The sitcom world got a boost with Shifting Gears, starring Kat Dennings and Tim Allen. The premiere set records as ABC’s most-watched streaming debut and its strongest opening since The Conners.

The director also offered details of a test screening where someone had a pretty severe reaction to the sequence.

The filmmaker was celebrated for his uniquely dark vision in such movies as "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive" and the TV ...