Terry's death-via-nun earlier in Shameless season 11 was part of the journey towards Mickey breaking free psychologically from the worst parts of his Milkovich heritage. We arrived at alcoholic dementia and had written more than half the season when we shut down. So, he went that direction instead of forcing endings on these characters fans might not be happy with. No, not really. And even Frank feels that. But she would have a life and be pursuing her own things. I really didnt want to play the more sentimental version of them having to react to his death. However, Frank isn't the only character in Shameless, and where his story ends there's a sense that the lives of the rest of the Gallagher family are only just beginning. We hit the second or third time everything shut down with two-week quarantines. We had about 20 of them! V is entirely unsentimental about what's done with the bar, while Kev tries in vain to keep it intact. We kept tracking what was going on with the virus and how would it impact the show. Updated April 17, 2023 Daily Covid hospital admissions Avg. Fiona and Lip raised their siblings. What If a Whole Stand-up Special Were About Peanut Butter? So, we had to show that there were some consequences, Wells said. The episode followed immediately on the penultimate episode's final moments, with Frank (William H. Macy) having overdosed on the family sofa and not one member of the household even slightly. Unlike Ian, she was unable to get on a consistent medication schedule, and as such, ended up being largely absent from her children's lives as she flitted from one adventure to the next. This vacuum may have been why Liam ended up getting closer to Frank in the final season of Shameless. Your email address will not be published. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. First, he was paired with Officer Tipping, who refused to take any call that sounded remotely risky. There was a purpose behind it. Household insecurity and instability is a key problem for children living on the poverty line; a 2014 report (via The Washington Post) found that 2.5 million children experienced homelessness annually in the US. We tried to also have them talk about what all of his other problems were. In the opening of the Shameless pilot, Frank describes Debbie as being "sent by God" and a "total angel." By the end, the series had a tough task in tying up various subplots for the extensive ensemble cast. Showrunner John Wells admitted to being disappointed by this decision, but he's also touchingly affirmed that Shameless will never really end: "It's a family, and the thing that has worked best about the show beyond being able to satirize things and have some laughs and have some dramatic moments is that these people care about each other and depend upon each other. Shameless Series Finale: What Did Franks Suicide Note In The Red Envelope Say? I will miss you this Sunday! We were writing about a community that would be really impacted, economically and health-wise, by the pandemic. As COVID got worse and worse over the late spring and into the summer, we realized we were going to have to rewrite, because we needed to deal with COVID in this community, because it was hitting low-income and disadvantaged communities really hard. 2023 E! And did Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) ever finish parallel parking? [Laughs]. You just can't seem to get out of your own way." A stint with a pair of Vice detectives also ended badly when Carl realized they were corrupt to the bone and running a racket wherein they shut down legal cannabis dealers to prop up the black market. I lost a close family member who had been ill in December of covid, despite following the covid protocols. Knowing you didnt want to end Shameless, do you have any desire to do a spinoff? April 11 2021, 6:59 PM PDT. Liam Gallagher is very jaded for his young age, which is understandable given that he hasn't really had anything resembling a parent since Fiona left the Gallagher household. When you have him die of COVID instead of drugs or alcohol abuse, how does that change the trajectory of the character? Instead, his poor sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) met her demise and he escaped Miami to restart asa lumberjack in Oregon?! We had a lot of jokes for her but we never actually nailed it down. The moment echoes a similar scene from the Shameless season 6 premiere, in which Frank goes to the same church to look for answers after the death of Monica, the mother of his children and the love of his life. This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. Though darkly comedic, the episode is also a sad sign of how the youngest Gallagher has been left behind by the rest, however unintentionally, as they focus on their own lives. He was the adoptive father and uncle of Ian Gallagher. Showtime felt that Shameless had run its course with 11 seasons and that it was best to end on a high note. Do you understand and/or agree with why John Wells made this decision? All rights reserved. Did he meet his maker while