The eleventh and final season of '' Shameless'', an American comedy-drama

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

based on the British series of the same name by

Paul Abbott Paul Abbott (born 22 February 1960) is an English television screenwriter and producer. Abbott has become one of the most critically and commercially successful television writers working in Britain, following his work on popular series such as ...

, premiered on Showtime on December 6, 2020. Showtime announced the series' final season renewal on January 13, 2020.

Plot

After a decade of chaos, the South Side's favorite clan is going with a boom as big questions about their futures emerge when Lip decides to sell the house as

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

starts to affect Chicago due to the effects of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Ian and Mickey adjust to life as a newly married couple. Carl is now part of the corrupt world of Chicago PD. Debbie tries her best to keep the house from selling which causes tension with Lip. Tami and Lip make big decisions as money is tight during the pandemic. Veronica and Kevin decide to start anew in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. Liam fears he will be left behind. Frank's wild lifestyle finally catches up to him. Although their final journey will be dangerous, forthcoming changes will force each of them to act or depart. Devolving may come more naturally than evolving in a family where excess never wears off, but the Gallaghers are convinced that they will never grow apart, no matter how old they get.

Cast and characters

Main

William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...

as Frank Gallagher *

Jeremy Allen White Jeremy Allen White (born February 17, 1991) is an American actor. He is best known for his long-running role as Phillip "Lip" Gallagher on the Showtime dramedy series '' Shameless'' (2011–2021). He has also appeared in the first season of the ...

as Philip "Lip" Gallagher *

Ethan Cutkosky Ethan Francis Cutkosky (born August 19, 1999) is an American actor and singer, best known for his roles as Carl Gallagher on the Showtime series '' Shameless'', and Barto in '' The Unborn''. Early life Ethan Francis Cutkosky was born on Augus ...

as Carl Gallagher * Shanola Hampton as Veronica Fisher * Steve Howey as Kevin "Kev" Ball *

Emma Kenney Emma Rose Kenney (born September 14, 1999) is an American actress. She has portrayed Deborah "Debbie" Gallagher on '' Shameless'', a role she played from 2011 to 2021, and Harris Conner-Healy in the tenth season of the family sitcom ''Roseann ...

as Deborah "Debbie" Gallagher *

Cameron Monaghan Cameron Riley Monaghan (born ) is an American actor and model. He is known for his role as Ian Gallagher on the Showtime comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elem ...

as Ian Gallagher *

Noel Fisher Noel Roeim Fisher (born March 13, 1984) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayal of Mickey Milkovich on the Showtime series '' Shameless'', as well as his portrayal of Cael Malloy on the FX series '' The Riches''. He played Ellison " ...

as Mickey Milkovich * Christian Isaiah as Liam Gallagher * Kate Miner as Tami Tamietti

Recurring

* Paris Newton as Franny Gallagher *

Joshua Malina Joshua Charles Malina (born January 17, 1966) is an American film and stage actor known for playing Will Bailey on the NBC drama ''The West Wing'', Jeremy Goodwin on '' Sports Night'', US Attorney General David Rosen on ''Scandal'', and Caltech P ...

as Arthur Tipping * Dennis Cockrum as Terry Milkovich *

Vanessa Bell Calloway Vanessa Bell Calloway ( Bell; born March 20, 1957) is an American actress. Beginning her career as a dancer, Bell Calloway became known for her film roles as Princess Imani Izzi in the 1988 comedy ''Coming to America'', as well as for her roles ...

as Carol Fisher * Jim Hoffmaster as Kermit *

Michael Patrick McGill Michael Patrick McGill (born July 2, 1973) is an American actor who has appeared in film and television. He is most known for playing Tommy on '' Shameless''. Slim on Desolation Canyon Filmography Film Television References Exte ...

as Tommy *

Scott Michael Campbell Scott Michael Campbell (born August 14, 1971) is an American actor, writer, producer and director. Campbell is best known from his roles in ''Brokeback Mountain'', ''Push'' and '' Flight of the Phoenix''. Among the roles he has played (many of ...

