Sphere in Vegas,” Allen, 72, told Us Weekly in an interview published on Wednesday, June 10.

“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,'” the Toy Story star continued.

Allen added that he was grateful that those working on The Interrogator had made accommodations that allowed Elfman, 54, to split her time between the two series.

“I love doing the show and I love what we’ve got,” he said. “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.”

Fans loved Elfman and Allen’s characters’ romance on Shifting Gears, so when news broke that she had been cast in a reoccurring role on The Interrogator opposite Stephen Fry, many were nervous that would mean the end of their fictional relationship.

However, last month the Dharma & Greg alum revealed that viewers could breathe a sigh of relief.

“I can go play on Shifting Gears,” Elfman revealed to the publication before suggesting a possible cameo on The Interrogator from her on-screen love interest. “[Having Tim Allen on] would be very entertaining. He’s very funny and I think Stephen interrogating Tim Allen [would be cool].”

Shifting Gears is currently streaming on Hulu with a new season expected to arrive in early 2027.