Knowing you didnt want to end Shameless, do you have any desire to do a spinoff? Tip your waiter a little bit more. It could have been one of many things; it was the last thing that pushed him over the cliff, but he was barely hanging on. 2023 E! You rewrote the entire season after the shutdown. And NO. You really dont get to connect. We never fleshed it all out. As showrunner John Wells tells The Hollywood Reporter, the plan was always to have Frank face consequences of his addictions and horrible parenting an agreement he made with his Emmy-nominated star Macy. Mild disease. So sorry for your loss. He eventually stumbled into a church and insisted on lighting the candles like an altar boy. Showtimes long-running series,Shameless, concluded with the series finale on April 11, 2021 and the death of Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy). By the time the iconic HBO series reached its denouement in May 2019, a lot of fans were left wondering how this could've possibly been the best ending after eight epic seasons. I say youre just not drinking enough. Ive been pretty fortunate to do a number of longer-running series and, as a fan, I always appreciate things not being wrapped up. Wed find the humor in these stories but these are life-and-death issues for families who live on the margin. No, and I watched them bulldoze the sets into a dumpster, so I dont think anybodys anticipating it, Wells told the outlet. And more than a year later, many of them are still asking that very question. People say you cant drink your troubles away, Frank said in the letter. What would you want to see in a Shameless spinoff? Shameless fans were wondering about Jimmy / Steve since he left the show for good back in Season 5 and had been hoping he would return to whisk Fiona away. DuringShamelessSeason 11, viewers watched as Frank Gallagher began forgetting things. It was, uh, a choice. Kids would come to our Chicago set, and tell us about how they were thrown out of their homes for being gay, lesbian or trans. Another hint that Frank is dead comes from the title and synopsis of the last episode, "Father Frank, Full of Grace." So when Heidi suggested blowing Chicago and hitting the open road, Debbie seemed amenable to the idea, despite previously warring with Lip (Jeremy Allen White) over his attempts to sell their family home. But we get to tell a lot of great stories with these people and wonderful actors, writers and directors. It challenges our sense of who we are. It's unclear as to whether he dies from his alcoholic dementia, from COVID-19 complications, or as a result of his recent overdose. Figures for Covid patients in hospitals and I.C.U.s are the most recent number of patients with Covid-19 who are hospitalized or in an intensive care unit on that day. You've never come into contact with it. Ruby's death would be covered up by the Maguire family. Right?! To make you appalled and make you smile at the same time. Anyone can read what you share. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Why do you think Shameless wasnt part of a larger cultural conversation, particularly during awards seasons? Mild disease. I mean, what is she doing now? In Sundays series finale, Frank died of Covid. We could have used two more seasons to explore that. 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. Lip settles for a new job. No, Fiona does not appear in the final season of Shameless. In the early ideas of the story, that was a perfect way to have Fiona return. In the eleventh episode of the final season, we see that Frank seems to have overdosed on drugs and tries to leave a note for his family. It's a question we've asked about William H. Macy's character more times than we'd like to admit, as his rambunctious behavior has left him with plenty of hospital stays and even at the bottom of a lake. In the eleventh episode of the final season, we see that Frank seems to have overdosed on drugs and tries to leave a note for his family. InShamelessSeason 11 Episode 11, Franks son Liam (Christian Isaiah) is tasked with taking care of him. The final episode of the series featured all that hard living catching up with Frank for the last time.. Though the shows are superficially dissimilar, Wells sees all of them as examinations of function or dysfunction. David Chase's game-changing HBO mob drama ushered in modern day's golden age of television. And then went out with a bang. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. Hopefully people enjoyed it, saw some of their own hardships in it, or have a little more empathy for the tens of millions of people in America who live at the poverty level that the Gallaghers lived at in the show. It seemed unrealistic to do something about the south side of Chicago and people living barely above the poverty line and not have anybody succumb to this horrible pandemic.. I was also interested in Arthur (guest star Josh Malina) and Carl running the Alibi, it could have been funny as a cop bar story. Franks last genuine smile was him reading the letter he wrote to his family #Shameless pic.twitter.com/RkrlvEju6F. They all would have! The showrunner and executive producer John Wells weighed in on the plans for Franks ending. WARNING: Spoilers for the Shameless series finale are ahead! Thats hard for us to accept. Why is Gina Carano not in The Mandalorian season 3 as Cara Dune? Total Deaths Reported. In the first season, we are introduced to Frank, a single father who can barely look after himself, let alone his kids. 1,110,364. While Wells had to rewrite the entire first half of the final season after production was stalled because of the pandemic, the prolific writer-producer (ER, The West Wing) added in Franks COVID-19 demise in a bid to accurately reflect the struggles of an economically challenged community like the South Side of Chicago. There are certainly many people who believe that. 