As ABC’s best replacement series for The Conners heads into its sophomore season, Shifting Gears still lacks one thing that lies at the heart of the Roseanne spinoff’s unique charm. Tim Allen’s latest series may not focus as much on class struggles, nor boast The Conners ’ sizable cast , but neither of these fully capture what the sitcom is missing most.

The Conners series finale left an undeniable void on network TV. Few sitcoms apart from Roseanne have succeeded in exploring economic hardship in such an unapologetically earnest fashion , but there’s another core component that Shifting Gears season 2 needs even more to replicate what made The Conners truly unique.

Tim Allen’s Shifting Gears Is ABC’s Best Replacement Sitcom For The Conners

Kat Dennings as

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