Tires Cast and Where You’ve Seen These Funny People Before

Summary

• “Tires” is an R-rated sitcom co-created by Shane Gillis debuting on Netflix in 2024.
• The cast includes recognizable actors, comedians, and media personalities.
• Despite mixed reviews, “Tires” was renewed for Season 2 before Season 1 aired.

Rolling onto Netflix on May 23, 2024, Tires is an irreverent R-rated sitcom co-created by and starring Shane Gillis. The blue-collar series follows the employees’ daily exploits and professional hijinks at the Valley Forge Automotive Center, where the owner’s inept and unqualified son becomes the new manager and tries to turn the failing business around for success. Despite garnering mild critical reviews, Tires was renewed for Season 2 before Season 1 premiered.

Aside from Gillis leading the way, Tires features an amusing cast of actors, stand-up comedians, podcasters, and other media types that some viewers will recognize and a few they won’t. As such, to help those wondering if the short, binge-able sitcom warrants a watch, it’s time to meet the cast of characters featured on Tires and remind viewers of where they’ve seen and heard the hilarious performers in the past.

Shane Gillis as Shane

Shane Gillis is an actor, podcaster, and popular stand-up comedian who co-created the Netflix original seriesTires with Steve Gerben and John McKeever. On the show, Gillis portrays Shane, a wise-cracking slacker who works as a Valley Forge Automotive Center mechanic. Averse to authority and responsibility, the rebellious Shane spends most of his time at work poking fun at his boss, Will (Gerben). Through Shane, Gillis can amplify his brand of humor, which often insults everyone as an equal-opportunity offender.

In 2019, Gillis was hired as a Saturday Night Live cast member but was immediately let go after clips of him using racially insensitive slurs surfaced online. In 2020, Gillis was named “2019’s Stand-Up Comedian of the Year” at Theinterrobang’s 6th Annual Comedy Awards. That same year, Gillis and McKeever launched the web series Gilly and Keeves, a creative bond that led to Tires. Gillis can also be seen in the Peacock original series Bupkis starring Pete Davidson and recently appeared in the Eminem music video for “Houdini.”

Steve Gerben as Will

Tires co-creator Steve Gerben plays Will, the main butt of almost every joke. Will is the woefully inept Valley Forge Automotive Center heir doing his best to make his father proud. Despite meaning well, Will cannot get out of his own way and makes such bad decisions for the business that Shane and the other employees constantly make fun of him. Whether ordering too many tires or failing to launch an inclusion initiative, Will struggles to keep the business afloat and his employee’s morale high in his new managerial role.

Gerben has a handful of acting credits since 2016, most of which he shares with Gillis. Gerben made his screen debut in the blue-collar lumberyard sitcom Delco Proper before participating in the sketch comedy series Gilly and Keeves, Gilly and Keeves: The Special, and Holy and the Hot Chocolate Movie. In addition to starring as Will, Gerben co-wrote all six episodes and executive-produced Tires. If nothing else, Tires is a labor of love for Gillis, Gerben, and their close friends.

Chris O’Connor as Cal

Chris O’Connor plays Cal in Tires. Cal is a tight-lipped Valley Forge Automotive Center employee who works alongside Will, Shane, Kilah, Dave, and others. Like his colleagues, Cal isn’t great at his job. For instance, he drops a tire on his co-worker’s foot in the pilot episode, reacting with deadpan humor that defines his character the rest of the way. Whereas Will has a slapstick vibe and the sitcom prankster Shane fires caustic quips and one-liners, Cal is more of the straight-faced everyman.

Tires marks O’Connnor’s second acting credit after three episodes of Gilly and Keeves. O’Connor also wrote nine episodes of the sketch comedy adaptation of the titular podcast, fostering a creative rapport with Tires‘ showrunners. Although O’Connor does not share writing credit with Gillis, Gerben, and McKeever, he is credited as a consulting producer on Tires. As such, O’Connor will likely continue his significant role when Season 2 enters production.

Kilah Fox as Kilah

Kilah Fox portrays Kilah in Tires, the only female Valley Forge Automotive Center employee. Constantly repulsed by the toxic masculinity of her workplace, Kilah becomes more fed up with her colleagues’ shenanigans as the series unfolds. In the pilot, Cal drops a tire on Kilah’s foot, which signifies how hurtful and demeaning her coworkers can be. When the auto center encourages the inclusion of female customers, Kilah rolls her eyes, knowing it’s all a public relations ploy rather than a meaningful move.

In what’s become a theme, Fox is also a Gilly and Keeves alum. She appeared in 10 episodes of the sketch comedy series, playing various characters in multiple skits. Fox also appeared in Gilly and Keeves: The Special, a 60-minute sketch comedy performance featuring skits, BTS footage, bloopers, and more. The cast of Tires has a natural screen rapport and a deft sense of comedic timing, proving that they’ve worked together before and the humorous results of the sitcom show.

Stavros Halkias as Dave

Stand-up comedian and podcaster Stavros Halkias plays Dave in Tires. Dave is a higher-ranking employee than Shane and the other mechanics, serving as the direct mediator between Will and his father. Dave is forced to clean up Will’s mistakes, increase his sales, and track inventory. In a hilarious running gag, Dave is shown eating nearly every time he’s onscreen, which repels most of his customers in the garage when he tries to offer his services with a mouthful.

Stavros is best known for his podcasts, including White Chocolate NBA Pipecast, Pod Don’t Lie, and Stavvy’s World. In addition to a pair of stand-up comedy specials, Stavros can be seen in such movies and TV shows as Salesman, Dollar Store Therapist, Inspector Ike, Monster Lab, Pause with Sam Jay, and more. After Tires, Stavros will appear in the comedy Exit Statement and the horror-comedy Dance Freak.

Andrew Schulz & Tommy Pope as Schulz & Tommy

Stand-up comedians Andrew Schulz and Tommy Pope play eponymous rival mechanics competing with the Valley Forge Automotive Center in Tires. Schulz and Tommy work as sales reps for Andiamo Auto Sales, specializing in Italian vehicles. Shane and his co-workers refer to their competitors with a racially insensitive slur, which typifies the sitcom’s politically incorrect, “pre-woke” brand of humor.

In addition to performing stand-up comedy specials, Schulz is known for the popular podcasts Flagrant and Flagrant 2. With more acting experience than his Tires costars, Schulz has also starred in Upgraded, White Men Can’t Jump, The Underdoggs, You People, Sneaky Pete, Feast of the Seven Fishes, Crashing, Benders, and more. Meanwhile, apart from his stand-up career, Pope has appeared in everything from Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Law & Order: SVU, and Delco Proper, to Gilly and Keeves, and Holly and the Hot Chocolate.

Tires is available to stream on Netflix.