It’s official. “Shameless” has been renewed for Season 8. Showtime has ordered 12 episodes for the eighth season of the ensemble dramedy, starring Emmy Rossum and William H. Macy. Production begins in 2017, and no premiere date has been set yet.
The announcement comes the day after “Shameless” wrapped up its seventh season with the finale airing last night.
The renewal follows a contract dispute over equal pay with star Emmy Rossum, which was settled last week. After a standoff with the network and studio, Warner Bros. TV, the actress had tweeted that she is “so happy to continue” with her “Shameless” family and would be back to work on the show in May, paving the way for an eighth season
Rossum’s contract was holding up the Season 8 renewal, which was a sure thing, as “Shameless” ranks as Showtime’s top comedy. The network wanted to renew the show, but could not proceed until resolving Rossum’s salary, which was a point of contention because Rossum was not only asking for parity with Macy, but more. While the terms of her final deal have not been disclosed, Variety sources say that Rossum had been offered equal pay throughout the entirety of the negotiations.
Rossum stars as Fiona, the oldest daughter of the dysfunctional Gallagher family, and Macy stars as Frank Gallagher. The series also stars Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, Emma Kenney, Cameron Monaghan and Isidora Goreshter. Season 7 also featured recurring guest stars Noel Fisher, Chloe Webb, Sharon Lawrence, Tate Ellington, Ruby Modine, Arden Myrin, June Squibb, Alicia Coppola and Pasha Lychnikoff.
“Shameless” is based off the British series, created by Paul Abbott. The U.S. version was developed by John Wells, who executive produces with Nancy M. Pimental, Christopher Chulack, Krista Vernoff, Etan Frankel and Sheila Callaghan. The series hails from Bonanza Productions in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
The series debuted in 2011. Ratings grew throughout Season 7, opening to 1.24 million viewers with the most recent episode bringing in nearly 1.6 million viewers, though last night’s finale numbers have not yet come in.
