‘It was a really big deal for me’

Kat Dennings said she joined Tim Allen and the cast on set to create the new ABC sitcom To change gear “was like a 90s Mount Rushmore.”

The show also stars Seann William Scott, who played Stifler in 1999 American pieand Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, who became English teacher Mr. Morgan played 10 things I hate about you.

The cast wasn’t the only blast from the not-so-distant past. Dennings told Yahoo Entertainment Jonathan Taylor Thomas, the actor who played Allen’s son Randy on the iconic 1990s sitcom Home improvement, also made a surprise visit to the set.

The actress, who grew up a Home improvement fan, admitted that as a child she thought Taylor Thomas was “the love of my life at the time.”

When Dennings met him for the first time, she couldn’t help but fangirl.

“It was a really big deal for me,” she said. “I was trying to be cool. I don’t think I succeeded, but it was a full-circle moment.”

Thomas was visiting his old girlfriend Danielle Fishel – better known as Topanga Boy meets world – who directed an episode of the show, Dennings said.

“He’s one of her best friends, and they’re both directors, so he came to say hi to her, and of course to Tim,” she said. “There was a mini-reunion. It was amazing and I was so excited.”

Fishel and Dennings also clicked.

“She’s a brilliant angel,” Dennings said. “We fell in love [after meeting on the set]platonic, but like anything else, in other ways too. I’m just obsessed with her.”

To change gear marks Allen’s return to the sitcom format after playing Tim Taylor Home improvement and Mike Baxter Last man standing.

Allen stars as Matt Parker, a widowed mechanic trying to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter Riley (Dennings), who moves back in with Allen along with her two children. Together, the family members navigate the complexities of grief, healing and reconnection.

Scott and Mitchell play Gabriel and Ed, two mechanics at Matt’s auto shop. To change gear It’s Scott’s first time appearing in a multi-camera sitcom, a format central to Allen’s career.

“I had no idea what to expect,” Scott told Yahoo. “It’s like performing a new play every week in front of a live audience. I’m having the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

The actor, best known for his American pie franchise antics, said that for a while “playing a version of the same character was just fun.”

“When I started [acting]they made a lot of the same types of films,” Scott said. During that time, I was typecasting myself, but I didn’t really care because I was like, ‘This is fun, man. I’m going to do my best and hopefully eventually I’ll get the chance to do other things.’”

As for Mitchell, he has since starred in both comedies and dramas 10 things I hate about youhe is excited for audiences to connect with the series.

“The country and everyone else in the world needs to sit down,” he told Yahoo. “They’re going to laugh and enjoy this show.”

To change gear premieres January 8 at 8pm ET on ABC.