Emmy Rossum says Goodbye to ‘Shameless’
Very rarely does a show come along that pulls you in and makes you feel like you personally know each and every character as if they were a friend.
For myself, I believe I have a handful of shows that fit that description. Shameless has made me feel as though I am watching a home movie of close friends and family is. Debuting on Showtime in 2011, Shameless follows a drug and alcohol addicted father, William H. Macy, and how his six children lead by his daughter Fiona, Emmy Rossum, are able to cope with their father’s addictions. The show is very raunchy, graphic, vulgar and at times very sad. It’s the perfect depiction of real life.
Shameless has had a pretty big following since debut in 2011. Most became faithful followers thanks to the deal that Showtime and Netflix came to regarding Showtime’s content. In 2017, Netflix was able to bring the first 6 seasons of Shameless to a new platform and, therefore, a new audience. Those of us that did not have Showtime were then able to feast on a new menu of binge-worthy series, and that is where most of us ended up hooked!
Season 9 of Shameless is set to debut on September 9, 2018 on Showtime and will follow with its addition to Netflix in summer of 2019. However, today fans of Shameless and the entire Gallagher clan have been stopped in our tracks. Emmy Rossum, who plays Fionia, the Gallagher family matriarch confirmed that she will not be returning to her Southside Chicago TV family to reprise her role after this season. she released a heartfelt and bittersweet statement on her Facebook today:
“See, in real life, unlike Fiona, I’m an only child. I never had a big family. Being ensconced in that messy Gallagher family love is something I’d always dreamed of,” wrote the 31-year-old actress. “But even off set, it feels real. We’ve watched the kids grow up into the strong, talented, independent human beings that they are. I taught Emma to shave her legs. I was there when Ethan learned to drive. Shanola and Jeremy and Joan and Bill danced at my wedding in New York last year. Our fearless leader John Wells thankfully held Sam and me up on those rickety chairs during the hora. I’ve spent the Jewish holy days in temple with David Nevins and his wonderful wife and kids. It really feels like a family.”
Can someone please hand me the tissues, and it isn’t even done yet, she goes on to say:
“The opportunity to play Fiona has been a gift. There are few characters — female or otherwise — as layered and dynamic. She is a mother lion, fierce, flawed and sexually liberated. She is injured, vulnerable, but will never give up. She is living in an economic depression, but refuses to be depressed. She is resourceful. She is loyal. She is brave. I knew it the second I read the pilot script, this was different, this was special. I tirelessly prepped the audition with my coach Terry Knickerbocker. I walked to the appointment in the rain so I looked disheveled. During my third audition, when I got the part IN the room, I literally jumped up and down screaming in joyous relief and disbelief. Quite simply, the last eight years have been the best of my life. I can say for certain that this cast and crew, who I’ve been truly honored to work alongside, are world class,” she concluded. “I know you will continue on without me, for now. There is much more Gallagher story to be told. I will always be rooting for my family. Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block.”
It is very bittersweet to see her go. Emmy has done a fantastic job at her role as Fiona Gallagher and I am very excited to see what she does next but, I also wish we could keep her trapped in the world of Shameless forever. It always feels as though it is the end of an era when a favorite character departs from a show. I have a feeling this television season is not going to be kind and no character on any show is safe.
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