Shifting Gears is one of ABC’s newest sitcoms—if not the most recent. But since my family watches Hulu, we catch it the day after it premieres on network television. I was intrigued by the trailer, especially since my wife and I were looking for a new show to watch. Unfortunately, despite the talent of its two stars, Tim Allen and Kat Dennings, it falls far short of the perfect sitcom.

Tim Allen stars as Matt Parker, an aging owner of a car restoration shop with no plans to retire. A grumpy conservative living in California, he’s not exactly as warm and cuddly as a Care Bear.

But then his estranged daughter, Riley, shows up out of the blue with the car he thought had been stolen by some punk. She’s leaving a marriage to a man her dad never liked, and she’s got nowhere else to go. So Riley, along with her two kids, moves in with Matt, setting the stage for family friction and reluctant bonding.

One of Shifting Gears’ biggest problems is the shallow writing and lack of depth in its characters. Matt and Riley are fine, but almost everyone else feels one-dimensional. Take Riley’s son, Carter—there’s really not much to him beyond being an awkward kid who might have autism.

His sister, Georgia, doesn’t fare much better; she’s essentially a mini version of her mother but lacks the storylines or personality traits to make her stand out.

Seann William Scott, whom I haven’t seen in anything in about 20 years, also stars as Gabriel, one of Matt’s employees at the auto shop. But he doesn’t get much opportunity to shine either. It seems like they’re setting him up as a potential love interest for Riley, but that hasn’t really gone anywhere yet.

The first season is only 10 episodes long, which is surprisingly short for a brand-new sitcom. While I never watched Last Man Standing, it’s clear Tim Allen wanted to play the lovable conservative dad again. However, Riley isn’t particularly liberal—she’s more apolitical—so the show lacks the ideological contrast that could have added more punch to the storylines. Instead, many of the plots feel aimless and meandering.

I do like Shifting Gears, but I can also see why others might dislike it or simply not be interested. As a sitcom, it’s like a shiny new car that, for some reason, doesn’t move—and no one can figure out why. It has potential and could be salvaged, but for now, a more fitting title might be Stuck in Neutral.