Shameless (season 8)

The eighth season of Shameless, an American comedy-drama television series based on the British series of the same name by Paul Abbott, was announced on December 19, 2016, a day after the seventh season finale.[1] The season, which premiered on November 5, 2017,[2] consisted of a total of 12 episodes.[3]

Shameless
Season 8
DVD Cover
Starring	William H. Macy Emmy Rossum Jeremy Allen White Ethan Cutkosky Shanola Hampton Steve Howey Emma Kenney Cameron Monaghan Isidora Goreshter
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	Showtime
Original release	November 5, 2017 – January 28, 2018
Season chronology

This is also the last season to feature Isidora Goreshter as series regular, as she announced her departure from the series following the season finale.[4]

Plot

Fiona deals with her new role as landlord of a local apartment building. She forms a bond with Nessa (Jessica Szohr), a lesbian tenant; Fiona also finds a potential romantic interest in Ford Kellogg (Richard Flood), a mysterious Irish carpenter whom she begins a sexual relationship with. In an attempt to raise the profile of the neighborhood, Fiona plans to convert an abandoned church building into an art gallery. However, Ian—who has been helping teens at Trevor's youth center—wants to convert the church into a homeless shelter. The argument over the church building results in an ongoing feud between Fiona and Ian throughout the season.

Lip continues to work at Brad's motorcycle shop, pursuing a casual relationship with a female co-worker, Eddie (Levy Tran). Lip is forced to find a new sponsor when Brad, stressed from the birth of his new baby, relapses. Sierra has rekindled with her ex-boyfriend, Charlie, who reveals to Lip that he knocked up another girl during his separation with Sierra; Lip urges Charlie to tell Sierra the truth. Meanwhile, Professor Youens gets charged with his fifth DUI, and is sentenced to prison after appearing in court under the influence. Lip later learns that Youens had died in prison from a seizure. At the memorial service, Lip discovers he was not the only student to have had a mentoring relationship with Youens. Angered, Lip crumples his eulogy and leaves the service. Carl begins dating Kassidi (Sammi Hanratty), who suffers from separation anxiety. After Kassidi pressures Carl into marrying her, the two falsify documents at the courthouse to get married, to Fiona's dismay. Carl leaves Kassidi when she tries to prevent him from attending military school.

Kevin and Veronica take back the Alibi from Svetlana, who now has partial ownership of the bar. Svetlana experiences a fiery reunion with Freelania Alexeyevich (Tina Ivlev), her nemesis who is getting married to a sugar daddy. Svetlana feels jealous that Freelania is leaving "the American dream", leading Kevin and Veronica to help Svetlana find a man. Svetlana eventually meets Freelania's elderly sugar daddy, who mistakes Svetlana as his fiancé. Sensing an opportunity, Svetlana kidnaps Freelania and poses as her for the wedding. Debbie, having broken up with Neil, reunites with a newly remerged Derek, who wants joint custody of Franny. When Debbie injures her toes at a welding gig, Frank voluntarily amputates three of her toes, as Debbie cannot pay for the surgery.

Ian, now regularly helping Trevor at the youth center, initiates a protest against a homophobic pastor preaching gay conversion. When Ian's protest goes viral on YouTube, Ian gains many unexpected supporters, including some priests. Now being regarded as "Gay Jesus", Ian ditches Trevor, while Frank takes advantage of the Gay Jesus movement to make a profit. Near the end of the season, Ian meets Blake, a runaway LGBT teen who claims his father is trying to kidnap him. Ian gets into a confrontation with Blake's father that concludes with Ian exploding the father's vehicle. The incident spurs the police to arrest Ian.

At Fiona's apartment building, a roof worker falls off the apartment's roof. Feeling bad for the worker's family, Fiona lets the family stay in a vacant apartment, only to discover the family is suing her for $6 million. With the assistance of Ford, Fiona negotiates a deal with the family and gets them to drop the lawsuit. Sierra finds comfort in Lip after dumping Charlie over his secret baby. When Lip tells her to give Charlie a second chance, a crestfallen Sierra leaves Lip. Eddie leaves with a random guy and abandons her niece, Xan, at the motorcycle shop; Lip takes in Xan. Fiona questions her relationship with Ford, and asks him if he considers her his boyfriend.