feasting on a bowl of onion rings with his family? Carl is actually already a father several times over, via an artificial insemination scheme from a couple of seasons ago, so there are now quite a few illegitimate children who could potentially pop up again in his future. What went into the decision to kill off Frank with COVID after he was diagnosed with alcoholic dementia? Ultimately, Frank's (William H. Macy) past catches up with him as a combination of COVID-19 and the effects of alcoholic dementia prove to be more than he can handle and the character dies. So, Frank eventually dies from a combination of his alcohol-related dementia and COVID-19. But you can fill in the blanks however you want to fill in the blanks as a viewer. Its a crazy world out there with people reviving shows and characters. Franks spirit then visited the Alibi as the family (plus Kev and V) celebrated Ian and Mickeys wedding anniversary. Season 11 eventually made it to release after pandemic-induced delays, but the decision to end Shameless there has stuck. In my mind, she winds up back with Jimmy-Steve (Justin Chatwin). After 134. That's how people move on with their lives. We had written it actually, or most of it, when we shut down in March. And that makes me feel good as a viewer and a reader. Love Island Tasha Ghouri Bursts Out Of Sparkling Bikini, Mystery 101 Stars Reunite One More Time: How Hallmark Mystery Fans Can See Trio, Jenelle Evans Drops Serious Cash On Lavish New Boat, Hailey Bieber Sizzles In Skintight Black Dress & Pearls. It's fitting that Shameless ended on such a Frank-centric note. Fiona Gallagher was a mainstay on the show before Emmy Rossum's season 9 exit, and while Shameless was an ensemble cast effort, she often felt like the main character. It was a callback to the character's desire in the early seasons to become a writer by having Roseanne sitting at a typewriter, writing a different ending to her story, but it left viewers feeling like their time had been wasted in the worst way. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. On Sunday, April 11, the hit Showtime dramedy series Shamelesscame to an end after 11 seasons. We didnt try and solve anything. I love you Shameless family. John Wells reveals he lost a very close family member to COVID-19. We thought we were kind of doing a little bit of all the above. You cant be wrong about what you think happens next. In what world?! COVID-19 has done what a failing liver, alcoholism, drug abuse, dementia, being tossed in the Chicago River in the winter, and a suicide attempt could not do: kill Frank Gallagher. I think shes down in Florida. Because it was so hard to work out, we never got to the point [of] actually writing it and then having to ditch it, but that was the intent. All articles, images, product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. I really didnt want to play the more sentimental version of them having to react to his death. And then went out with a bang. Rounding up our favorite funny videos of the month. April 26, 2022. Youre going to have fun arguing about it or thinking about it, but it is for you to fill in the rest of the story for the Gallaghers, with the exception of Frank. Millions of people have been going through this experience this past year. The final scene of Shameless' series finale brings the show full circle. So, the island was purgatory, right? As it turns out, COVID-19 was. I lost a close family member who had been ill in December of COVID, despite following the COVID protocols. American Idol's Top 10 Revealed Live, Following Pair of Brutal Eliminations, Morning Show Renewed for Season 4 Plus, Find Out When Season 3 Will Air, Stephen Amell Doesn't Think He's Done Playing Green Arrow, Will Trent Recreates the Scene of Angie's Abduction and Betty's, The Diplomat Snags Lightning-Fast Season 2 Renewal at Netflix, Yellowjackets' Tawny Cypress Talks Episode 4's Tai/Van Reunion: 'We're All Worried About Taissa', Yellowjackets' Warren Kole Parses Jeff's Place in Season 2's 'Daisy Chain of Catastrophe'. As a commentary on real-life police corruption and brutality, Carl's story highlights the difficulty of trying to be a "good cop" in a system that's broken from the top down. Lip may have lost the dream of wealth and job security, but he's kept hold of what's most important to him throughout the series: his family, whether by blood or otherwise. Fans were stunned when ABC's groundbreaking sitcom signed off after nine seasons with the titular heroine (played by Roseanne Barr) revealing that the entire final season had been a figment of her imagination, with her beloved husband Dan (John Goodman) having not actually survived his heart attack in the season prior. