Gear change Season 2 ended on a love triangle cliffhanger, but there are already plans for more “bombshell” reveals in Season 3.
During the Wednesday, February 4, finale of ABC’s hit comedy, Matt (Tim Allen) and Eva (Jenna Elfman) had their happy ending, more on that here, when they reconciled and left for Spain. Matt’s daughter Riley (Kat Dennings), however, was found in a much more complicated place in his love life.
Riley came clean to Gabe (Old William Scott) about her feelings for him after two seasons of build-up, even ending her romance with newcomer Andy (Jesse Williams). The audience was shockedhowever, when Gabe chose not to take the leap and explore his interest in Riley. That is until the final moments of the episode when he changed his mind and came to fight for Riley, just like Andy.
“The long-term plan since I started the show, even in the casting of Sean, was for these two to have the will, they won’t, and they’re meant to be together. He’s always loved her since they were kids and she didn’t know it at first. Then she declared her love at the end of last season,” showrunner Michelle Nader told Usle Nader exclusively about the show’s initial idea. “We (we’re going to ship a love interest for Gabe) and it was fun and working. So when we thought about this arc for Riley, the idea was that she and Andy would break up.”
Emily in Paris and Doctor Odyssey are perfect examples of TV shows with iconic love triangles that would be better off featuring a couple. The hit Netflix series, which debuted in 2020, followed Emily (Lily Collins) as she moved from the United States to France and the challenges that come with it. Emily found (…)
She continued, “They were definitely going to break up at the end because we know what we want and we know where we’re going. Then it was like, ‘Oh my God, Jesse Williams is so funny.’ So I was like, ‘What are we doing?'”
In the end, Williams’ performance “turned” the show in a new direction.
“We don’t know now. We don’t know who he should be with,” Nader admitted. “That’s the story now. A lot was happening to us in real time.”
Gear changewhich premiered in January 2025, showed Riley in the months following her split from then-husband Jimmy (Lucas Neff). While Riley and Gabe were teased as a potential partnerthe season 1 finale slowed it down.
“Riley is literally hours out of her marriage. She should really push it back a little bit,” Dennings joked to Us in March 2025 about how long it might take for Riley and Gabriel to get back together. “She’s been separated for a long time and hasn’t been emotionally in that relationship. But still, she just got out of a very long relationship.”
She continued, “She also loves Gabriel very much as a friend. So I think there are many reasons for the slow burn.”
Who doesn’t love a good love story? The girl falls in love with the boy, then she also falls in love with her best friend, for example. The love triangle has been a frequent plot point in television and film for years, but perhaps there is no trio of angst more iconic than the one between Dawson (James Van (…))
At the time, Dennings, 39, and Scott, 49, sprung to be partners in the scene.
“We get along. We hit it off instantly and we hit it off and we have a lot in common and I actually help you a lot with your phone,” she joked, to which Scott added, “When we were filming, it’s one thing. When we’re not filming, we became friends right away and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s a great gift.’ I’ve never experienced that before where I was like, ‘Oh wow, we have chemistry.'”
Gear changefor his part, he has other surprises planned for a potential third season.
“Obviously I want to continue the love triangle with Jesse and Seann and Kat. Obviously I want to bring Eve back. But there is, I can’t say right now, but there will be something that I’m connecting to that I’ve already talked about with the writers,” Nader told Us . “It’s another potential bomb of a person to come into their life.”
Gear change it’s currently streaming on Hulu.