The Gallaghers will return for their final episodes of chaos in Shameless season 11, as the long-running Showtime series is set to wrap up a story that has spanned a decade. In the season 10 finale, “Gallavich,” Ian Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich finally got married after nine years of on-and-off romance. Meanwhile, Lip strove to convince his girlfriend, Tami, to stay in Chicago to raise their recently-born son, and Debbie found herself on the wrong side of the law.
Set in Chicago’s notorious South Side and based on the UK series of the same name, Shameless follows the sprawling Gallagher family and their efforts to survive below the poverty line. The would-be patriarch of the family is William H. Macy’s Frank Gallagher, a drunken and drug-addled philosophy king who is held in low regard by his many kids. Emmy Rossum – who plays Frank’s eldest child, Fiona – left the show at the end of Shameless season 9, and in January 2020 it was announced that Shameless had been renewed for an eleventh and final season.
With Lip set to move out of the Gallagher house and Ian starting a new life with Mickey, it seems that Shameless‘ original set-up of a chaotic family all living under one roof is coming to a natural conclusion. Here’s what we know so far about Shameless season 11.
Shameless Has Been Renewed For One More Season
During the Winter TCA Press Tour, Showtime head Greg Levine announced that Shameless would return for season 11, and that it would be the final season of the show. Eleven seasons is an uncommon feat in TV, and since its premiere in 2011 Shameless has garnered several Primetime Emmy wins and built up a dedicated fanbase. However, with ratings on a slow but steady decline since season 4 and Rossum (who was arguably the heart of the show) having moved on, season 11 is probably a good place to end things.
Shameless Season 11 Return Date
Shameless was a midseason show up until season 7, when it moved to Showtime’s fall schedule. Fans can expect Shameless to return for season 11 in November 2020, with the final season of the show presumably consisting of the usual 12 episodes. That means that we’ll be saying goodbye to the Gallaghers for good when the series finale airs at some point in January 2021.
Shameless Season 11 Story Details
At the end of Shameless season 11, Ian and Mickey made Gallavich fans very happy by finally tying the knot. One person who definitely isn’t happy, though, is Mickey’s violently homophobic father, Terry Milkovich. When his attempt to stop the wedding by burning down the venue failed, Terry interrupted Ian and Mickey’s honeymoon with a drive-by shooting (fortunately neither of them was hurt), so Shameless season 11 may see the newlywed couple forced to deal with Terry once and for all.
Lip, who has struggled with alcoholism, briefly fell off the wagon during the wedding after a huge fight with Tami, but immediately sought out an AA meeting. After threatening to move to Milwaukee with their infant son, Fred, Tami ultimately came around and began helping Lip to fix up their new family home in Chicago. Things aren’t quite so blissful for Debbie, however, as it turns out that the wealthy teenager she had a brief fling with is still a minor. Debbie’s season 10 arc ends with her running from the cops, who have a warrant to arrest her for statutory rape.
Aside from Debbie’s efforts trying to stay out of prison, season 11 will likely wrap things up by having the Gallaghers start to leave the nest. Lip is already getting ready to move out, while Ian and Mickey have discussed the possibility of having kids now that they’re married. During the announcement of the final season, Levine said that “[executive producer] John Wells and his gifted cast promise to take Shameless out for a bang” – which, knowing the Gallaghers, could turn out to be very literal.
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