Tim Allen’s latest ABC sitcom, “Shifting Gears,” has accelerated to impressive ratings heights. ABC reports that the show has now become the most-watched ABC series premiere on streaming platforms to date, with views over the first seven days on both Hulu and the Hulu section of Disney+.
According to ABC, the debut of “Shifting Gears” on January 8 has garnered an average of nearly 17 million views across multiple platforms, including linear ABC (and its subsequent reruns), timeshifting, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and various other digital platforms. This figure of 16.95 million reflects a substantial 173% increase from the show’s initial live viewership of 6.2 million.
When excluding linear repeats, the show’s seven-day multiplatform average stands at 12.45 million viewers, marking a notable 101% rise from the original 6.2 million viewers on live broadcast. Additionally, the show boasts a 2.94 rating among adults aged 18-49, a substantial 339% surge from the initial 0.67 average in the same demographic.
ABC highlights that this performance positions “Shifting Gears” as the network’s most-watched debut since “The Conners” premiered on October 16, 2018. The series stars Tim Allen as Matt, described in the official logline as the stubborn widowed proprietor of a classic car restoration workshop. The narrative unfolds as Matt’s estranged daughter, played by Kat Dennings, along with her children, move into his residence, igniting a new chapter of restoration efforts. Seann William Scott, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Maxwell Simkins, and Barrett Margolis also feature prominently in the show’s ensemble cast.
In a parallel development, the crossover episode between “Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” which aired on January 8, achieved a series high for “Abbott Elementary” in streaming viewership through Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
The cumulative seven-day multiplatform viewership for this crossover episode amounted to 8.05 million viewers and secured a 2.57 rating for adults aged 18-49. Notably, the only episode to surpass these metrics was the post-Oscars episode that aired last March.
Furthermore, the “Abbott”/”Sunny” crossover episode recorded an average of 4.9 million viewers on linear broadcast with a 0.9 rating among adults aged 18-49. These figures signify a 28% increase from the live broadcast viewership and a 32% rise in the demographic rating, underscoring the crossover’s popularity among audiences.
The success of these shows in both live and streaming platforms reflects a positive trend in viewer engagement and underscores the appeal of diverse content offerings. With audiences increasingly gravitating towards multiplatform viewing experiences, shows like “Shifting Gears” and crossover events like “Abbott Elementary”/”It’s Always
