Author: Megan Vick / Source: TVGuide.com
Emmy Rossum announced her exit from Shameless after nine seasons on Thursday, but in the wake of her emotional and rather vague statement, the immediate question becomes: What is Shameless without Fiona Gallagher?
While the timing, not to mention wording, of Rossum’s message is questionable — Season 9 kicks off on Sunday, Sept.
9 — the decision actually makes sense. Rossum has spent the past decade portraying the dysfunctional family’s caretaker and unofficial matriarch. She’s grown up on the show, become a director on the show, and successfully fought to earn equal pay with her co-star William H. Macy — something that was a long time coming considering how much of the show rests on Rossum’s shoulders. It’s understandable that she would be ready for a change.That being said, can Shameless continue on without Rossum? The short answer is yes. While Fiona is currently still at the heart of the show, she has distanced herself from her family over the past few seasons as she’s developed into an entrepreneur. A major storyline in Season 7 focused on Fiona telling her siblings, three of whom she still has legal guardianship over, that they have to start paying their way and that she’s no longer available to be their emergency contact because she needs to get her own life together. And while that was a good move for Fiona personally, it segregated her from the family and its issues in a noticeable way. Her adventures in becoming a landlord intersected with Ian’s (Cameron Monaghan) path to becoming Gay Jesus in Season 8, but Fiona has otherwise been moving into her own world and away from her siblings in a way that would have been impossible in earlier years.
Fiona’s separate existence from the rest of the action means it wouldn’t be too difficult for the Shameless writers to craft an exit for the character that makes sense.Furthermore, Rossum isn’t the only one who has grown up on the show. Her costars — Monaghan, Jeremy Allen White, Emma Kenney, and Ethan Cutkosky — have also developed into mature, talented actors over the years. Each has already proven they can handle dramatic heavy lifting. Meanwhile, Macy’s Frank has been sober for an entire season now and could potentially gravitate toward…
The post Shameless Can Survive Without Emmy Rossum, but Should It? appeared first on FeedBox.