Tim Allen’s new sitcom, ‘Shifting Gears,’ is all about fixing cars and healing families. For the star, it hits close to home.

If something needs fixing, Tim Allen’s your guy — but make sure you have a backup plan.

“I’m good at diagnosing,” Allen told Yahoo Entertainment. “I usually eff it up before I fix it.” Case in point: He recently tore apart his daughter’s rowing machine to troubleshoot a problem, only to realize all it needed was the push of a button.

That mix of good intentions and learning as he goes is Allen’s signature, and it’s what cemented him as one of TV’s most beloved dads. From the tool-wielding Tim Taylor on Home Improvement to the wisecracking Mike Baxter on Last Man Standing, he’s built a legacy of relatable father figures known for being both handy and hilariously misguided.

Now, Allen is back in Shifting Gears, a new sitcom premiering Jan. 8 on ABC. Only this time, things look a little different.

Unlike his past sitcom roles, Allen’s Matt Parker is a gruff widower whose estranged daughter, played by Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls), moves in with her two kids in tow. Together, the family faces the challenges of navigating grief, rebuilding their relationships and healing old wounds.

It’s a plot that hits close to home for Allen, who lost his father in a car accident as a child.

“My dad was a doer,” Allen said. “He always worked hard, and we would do stuff with him, whether it’s gardening or working on his car. So, I’ve always appreciated men that know how to do stuff.”

That’s evident in the roles he plays.

“In every sitcom I’ve done I’ve always wanted the men and women to be best friends and affectionate,” he said. “Both my parents, my father and mother, were like that before he passed away. I always thought that set the tone for the family.”

Allen knows sitcoms don’t reflect real life entirely.

“Ultimately, this show is about how wonderful people have horrible things happen to them, and they stay human. They don’t fall apart,” he said. “Nobody’s family gets these things settled in 24 minutes. Matt is dealing with grief. He restores cars, but what he’s really restoring is his relationship with his daughter.”

For Dennings, acting alongside Allen is a full-circle moment.

“It feels like we’ve been doing this for a very long time,” she told Yahoo Entertainment. “Everyone was really excited to see Tim doing this again.”

Dennings’s character Riley is as stubborn and strong-willed as her father. Riley is ideologically progressive, while Matt leans more conservative. Despite their frequent clashes, they share an openness to learning from each other.

“Their belief systems are very different, but she is his daughter,” Dennings explained, adding that the moments where their differences come to a head are some of her favorites.

A little on-set humor also helps. Referring to Allen as a “dad joke aficionado,” Dennings said she and the crew are often at the receiving end of his practical jokes — like when he routinely pretends to run into walls to make them laugh.

“It gets me every time,” she said. “It’s hilarious. He keeps the set very fun.”

Riley is a far cry from Max Black, the snarky, wisecracking waitress Dennings brought to life on 2 Broke Girls.

“I’m having such a different experience with this show, in a good way,” she said. “Now, in my 30s, I feel much more laid-back.”

Also rounding out the cast are Seann William Scott and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Gabriel and Ed, a duo working in Matt’s car shop. They lend humor to the show and play a subtle role in helping Matt forge his relationship with Riley, each in his own way.

“We’ve got two different strengths, and it works perfectly,” Mitchell told Yahoo Entertainment about the duo’s onscreen chemistry: Scott’s knack for “dissecting scripts” and Mitchell’s talent for “pushing for the joke” in their scenes.

Scott joined the show after the pilot had already been shot, replacing a character played by Froy Gutierrez in the pilot. Scott said the cast and crew welcomed him with open arms on set.

“Chill embraced me. He was so kind and so warm,” Scott recalled.

“And starstruck!” Mitchell interjected. “I was over the moon, dude. You came in that door, I said, ‘Yo, it’s about to go down.’”

“I think that’s exactly what you said,” Scott replied, noting that he and Mitchell often add their own “special sauce” to the script.

“There’s stuff that happens in the car shop that’s just for [our characters], selfishly,” he said. “We’ve been having fun doing that.”

One moment showcases Mitchell, who uses a wheelchair, playfully schooling Allen’s character on the importance of using respectful language when referring to people who use wheelchairs.

“It was a very good teachable moment,” Mitchell said. “A lot of times, [people] say things, and they don’t mean to be mean, but I’ve learned that people are just ignorant to the facts.”

As for Allen, he said the car shop setting on Shifting Gears is more than just a backdrop. It’s a metaphor for the show’s deeper message.

“I want Matt Parker to be for everybody,” he said. “He lost the love of his life, his daughter comes back, and in the middle of all that, there is something about this man that thinks restoration is possible.”

Shifting Gears premieres Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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