When you have him die of COVID instead of drugs or alcohol abuse, how does that change the trajectory of the character? And NO. I really enjoyed getting somebody to really say that to Lip, because its not what he thinks of himself, of who he is. That was biggest disappointment: not being able to make that work out, because we all wanted it to happen. Track Covid-19 in the U.S. Never has a series finale more nakedly telegraphed the idea "We like this character and may want to do more with him some day" before. If the rest of the year keeps up at this pace, podcasting will be in a good creative place. April 10, 2020 at 3:10 p.m. EDT. As it turns out, COVID-19 was. Gallagher, the famous comedian known for smashing watermelons, has died under hospice care in California. We thought we were kind of doing a little bit of all the above. And fans were PISSED. The series ends without answering if Lip (Jeremy Allen White) sold the family home or if bar owners Kevin (Steve Howey) and Veronica (Shanola Hampton) sold it and moved to Louisville. Its sad. Frank Gallagher(William H. Macy) is diagnosed with the coronavirus in a hospital and soon dies while on a ventilatora most harrowing cautionary scene amid the current pandemic. Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) embraces a new position in the police department that will allow him to stay true to himself. America's first ER doctor to die on the frontline of the coronavirus You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. Watching Showtime's serial killer thriller, one got the impression that the titular murderer (played by Michael C. Hall) might eventually have to, you know, pay for his many, many sins by the time all was said and done. Yet, at the end of the series, Ian and Mickey seem to be closest to a secure and settled life. The Hall of Famer died of natural causes, the medical examiner said. His body was in the ER, and he was dreaming that he was sitting at the Alibi drinking a massive beer. Given that this is the finale of an 11-season show, the rest of the Shameless characters are afforded a pretty open ending. I actually think she does, but I think she comes back like six weeks later, with a tan and Frannie in tow. You never know when youre trying to shoot things like having the main character die and float up into the air whether itll work, but its all Shameless. And then to set that against the family actually having survived and being adults and having fun and being themselves while hes sort of narcissistically talking about himself seemed like the right way to go. That Shameless would end without providing resolution for what happens to the Gallagher children comes as little surprise, as Wells has said for years that he was drawn to a sense of life going on for the characters. If a spinoff is ever on the table, there are plenty of options to pick the story back up with anyone except Frank. With Frank Gallagher providing the ultimate Shameless character exit at the end of season 11, it's hard to imagine the series coming back for another season without him. Former Braves baseball player and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron died Jan. 22, almost three weeks after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. Thats an experience many people have had with relatives who have died of COVID. A minor inconvenience given the major tragedy of the pandemic, but sad for all of us, nonetheless. What If a Whole Stand-up Special Were About Peanut Butter? Ultimately, Franks (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 alone in a hospital. A parade of returning guest stars testified about all the horrible things that had befallen them as a result of Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), George (Jason Alexander), and Kramer's (Michael Richards) extreme selfishness and, in the end, a judge threw them in jail for a full year as a result of it. [Debbie is] crazy, genuinely out of her mind. Would any of Fionas storylines have filled in what the character is doing now? Of all the Shameless Gallagher siblings, Carl's is the story that feels most unfinished even in a finale designed to leave an open-ended story. Required fields are marked *. However, she did tweet last week, "I'm so proud of this cast and am immensely honored to have been a part of a show as unique and impactful as Shameless. Greg Warren dared to go where no comedian has gone before. No, not really. Officer Tipping, in attendance at Ian and Mickey's anniversary party, suggests to Carl that they could pool their money, buy The Alibi, and turn it into a cop bar to save it from its fate as a yoga studio or tanning salon. 'Shameless' Season 11 Series Finale: Did Frank Actually Die? After 11 long, entertaining years, Shameless has finally gone off of the air. The suit's lead plaintiff, Frank Ciaramella, died in 2020. After 11 seasons and 134 episodes, Showtimes Shameless wrapped its run Sunday with a series finale that was directly impacted by the global coronavirus pandemic in two key ways. In the penultimate episode of Shameless, Ian and Mickey agree to a compromise between trying to have a better life and staying true to their South Side heritage, with a prime example being that Mickey is allowed to pee in the pool but isn't allowed to steal from their neighbors. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. I want to think what I want to think about the characters, where they end up and what happens with them and have the audience have those conversations with others over drinks. Following the series finale of Showtime's long-running dramedy, showrunnerJohn Wells toldThe Hollywood Reporterwhy plans to bring back Rossum's FionaGallagherwere nixed due to the pandemic. Thats how people move on with their lives. It's unclear as to whether he dies from his alcoholic dementia, from COVID-19 complications, or as a result of his recent overdose. Warning: The following contains spoilers for Sundays Shameless. Even when he was dogging his own kids in his own suicide note, hes still making us laugh because hes still Frank. The travel was such a mess that we never got to the point of my actually writing it. All rights reserved. When the iconic NBC comedy signed off in 1998 after nine seasons, original co-creator Larry David returned to really drive home how little the show's core four characters had learnedand how kinda awful they'd been all along. Moreover, he just didnt want the series to go out on a very sentimental and emotional note when it came to his children. In my mind, she winds up back with Jimmy-Steve (Justin Chatwin). I will miss you this Sunday! And more than a year later, many of them are still asking that very question. The show ends with Debbie Gallagher questioning her decision, but with the sale of the Gallagher house and her track record of impulsive decisions, she'll likely go looking for trouble. The coronavirus pandemic caused a year of uncertainty as The Alibi Room was subjected to a cycle of lockdowns and reopenings until its proprietors lost track of whether they were supposed to be closed or open. And just like that, Frank Gallagherhas shamelessly risen above it all. A decade of South Side chaos comes to a close in the Shameless season 11 finale, which includes Shameless' now-infamous Frank Gallagher death after he bids farewell to his boisterous progeny. Frank's spirit then visited the Alibi as the family (plus Kev and V). Sunday's "Father Frank, Full of Grace" marked the end for both Shameless and its unforgettable patriarch. We planned on alcoholic dementia when we were only a few days from shooting when everything shut down in March [2020], Wells began. Created by John Wells, the Showtime series debuted in 2011, following the Gallagher clan growing up (more or less) into responsible adults with jobs, families, and extensive criminal records of their own. InShamelessSeason 11 Episode 11, Franks son Liam (Christian Isaiah) is tasked with taking care of him. This was a very intentional decision on John Wells part. 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. Below, executive producer John Wells talks about Franks death, the shows open-ended conclusion, Fionas absence and potential spinoffs. TVLINE | The contents of Franks letter are not, I would say, warm and fuzzy, and his kids never really have a moment of closure with him. What an Unvaccinated Sergeant Who Nearly Died of Covid-19 Wants You to 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. 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. If you watched the finale, you know that COVID-19 figured into Frank's fate, exacerbated by his already horrible health caused by years of alcohol and drug use. And, it just suited this character perfectly. Goodnight everyone, a watershed event. The UK Shameless' Fiona left the show early as well, but she left during season 2, hardly enough time to grow as attached as audiences did to Emmy Rossum's iteration. In what world?! TVLINE | One last question because its something thats going to plague me for a while: Does Debbie actually go to Texas? We put it up on the writers' room board and then took it down a few times.". Not only does Frank die, but he does so alone and the series ends without his family knowing about it. Was the goal to show that no matter what happens with the house, theyll always come together? It's already been revealed by Shamelessshowrunners that someone in the Gallagher family will get COVID-19, but there's one theory about Frank's fate that's gaining traction. In 2018, his dentures were destroyed after he sneezed; they fell out and were run over by a car. & 2023 CBS Studios Inc. and CBS Interactive Inc., Paramount companies. Liam also tries to make him happy by doing Frank things with him, like scamming strangers for money. Millions of people have been going through this experience this past year. But while Liam's situation is worrying, it's also realistic. Reportedly, timing surrounding the pandemic was the issue, and Rossum wasn't able to go film in Chicago and California, only to go back to New York for a 2-week quarantine. All rights reserved. That's what we do, at least. I just think its true to life, and just as a viewer, I always feel that I like that feeling. 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. Mickey is still reluctant at the end of the series, but a couple of possibilities are floated: adopting one of the many neglected Milkovich babies or adopting Tami and Lip's second child. Did you try to get Emmy Rossum back for the finale? Freevees new series will determine whos the greatest reality-TV contestant across. TVLINE | What would you have done if you had been able to have Fiona in the finale? But so beautiful.". Emmy Rossum'sShamelessreturn was stymied by COVID-19. It was disappointing for all of us, and especially for Emmy, but with her other obligations, she couldnt go back and quarantine for two weeks in New York after being in Los Angeles. Shameless season 11 saw proud South Side "barbarian" Mickey confronting the realities of married life as he and Ian move to a luxury West Side condo, start running their own legitimate security business, and even consider the possibility of children. This vacuum may have been why Liam ended up getting closer to Frank in the final season of Shameless. One thing does conclude nicely: Lip is acknowledged for stepping up anddoing what Frank never succeeded in doing for his family. In Shameless season 11, Carl was repeatedly frustrated by his job as a cop, which wasn't the action-packed justice-dealing role he'd hoped for. As he passes away, he imagines himself rising upabove the rooftops while sitting in a chair in his hospital gownas he narrates a letter, filled with words of "advice," that he left for his family.