It's not every day that an actor manages to sign on to a show which will become immediately popular and last for many, many seasons. So, it makes sense that when such a thing does happen, and said series finally wraps for the last time, that those involved would have a lot of feelings about it. This was the case recently, when the cast and crew of Shameless heard "cut" on their series finale, and star Emma Kenney shared an emotional post as the series wrapped after 11 seasons.
Sure, there are some shows which have lasted longer than Shameless, and are still trucking along in primetime, but that doesn't mean that getting through Season 11 is anything to sneeze at. The series managed to stay popular during a tricky time in television, when the viewing landscape became ever more fractured, but fans still turned out for their yearly doses of Gallagher madness.
Emma Kenney played youngest daughter Deb on the show for the entirety of its 11 seasons, and it's pretty easy to understand why she'd have big feelings about Shameless coming to an end. Luckily for us, she put some of her thoughts on Instagram, along with a nice look at the cast and crew behind the scenes on the big day. Take a look!
Awww! OK, so it turns out that the finale of Shameless was really more of a big day and a big night, seeing as how they didn't wrap until three in the morning (I instinctively reached for a cup of coffee after reading that), but it's obvious that Emma Kenney and everyone who's been a part of the series for so long is really close and feels lovely, warm feelings about each other.
Much of the cast, including the Gallagher family and several of their friends and acquaintances, have been with the series from the very beginning, and I can only imagine that several crew members share that distinction as well, so I bet they had a lot of conflicting feelings about this experience ending. For Kenney, especially, it's probably a big deal, not just because of how "special" everyone involved in the making of Shameless is, but also for the fact that the shenanigan-filled show was a huge part of her young life, and allowed fans to watch her grow up on television.
It was just a couple of years ago that Shameless viewers wondered if the show would go on past Season 9. Emmy Rossum, who'd basically been the heart of the show since the beginning as Fiona Gallagher, had decided to depart at the end of that season, and even though fans were treated to a reasonable explanation for her walking away from her family, we weren't sure if it would be allowed to continue without her. But, those who've watched know that there has always been a lot going on with the Gallaghers, and there was plenty more story to tell even without Fiona around.
With Season 11 in the books, now all there is for fans is to wait for the last Shameless episodes to air on Showtime. The series debuts new episodes, Sundays, at 9 p.m. EST, and will wrap on April 4. For more to watch in the meantime, check out our guide to 2021 TV premieres, or see what other big shows are ending this year!