as Brad * Elise Eberle as Sandy Milkovich *

Toks Olagundoye Olatokunbo Susan Olasobunmi Abeke "Toks" Olagundoye (born 16 September 1975) is a Nigerian actress.Chelsea Alden Chelsea Alden is an American actress, known for her roles in ''13 Reasons Why'', '' American Horror Story: Roanoke'', ''The Tale,'' and '' Unfriended: Dark Web''. Alden also appeared in an episode of ''Veep ''Veep'' is an American political ...

as Tish * Kimleigh Smith as Sgt. Stamps *

Patrick Sabongui Patrick Sabongui (born January 9, 1975) is a Canadian actor, stunt performer, theatre actor, and drama teacher. He is also known for his role as David Singh in the CW series ''The Flash''. Personal life Born to an Egyptian family, Sabongui obt ...

as Martin * Shakira Barrera as Heidi Cronch

Guest

Gary Busey Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...

as Frank's Father (Hall of Shame) *

Dan Lauria Daniel Joseph Lauria (born April 12, 1947) is an American actor, known for playing the role of Jack Arnold in ''The Wonder Years'' (1988–1993), Jack Sullivan on ''Sullivan and Son'' (2012–2014), and Al Luongo on '' Pitch'' (2016–2017). Ear ...

as Maurice "Mo" White (Hall of Shame) * Melissa Paladino as Cami Tamietti *

Lou Taylor Pucci Lou Taylor Pucci (born July 27, 1985) is an American actor who first appeared on film in Rebecca Miller's ''Personal Velocity: Three Portraits'' in 2002. Pucci had his breakthrough leading role in ''Thumbsucker (film), Thumbsucker'' (2005), for wh ...

as Lou Milkovich * Tara Buck as Letty *

Richard Portnow Richard Portnow (born January 26, 1947) is an American actor known for such films and television series as ''Good Morning, Vietnam'', ''Barton Fink'', ''Kindergarten Cop'', '' Seven'', '' Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'', '' The Spirit'', ''L ...

as Johnny Boxcars *

Shar Jackson Sharisse Jackson (born August 31, 1976) is an American actress and singer, best known for playing Niecy Jackson on the UPN sitcom ''Moesha''. She was crowned the winner of MTV reality show ''Celebrity Rap Superstar'' in 2007. Early life Jackson ...

as Constance *

Amanda Payton Amanda Payton is an American actor. She is best known for playing Nina Rudolph on the NBC sitcom '' Trial & Error'', Dr. Alison Parfit on the Sky Comedy/Peacock police comedy-drama '' Code 404'', and Holly in the CBS sitcom '' United States of Al ...

as Flavia

Episodes

Production

In January 2020, the series was renewed for its eleventh and final season to consist of 12 episodes and was scheduled to premiere in summer 2020. Filming and the premiere date were pushed back due to the

, and filming instead began in September 2020. On December 14, 2020, Showtime announced a six-episode limited series retrospective that would air during season 11 called ''Shameless Hall of Shame''; it contains new and original ''Shameless'' scenes juxtaposed with a retrospective look at each character's journey during the prior 10 seasons: *Episode 1: Ian & Mickey: Daddy Issues (aired December 27, 2020) *Episode 2: Kev & V: God Doesn't Give with Both Hands (aired January 3, 2021) *Episode 3: Lip: Once Upon a Phillip Gallagher (aired January 17, 2021) *Episode 4: Debbie, Carl & Liam: They Grow Up So Fast (aired January 24, 2021) *Episode 5: Fiona: Go Fiona On Them (aired February 21, 2021) *Episode 6: Frank: Ghosts of Gallagher Past (aired February 28, 2021)

Reception

Critical response

The eleventh season of ''Shameless'' has received average reviews from critics. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the season has a 70% approval rating with an average score of 5.10 out of 10 based on 10 reviews.

Ratings

References

External links

* * {{Shameless Shameless (American TV series) 2020 American television seasons 2021 American television seasons