- The first 10 seasons of Shameless, a popular Showtime family dramedy, dropped on Netflix and spiked on the streamer's Top 10 chart.
- Season 11 of Shameless is guaranteed, but the release date is uncertain due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Here's what to expect from the last season, whenever it comes.
Shameless may be one of those acclaimed TV sagas you heard everyone else talking about, but never had a chance to watch. Now on Netflix, everyone's catching up on the Showtime dramedy—and leaving people to wonder when, and if, the promised 11th and final season is coming.
An American remake of the British original, Shameless has been on the air since 2011, and tells the story of the sprawling Gallagher clan. It stars William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher, a single father who, due to a cavalcade of his own issues, essentially leaves his six children to raise themselves. Emmy Rossum's Fiona holds her younger siblings' lives together—until she decides to live on her own.
Shameless has received acclaim for its performances, its deep character development, and its depiction of a family living in outright poverty. The 10th, and most recent season of Shameless, premiered in November 2019 and finished its 12-episode run with a long-awaited wedding—and the promise of another.
Will we have a chance to finish up the rest of the Gallagher family's stories? Here's what we know about season 11 of Shameless, which will be the show's last. It's coming—the only question is when.
Fear not: Shameless has been renewed for an 11th season.
The show was renewed for one last season in January of 2020, just as the 10th season was wrapping up. Similarly, the British original series, set in Manchester, ran for 11 seasons.
“The characters of Shameless have brought Showtime viewers more laughs and tears and pure enjoyment than any program in our history,” Showtime president Gary Levine said when announcing the news at TCA back in January. “While we are sad to bid the Gallaghers farewell, we couldn’t be more confident in the ability of showrunner John Wells, his writing team and this great cast to bring our series to its appropriately ‘Shameless’ conclusion.”
Production on Shameless's 11th season was delayed, pushing the premiere date back.
When Shameless was renewed for an 11th season in January of 2020, the expectation was that the show would premiere not long after. “Airing this summer, it will be one last hurrah for the Gallaghers and their unique blend of love and lechery,”Levine, per Deadline.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic disrupting the production schedule, the 11th season is going to come far later than expected. As in, there's no way of knowing when the 11th season will come. Shameless was supposed to begin filming in March of 2020, around when the pandemic struck North America.
"We were supposed to start production on our 11th and final season today, but unfortunately/fortunately, we have been shut down indefinitely until this health crisis is over," actress Emma Kenney, who plays Debbie, shared on Instagram on March 18.
Emmy Rossum (probably) won't be returning for season 11.
After nine seasons of caring for her family, Fiona made her exit in season 9—mostly so that actress Rossum could explore other opportunities. Currently, Rossum is starring in the Peacock show Angelyne. "Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block," Rossum told fans on Facebook when announcing the news.
According to showrunner Wells, Rossum's schedule is the only determining factor for whether Fiona will be written into season 11. "I'm very hopeful that her schedule, which is very busy because she’s wonderfully talented and doing many things, will align with our being, at least, able to get her back for a little bit. But if not, it won’t be because she doesn’t love us. It’ll just be because she’s got too much else that she’s committed to, which is exciting and great, and we’re all happy for her," Wells told TV Line. Perhaps scheduling delays have one silver lining: Rossum can return briefly.
But expect the rest of the cast to return.
Shameless is known for its sprawling ensemble cast. The Gallaghers and their significant others still have a lot of loose ends to tie.
Naturally, Macy will return as Frank, the lynchpin of the show. Emma Kenney plays Debbie, who takes over as "matriarch" after Fiona leaves. Jeremy Allen White is Lip Gallagher, who, in the season 10 finale, unfortunately breaks his sobriety streak. His girlfriend, Tami Damenti (Kate Miner), also learns she's pregnant.
Also returning for Shameless's final season are main characters Steve Howey as Kevin Ball, Shanola Hampton as V, Ethan Cutkosky as Carl, and Christian Isaiah as Liam. Finally, Noel Fisher and Cameron Monaghan will play newlyweds Mickey Milkovich (Noel Fisher) and Ian Gallagher (Cameron Monaghan). This list doesn't even scratch the many recurring characters, played by people like Elizabeth Rodriguez, Rachel Dratch, Constance Zimmer, and more.
Season 11 will feature another wedding.
The 10th season concluded in Mickey Milkovich and Ian Gallagher's long-awaited and hard-won nuptials. Come season 11, Mickey and Ian will have to adjust to married life. "Well, after your wonderful wedding, then you gotta be newlyweds and figure out how to live together and make all the compromises that are necessary to have a successful marriage. Two strong personalities figuring out how they're going to compromise and have a successful relationship, it's hard. It's hard for everybody. So we'll be playing with that in the next season," Wells told TV Line.
Love was in the air during the finale, clearly: Kev and V got engaged in the same episode, setting up another wedding. "There's fun to be had, because he's got to find his ex to get an official divorce, and we'll have some fun with that coming up," Wells told TV Line of Kev's future.
Eventually, season 11 of Shameless will be on Netflix.
We might be waiting a while for season 11. Luckily, the first 10 seasons of Shameless are currently available to stream on Netflix. There are 95 episodes. Time to get watchin'—you might be done in time for season 11, which will head to Netflix six months after premiering on Showtime, like prior seasons.
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Elena Nicolaou
Elena Nicolaou is the former culture editor at Oprah Daily.