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. Showrunner John Wells talks with The Hollywood Reporter about the ways the pandemic changed the series finale and how travel challenges prevented one long-awaited reunion from happening. Yeah. None seem particularly concerned as they head off about their respective days. That's what we do, at least. John Wells would have been happy for Shameless to last another 20 years, but hes satisfied with its run. But it remains to be seen if the Frank chapter of 'Shameless' will end with the series . [double heart emoji]". Were so invested as writers and audience members in their lives that you want to fill in some blanks and not run the American Graffiti end crawl. I never want to complain about it, because Ive been on the good side of that equation. We were always planning for him to pass away from something at the end. To have Frank die of something else in the midst of this pandemic, it would be a little too easy. However, there's no denying that his relationships with his children have grown over the last season, which is why this scene is decidedly painful. Debs (Emma Kenney) plans on moving to Texas with her daughter Franny (Paris Newton)and a new girlfriend. The house is in Fionas name, and she remains Liams legal guardian. Shameless follows the long-running show about a large family of Gallaghers and their turbulent relationship with life, other people, and their father, Frank. Furthermore, it will include a COVID-19 story line, after John Wells reworked the season to fit one in. Then we came up with the solution of how Frank would seek forgiveness, how Lip would urinate on Franks head and Frank would actually accept it, because he realized he deserved it. Fiona, unfortunately, wasn't with the rest of the family at the end of the show, though most fans had hoped the character would be making a comeback. Updated March 1, 2023. (Laughing.) Powered by WordPress.com VIP. In the following episode, we're left to discover that he was indeed making a decision. Debbie plunges into a dangerous world when she meets someone. 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. The fans are even amazed at the severe health problems Frank has lived through when most of us thought that he wouldnt make it. In the sixth episode of this season, Frank is diagnosed with early stages of Alcoholic Dementia. Frank has so many possible comorbidities Covid is just the thing that finally pushed him over the edge. People would tell us how their big sister raised them, or how they reconnected with older siblings because of the show. Then there was the Lip of it all. This is all most people will experience. What are our responsibilities to each other? Seeing Kevin and Vee in Louisville was a great window into a whole other world, too. The right medications for COVID-19 can help. Franks final words were observations about and advice to his children, including that Lip all-too-often gets in his own way. In other news, Why is Gina Carano not in The Mandalorian season 3 as Cara Dune? In the hospital, Frank's fever spikes as he tests positive for COVID-19. Man, talk about that being underrepresented on television! 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. 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. However, Wells had revealed that the Gallagher family will stand by each other no matter what. (The series failed to resolve whether Tami, played by Kate Miner, truly was pregnant, let alone what they would choose to do if she was.) But never say never. Thats an experience many people have had with relatives who have died of COVID. "Bill Macy and I talked about it a lot of times over the years, which was it would be wrong to let Frank completely off the hook for living the life that he's lived and doing the damage to his body, that he had done to his body over all these years," Wells explained. ("It . However, after Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) spent the episode doling out parking tickets to rich folks who were abusing disabled persons parking spots, he and his new police bud Arthur (Joshua Malina) mused about what a great cop bar the place could be. This interview includes spoilers for Sundays series finale of Shameless.. There is nothing planned. All Rights Reserved. Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Mickey (Noel Fisher) accept theirnew yuppie lifestyle. However, viewers are skeptical about whether he was indeed dead. 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. Showtime has just announced that the final season will premiere on Sunday, Dec. 6. 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. Yes, Frank Gallagher dies during the Shameless finale, season 11 episode 12, titled Father Frank, Full of Grace.. On the subject of Emmy Rossum reprising her role as Fiona, Wells said that both sides involved wanted to make the character's comeback work. Or your body . The pandemic also prevented Rossums return to reprise her role as former leading lady Fiona Gallagher when travel bans amid a COVID surge eliminated that possibility. Thats about how the system doesnt really work for families living near the poverty line, Wells said. Is the purpose of the police to protect the well-off from the not-well-off? While he has constantly been misusing substances and landing in trouble, his kids raised themselves and learned to look out for each other. Right?! And NO. As Frank is dying, he daydreams about being back at the Alibi with his family and he begins to levitate. We very much wanted to try and bring back Fiona for the finale, but there was just no way to make it all work with the pandemic. What did you think of the Shameless finale? Did he meet his maker while feasting on a bowl of onion rings with his family? You could argue that Frank was already meant to die when he had liver disease or countless other physical ailments. Body aches, sore throat and . We planned on alcoholic dementia when we were only a few days from shooting when everything shut down in March [2020]. Five simple words are all we need to explain why this iconic CW drama's finale missed the mark: Dan Humphrey was Gossip Girl. We wanted her to return and had some storylines about her coming back and she wanted to do it. This has to set up Fiona coming back for the finale episode! Yes, Frank Gallagher dies during the Shameless finale, season 11 episode 12, titled 'Father Frank, Full of Grace.' The finale begins with Frank's overdose, brought about during the last. Wells would have been happy to continue relating the Gallaghers misadventures while addressing weighty topical issues like inequality, gentrification, addiction, mental illness and sexuality for another 20 years. But Showtime gave the show a final season just before the coronavirus pandemic. Dips and spikes could be due . "So, it was disappointing for everybody, and we would've loved to have her back, and she wanted to come back, but it was one of those things that couldn't get done during the pandemic.". They agreed, It would be unrealistic to not have anybody in this community actually suffer severe consequences of the pandemic. And Frank seemed like the logical choice. Frank has seemed essentially indestructible on Shameless. World Health Organization Coronavirus disease situation dashboard presents official daily counts of COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide, along with vaccination rates and other vaccination data, while providing a hub to other resources. See TV's most controversial series finales: The series ended its 11-season run on April 11, 2021. But right now, with the end in sight, his future could go either way. "She lives in New York, and you know, we were trying to make it work, but there were quarantine setups that were in there if she came out to LA. Its fun in American Graffiti where you tell everyone what happens. Not only does Frank die, but he does so alone and the series ends without his family knowing about it. 