How Will 'Shameless' Go on Without Emmy Rossum?
by EG
The announcement of Emmy Rossum's impending departure from Shameless rocked fans of the show, and there's some skepticism that the series will be able to survive without her. In a recent interview, showrunner John Wells and star William H. Macy explained their vision of life after Emmy. Read on for details.
Shameless has enjoyed something of an improbable run. The dysfunctional family dramedy, based on a U.K. series of the same name, was passed over at HBO before David Nevins made it one of his first series orders when he arrived at Showtime in 2010. Nine seasons and one very fruitful Netflix licensing deal later, the Warner Bros. TV series from showrunner John Wells, starring Emmy Rossum and William H. Macy, ranks as Showtime's most watched scripted original — averaging 8 million viewers per episode, across platforms.
But as the series approaches its landmark 100th episode (airing Sept. 30), Shameless also heads into unfamiliar terrain: Rossum, who declined to participate in the following conversation, is leaving the show. Wells and Macy (who has earned five Emmy noms for his role as the Gallagher family's drunken patriarch) spoke with THR in early September about her decision to leave, the death threats that followed another fan favorite's Shameless exit and why, ultimately, shows can outlive their original stars.
How are you both reacting to Emmy's decision to leave the show?
JOHN WELLS She's been considering it for a while. I tried to encourage her to come back, because we want her here, but she has other things that she is excited about doing — the Angelyne show [based on a Hollywood Reporter article] and a few things that she's directing. She came to the definitive decision a few weeks ago. We'll miss her. At the same time, there are a lot more Gallagher stories to tell.
WILLIAM H. MACY We'll be empty-nesting a bit. I hoped that she would stay, but you get close to year 10 and start thinking about life post-Shameless. It's horrifying and exciting.
Get the rest of the interview at The Hollywood Reporter.
Do you think Shameless will survive without Emmy? Let us know in the comments below.