Shifting Gears Season 2 has already packed in plenty of recognizable guest stars in the fall 2025 TV schedule so far, starting big with a trio of Home Improvement reunions for Tim Allen. Now, another familiar face from the small screen is set to join the show in the 2026 TV schedule, and fans of Hallmark’s Christmas movie schedule will undoubtedly recognize him. In fact, he’s so closely associated with merry and bright TV movies that the only bummer about his Shifting Gears casting is that he’s missing the upcoming Christmas episode. Prepare to welcome Luke Macfarlane to the ABC sitcom!
Luke Macfarlane, who starred in fifteen Hallmark movies before getting to play Santa Claus, joins Shifting Gears to play Sam Parker, according to Deadline. While this will be Macfarlane’s first episode of the ABC sitcom, Sam has been mentioned a number of times on the show as the son of Matt (Tim Allen) and brother of Riley (Kat Dennings). The new character is a Navy hero, and is set to appear as a guest star later this season.
The Platonic actor reacted to his casting announcement on Instagram, writing “Happy to be a member of the family.” No set date was announced for his debut as a guest star, but with just the Christmas episode left before winter hiatus starts, it’s a safe bet that Sam’s arrival will happen in the new year after the holiday season has wound down. Hallmark is still the place to be to see Luke Macfarlane celebrating the season.
Shifting Gears is still getting festive to end the fall, though, and with another notable guest star: Better Things star Pamela Adlon, who is on board as Gabe’s (Seann William Scott) mom. Called “Nutcracker,” the Christmas episode/fall finale will feature the Parker family learning that the holiday season isn’t necessarily full of miracles when it comes to romance, with thin ice for Matt and Eve (returning sitcom star Jenna Elfman), Gabe needing Riley’s help for Amelie to impress his mom, and Carter also requiring assistance when it comes to his “promposal.”
Personally, I’m most curious about the promposal simply because high school prom usually takes place in the spring, so Carter is presumably either planning way ahead for the new year or intending to lock in a date early with many months to spare. Still, the holidays are a time for many families to celebrate together, so I’m hoping we at least get a mention of Sam to set the stage for Luke Macfarlane’s arrival as Matt’s son in 2026. If we can’t get the actor to celebrate Christmas on ABC instead of just Hallmark, let’s get a shout out to his new character!
The Christmas episode of Shifting Gears, which is also the fall finale, airs on Wednesday, December 10 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC ahead of the Abbott Elementary fall finale at 8:30 p.m. ET. Tim Allen”s latest sitcom will then go on break until returning with the winter premiere on Wednesday, January 7 in the usual time slot. In the meantime, you can always revisit earlier episodes streaming with a Hulu subscription.