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. [This story contains spoilers from the series finale of Showtimes Shameless.]. At the beginning of series finale of Shameless, we see the kids sharing the news that "Frank OD'd again" as he's passed out on the couch. There was some backlash. Not that these issues werent always there, but they became front and center after a number of horrific incidents of police brutality. But is he? Thats happening to lots of families. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner John Wells confirmed Frank is actually dead. Many wonderful novels end and youre still thinking about the characters and what they do. When the show was revived in 2018 after 21 years, it forgot all about its controversial ending. We did what we set out to do, he said. Shameless Showrunner Says Goodbye to the Gallaghers, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/11/arts/television/shameless-series-finale.html. The Iron Throne melted down?! Distractify is a registered trademark. Covid-19 is a mild infection for eight out of 10 people who get it and the core symptoms are a fever and a cough. Emmy Rossum) through flashbacks from the shows earliest episodes. One thing does conclude nicely: Lip is acknowledged for stepping up anddoing what Frank never succeeded in doing for his family. And thats OK. We had a great, loyal audience for a long time. After nine seasons of listening to Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) deliver one of the most long-winded stories in the world on the CBS sitcom, detailing how he met the mother of his children, fans were understandably horrified by the tossed-off way it was revealed that she'd been dead all along and Ted was, in fact, seeking his kid's permission to pursue their aunt Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders). Its a crazy world out there with people reviving shows and characters. Debs (Emma Kenney) plans on moving to Texas with her daughter Franny (Paris Newton)and a new girlfriend. No one was alerted to his status, just as no one found the note hed left before shooting up in the penultimate episode. In the final moments of the episode, fans see Frank shoot up multiple times. Before he created Shameless, the long-running family drama that ended Sunday night on Showtime, John Wells was the showrunner of ER and later seasons of The West Wing, both on NBC. And NO. "I say you're just not drinking enough. I like keeping it with the audiences imagination of who would react and how when they finally discover that hes gone. Kevin (Steve Howey) and Veronica (Shanola Hampton). 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. Everything is getting a revival these days. The series ends with a scene of everyone getting together to celebrate Ian and Mickeys wedding anniversary. Let us know in the comments! Copyright 2023 Distractify. Guess thats it. Will the couple ever go down that baby road? Was he proud of his parenting in those moments? Despite much hope among fans, Emmy Rossum, who left the show in. I think shes down in Florida. Then, as he floated up out of the bar, over the streets below and eventually over the city itself, the remaining characters broke out into a rendition of The Way We Get By while a luxury car went up in flames. Originally, we were thinking he would take his own life in an overdose. On Sunday, April 11, the hit Showtime dramedy series Shamelesscame to an end after 11 seasons. People have been seriously harmed and even died after taking products not approved for use to treat or prevent COVID-19, even products approved or prescribed for other uses. So I thought, We should make a comment on that. We tried to make a comment all season on the particular difficulties that the pandemic has presented in low-income communities, and still make it kind of funny. We didnt try and solve anything. Shameless is obviously outrageously exaggerated, but we tried to ground it in a real world in which you felt like if you turned the right corner of Chicago, you could run across some Gallaghers and their whole world. There are three broad possibilities if you think you've dodged the virus: You're wrong - you have actually been infected, but never realised. The character, who rarely wore a mask, was initially hospitalizedafter displaying more severe symptoms of his alcohol-related dementia and after suffering a suspected suicide attempt by overdose. Covid is just the thing that finally pushed him over the edge.. After waking from his overdose, the Gallagher patriarch eventually ended up in the hospital, where he died of COVID. My family can relate to that experience of not being able to say goodbye and not being there when it happened. As news headlines about the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease continue to increase, so has concern over its potential to affect employee welfare, disrupt global supply chains and slow business operations. We had written in various mentions of Fiona over the last two years, but Showtime asked us not to remind people of her absence. Additionally, the fans may also recall that Fiona comes back for the season finale in the original UK version of the show. We want to pretend that the country is egalitarian, that its a meritocracy, that everybody has the same opportunities, and its just not true. In these stories but these are life-and-death issues for families living near the poverty line Wells! Fever spikes as he tests positive for COVID-19 flashbacks from the series its... Been on the margin Paris Newton ) and Mickey ( Noel Fisher ) theirnew... A few days from shooting when everything shut down in March [ 2020 ] from shooting when everything down... 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