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. I lost a close family member who had been ill in December of covid, despite following the covid protocols. From the start of the show, Lip Gallagher's story sets him up as the Gallagher child with the best shot at lifting himself out of poverty and finding a better life. "We had a lot of jokes for her but we never actually nailed it down. CAMDEN, N.J. No one thought Frank Talarico Jr. was going to live. The moment Frank Gallagher dies was a long time coming, but his COVID-19 arc was far from the only plotline tied up at the end of Shameless season 11. Not only does this most likely mean that this is the last that fans will ever see the Gallagher family (unless a spinoff unexpectedly comes to fruition), it most certainly will be the last that fans will see of Frank Gallagher, as the patriarch of the family died during the finale. Here's how Shameless ends for each of the Gallaghers and where they appear to be headed now Shameless is over. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. He called the circumstances "a very minor but sad result of everything that's happened in the pandemic.". Honestly, probably not too long ago, maybe after Christmas. Was the goal to show that no matter what happens with the house, theyll always come together? Would any of Fionas storylines have filled in what the character is doing now? We will never know. Several people think she would never go. These books give us a record of our times via the moments best comic minds. A very minor but sad result of everything thats happened in the pandemic. April 10, 2020 at 3:10 p.m. EDT. We were trying to balance it all out. Yellowjackets' Warren Kole Parses Jeff's Place in Season 2's 'Daisy Chain of Catastrophe'. Shameless, for all of our craziness and outrageousness, was about joy and about family and about people looking out for each other. The band have become the very thing their critics accuse them of. So sorry for your loss. And more than a year later, many of them are still asking that very question. Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. [This story contains spoilers from the series finale of Showtimes Shameless.]. Yet, at the end of the series, Ian and Mickey seem to be closest to a secure and settled life. Moreover, many fans felt weird about the series ending without seeing the Gallagher children reacting to his death. Later Heidi announces that she's leaving to go and do some more crime down in Texas and invites Debbie and Franny to come along. An unclear amount of time later, he met Tish again and discovered that she was pregnant, but whether or not Carl is the father is left unanswered by the series. If we never tell another story with them, I think we did a lot that Im proud of and that were all proud of. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. Frank can still make you smile even as hes dying. InShamelessSeason 11 Episode 11, Franks son Liam (Christian Isaiah) is tasked with taking care of him. Tami might be pregnant, Carl and Arthur might turn Alibi into a cop bar, Lip might sell his house, Ian and Mickey might adopt a child together, and Debbie might move to Texas. Unlike Frank, he's been a devoted father to his son and worked hard to put food on the table and a roof over Freddie's head. Goodnight everyone, a watershed event. That was very intentional to show them all together at the end. Resigned to death and wanting to go out on his own terms, the ridiculous Frank Gallagher injects himself with a massive overdose of heroin in the penultimate episode of the series, leaving a letter for his family that goes unnoticed by everyone except Franny, who simply draws all over it with her crayons. But a trip to Louisville made it clear that a better life was possible there: a political landscape where Veronica could really make a difference; a bartending job where Kev could make a lot more money than The Alibi had been pulling in; and a growing Black community that includes Carol and many of the Fisher family's friends. The song's lyrics - which refer to getting high in the back seats of cars, committing petty crime, partying, dancing, and having sex describe a way of survival for a generation lacking hope or direction. There is nothing planned. Its not like we took out the healthiest individual youve ever seen. We originally intended to get a little farther in the story and have Carl buy the bar from Kev and V and turn it into a cop bar and have Debbie work behind the counter. Talk to me about what you wanted to convey in that final moment. It seemed appropriate for Frank. It also delivered one of the most controversial finales ever with a simple smash cut to black just as somethingmaybe nefarious, maybe notwas about to happen to the show's iconic antihero, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). You want to kind of go out on the tone that you came in with. Gallagher had numerous heart attacks over the years, including one right before a scheduled show in Texas in 2012. Ive been pretty fortunate to do a number of longer-running series and, as a fan, I always appreciate things not being wrapped up. Frank gets a suitably undignified end as a pair of morgue attendants push his body into the cremation chamber while complaining about the smell. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows! One of the many questioned he was asked was about why Frank died alone at the end of the series.