I’m so excited for Shifting Gears to be back on TV in 2025! It’s going to be more than just a regular season finale because they’ve planned a really cool three-part Home Improvement reunion with Tim Allen. (I’m curious if Matt was a fan back in the ‘90s!) The first guest star they’ve announced is Debbe Dunning, who played Heidi – she was the amazing female voice on “Tool Time” for most of the show after Pamela Anderson left. She recently shared that she actually felt a little anxious later in the series, worrying about Pamela potentially coming back.
As many viewers of Tim Allen’s initial TV show will recall, Anderson did make a guest appearance in a Season 6 episode, which we’ll discuss shortly. However, as Dunning explained to EW, there was an earlier moment when learning about Allen’s desire to have the Baywatch star return caused some tension. The actress shared that Allen was talking on set about meeting Anderson in Las Vegas the previous weekend, prompting her to join the conversation. Here’s how she described it:
I asked, ‘What are you all discussing?’ And Tim responded, ‘She’s really been missing being on the show.’ Then he suggested, ‘Perhaps we could have her appear occasionally, and you two could share the part.’
Ideally, bringing back a well-known international actor to a network TV show would be celebrated by everyone. However, considering that Dunning’s on-screen time would likely be reduced if Anderson reprised her role as Lisa regularly, her concerns are understandable even before knowing she was already going through a particularly difficult time. She went on to say:
I mainly recall slowly turning to face him and saying, ‘It’s your show. I suppose that’s what you were hoping for.’ Immediately, my neck broke out in red blotches, and I knew I needed a moment to myself. I had recently given birth, so I was understandably a little sensitive and asked for some understanding. I was quite emotional at the time.
It’s true that the hormonal changes after having a baby, combined with the stress of caring for a newborn, can make even a small bit of bad news feel like a huge disaster. So, when Dunning heard something genuinely important – something that could impact her work – it’s completely understandable that she worried a lot about it right away.
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It was easy to see she was stressed, and this immediately worried the stage manager. She reassured Dunning that the two female characters from Tool Time wouldn’t be paired up. During their conversation, Dunning became so emotional that he needed to go back to makeup before they could resume filming.
Just as the actress was starting to become very upset about the situation, a producer contacted Dunning and reassured her that Allen’s remarks were spontaneous and didn’t accurately represent what would happen in the future. Or, at least, not completely – the producer did have a request to make.
He explained, ‘Look, Tim was likely just brainstorming. We aren’t considering bringing her back on the team. This is your area of responsibility. Would you mind if we wrote about this right away?’ I responded, ‘This isn’t my project; it’s yours. Please, do what you feel is best. I’m just worried about job security. I really enjoy my work, and I have a young child and a mortgage to support.’
It probably benefited the show, but asking Debbe Dunning to turn her real-life struggles into comedic material feels questionable, especially while she was still dealing with those difficult feelings. It just doesn’t seem right, considering the timing.
Home Improvement‘s Season 6 finale, “The Kiss and the Kiss Off,” saw Pamela Anderson’s character, Lisa, welcomed back to “Tool Time.” This caused Heidi, now a new mother, to leave the show. Tim eventually talked her into returning, so things were good heading into Season 7, but it’s incredible how much a show’s behind-the-scenes story can change the way you view an episode – and this was definitely one of those times.
Without a doubt, Dunning really values the time she spent working on what many consider to be one of the greatest sitcoms ever made, and it has greatly impacted her life. Fans feel the same way, and I believe a lot of those Home Improvement enthusiasts will be watching Shifting Gears‘ Season 2 premiere when it airs on Tuesday, October 1. (Or they’ll be watching it the next day through their Hulu subscription.)
Besides Dunning, Patricia Richardson, and Richard Karn, the show also features guest appearances by stars like Lilly Singh, baseball player Mookie Betts, comedian Gabriel Iglesias, and Shark Tank’s Lori Greiner.
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2025-09-30 11:10