The end of Shameless Season 9 was pretty anti-climactic given the fact that the departure of Emmy Rossum was known for months. The writers and producers didn’t do much to create any kind of memorable ending to Season 9, with Fiona fading into the sunset like an old Western movie. It did leave the door open for Fiona’s return, but Rossum is likely done with the raucous sex scenes and big sister role. Which brings us to Season 10 on the horizon. Cameron Monoghan is set to return, potentially to partially fill the Fiona vacuum. The writers promise changes, but it is the off the studio events that might drive Season 10 into a much different direction than anyone expected. It just might be that Shameless will be affected more by events they have little or no control over. With this background, let’s give our best predictions about the upcoming Season 10, due to be released in September of 2019 on Showtime.
1. The absence of Fiona will create a huge plot hole that will be difficult to fill
It’s no surprise to anyone that thousands of the Shameless faithful pledged to never return after seeing the departure of Fiona. On top of the milquetoast ending of Season 9, those who are staying put will have to realign their sights on just who will try to bring the Gallagher household under control. We’ll get to Lip in more detail later, but he is too internally chaotic to create stability despite his tough guy stance with Fiona before her departure. But Rossum’s departure is only one factor that will contribute to the beginning of the end for the Gallagher’s.
2. Frank will end up dying
William Macy has been the Yang to Fiona’s Yin, but the recent scandal with wife Felicity Huffman is almost certain to affect the show in the long run. Macy would not be the first actor to have his movie career negatively impacted by a divorce, or in this case prison time for his wife. While Macy’s unpredictable character injects the necessary chaos into the Gallagher clan, he will not be able to fill the departure of Rossum alone. This is the second factor that will send the show spiraling in a direction it not hand intended to go. The only way for the show to have any hope of survival is to eliminate Frank — permanently.
3. Ian will become the go-to character
Of all the remaining major characters, Ian is perhaps the most stable of the bunch. Sure, he does quirky things sometimes (OK, a lot of the time) but his return indicates that he is a much needed character, especially with the departure of Fiona. He has shown he can be responsible. In fact, of all the careers any one of the Gallagher’s has attempted, Ian’s has been the most stable — and responsible. Which brings us to Lip.
4. Lip will always be Lip, so expect the same circular drama from him
Any changes to Lip’s character will only move him in two directions — towards alcoholism or turning out what he always wanted to be. But he is such a mess inside that, like Frank, he can never get past himself. The problem for the show is he is not Frank and never will be since the last thing he wants to do is end up like his father. With Lip it’s all about what is going on inside, and he will never escape it in Season 10 or any other season.
5. Debbie will do something to get rid of Franny
We can never forget that Debbie tricked Derek into getting her pregnant in order to keep him. That plan backfired, and since then she has exhibited some very psychotic-like tendencies. Since Franny has largely only been a pawn in Debbie’s schemes, she has gotten old enough to become expendable in Debbie’s life. She will eventually silently blame Franny for preventing her from living the life she wanted, and put her up for adoption or some other scheme.
6. Carl will become voluntarily celibate
If you haven’t noticed, Carl’s heart and soul has been invested in being in the military. You can see it in his blood. He may be destined to become successful in the military or maybe just die in a training exercise. But he will realize that if he is going to see a light at the end of the tunnel it won’t be sticking around Chicago. There are greener pastures for him to explore outside of the hood, and he will use the military as the way to keep his wick dry — at least for a while.
7. Something bad will happen to Liam that will alter the course of his life
Liam is getting older every season, and so far he has sidestepped most of the landmines the Gallagher family manages to step on. But if Frank exits the show it will have to affect Liam. Liam is the smartest of the family by far, and that has helped him to survive. But if Shameless stays true to form, his run of luck will eventually run out simply because he is a Gallagher. If Season 10 starts off with Liam getting off to a good start, the odds of a serious fall are greatly increased.
8. There will be no family fight to replace the power vacuum Fiona left behind
The Gallagher’s only unite as a family when the entire family undergoes some type of crisis (remember the “inheritance” left behind by Monica?) but generally everybody is going their own way. There are the usual family mini-dramas to keep things interesting, but by and large there are few family decisions being made. Despite Fiona being the power player, her uninspiring exit in Season 9 only emphasized the potential of a lifeless Season 10 because nobody really seemed to notice that the role needed to be filled.
9. There will be a new character who will get a lot of exposure
Be honest. Is there another main character you wanted to see naked other than Fiona? Yes, there is Veronica but she shows so much of herself on a regular basis there isn’t much to look forward to from one episode to the next. And to call her a main character is a bit of a stretch anyway. But the new character cannot try and replace Fiona because there will never be another big sister for the Gallagher’s.
10. Expect to get blindsided by a completely ridiculous event
The hole in the storyline that the departure of Fiona left will have to be filled somehow. Several predictions on this list are possible, but given the hopeful start to every season followed by the expected nose dive a few episodes later, the first few episodes are perfect for creating chaos. A positive event is far more likely in Episode 1 than Episode 7. Bet on a new female character who the Gallagher’s will either be drawn to or repulsed by. If things don’t work out, the new character can easily be disposed of.
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