Why I’m So Relieved Shameless Was Officially Renewed

I let out a little sigh of relief today when TV Line reported that Shameless has been renewed for another season. And if you weren’t at least a little bit worried about the future of this show, then you weren’t paying attention. Okay, or...maybe you’re just not as paranoid as me. But I thought there were a couple of signs that pointed to Shameless being donezo. Feminist-minded viewers were happy to hear that Emmy Rossum, who plays Fiona, won her fight for equal pay against Showtime. The two parties were locked in a standoff over Rossum’s demand for pay parity with William H. Macy, who plays her onscreen dad Frank. She also wanted back pay to make up for the seasons that she was paid significantly less than him. Their battle put production for season 8 at a standstill. Last week, Rossum was happy to announce that she’d be returning to the show. But at the time of her victory, the show had yet to be officially renewed. I figured it was a shoe in for another season. However back in November I thought something else was a sure thing and… well I don’t want to talk about it. And then there was the slow moving season 7 and it's weird finale that aired on Sunday. The episode ended on such a high note, with all the characters moving in positive, or at least stable directions, that it almost felt like a Shameless suicide note. If you’re watching this, it’s too late. But alas, my favorite show will live another day and the Gallagher shenanigans will go on.