Cast and characters

Main

• William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher[5]
• Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallagher[5]
• Jeremy Allen White as Philip "Lip" Gallagher[6]
• Ethan Cutkosky as Carl Gallagher
• Shanola Hampton as Veronica "V" Fisher[7]
• Steve Howey as Kevin "Kev" Ball[6]
• Emma Kenney as Debbie Gallagher[6]
• Cameron Monaghan as Ian Gallagher[8]
• Isidora Goreshter as Svetlana Yevgenivna Fisher

Special Guest

• Dermot Mulroney as Sean Pierce
• Richard Flood as Ford Kellogg[9]

Recurring

• Christian Isaiah as Liam Gallagher
• Jim Hoffmaster as Kermit
• Michael Patrick McGill as Tommy
• Alan Rosenberg as Professor Youens
• Ruby Modine as Sierra Morton[10]
• Zack Pearlman as Neil[11]
• Elliot Fletcher as Trevor
• Juliette Angelo as Geneva
• Alicia Coppola as Sue
• Scott Michael Campbell as Brad
• Levy Tran as Eddie
• Jessica Szohr as Nessa Chabon[12]
• Perry Mattfeld as Mel
• David Brackett as Duran
• Sharon Lawrence as Margo Mierzejewski
• Faran Tahir as Adeeb[13]
• Raffi Barsoumian as Bahir
• Sammi Hanratty as Kassidi Gallagher
• Chet Hanks as Charlie
• Tina Ivlev as Freelania Alexeyevich
• Scarlet Spencer as Alexandra "Xan" Galvez

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
85	1	"We Become What We... Frank!"	Iain B. MacDonald	John Wells	November 5, 2017	1.86[14]
Fiona begins renovating and renting out apartments in her new building. She bonds with one of the tenants, Nessa. Frank returns from the monastery and begins to apologize to everyone he has wronged in the past. Lip tries to get his drinking problem under control while also trying to win back Sierra. Debbie gets a new job and begins attending night school. Ian tries to win back Trevor by helping teens at the youth center. Carl begins selling the inherited meth that Monica left him and his siblings before she died. Liam is used by the faculty of his school to show off the school's diversity for prospective parents. Veronica tries to take back the Alibi from Svetlana by leading an ICE raid on the bar, in which Svetlana is detained. Kevin goes to an oncologist after finding a lump on his chest.
86	2	"Where's My Meth?"	Anthony Hemingway	Nancy M. Pimental	November 12, 2017	1.37[15]
Fiona grapples with evicting someone from the apartment building. Frank finds a job for the first time and tries to be a respectable citizen. As Sierra's relationship with Charlie continues to build, Lip attempts to sabotage the relationship by tempting Charlie with a pizza topped with a baggie of coke. Charlie does not take the drugs, and instead decides to attend an AA meeting. Ian goes with Trevor to a chub bar in an effort to fix their relationship. Liam visits a rich friend's house and is astonished by the luxury that others have. Kevin attends a cancer support group before discovering his tumor is benign. After selling Ian's portion of Monica's meth, Carl is hunted down by Monica's drug-dealing ex-boyfriend, Eric, who owned some of the meth.
87	3	"God Bless Her Rotting Soul"	Michael Morris	Krista Vernoff	November 19, 2017	1.34[16]
Following his cancer scare, Kevin becomes obsessed with being healthy and, upon researching his genetics, finds out that he comes from an inbred community in Kentucky. Fiona's evicted tenant destroys her room. Fiona attempts to find a new renter, but ends up coming into conflict with Nessa's girlfriend, Mel. Neil breaks up with Debbie. Ian continues to struggle with Monica's death. Youens drives while under the influence, and crashes into an old woman's home. Frank, now going by Francis, remains committed to becoming a better person. Svetlana tries to sell the Alibi, forcing Veronica to visit her in prison and make a deal; Svetlana is released with partial-ownership of the bar. When Eric threatens the Gallaghers, the family digs up Monica's body in order to retrieve the meth.
88	4	"Fuck Paying It Forward"	Regina King	Dominique Morisseau	November 26, 2017	1.59[17]
Frank is helping as much as he can at home; he decides to be more fatherly to Liam and joins the PTA at Liam's school. Fiona is furious when Sean, now clean and married, returns to try and make amends. A sex-crazed Lip sleeps with his female co-worker, Eddie, who likes it rough. Ian lets a shelter girl of Trevor's sleep over to help her out of a bad spot. Trevor confronts Ian, who promises to find a living situation for the shelter kids. Carl attempts to catch a junkie breaking into houses on the block, after learning the thief stole a disabled veteran's medals. Another black child join Liam's school. Kevin and Veronica meet Kevin's biological family; Kevin is overwrought with emotion, whereas Veronica fears his family is racist.
89	5	"The (Mis)Education of Liam Fergus Beircheart Gallagher"	Iain B. MacDonald	Sheila Callaghan	December 3, 2017	1.51[18]
Fiona tries to raise the profile of the neighborhood by backing a plan to convert an abandoned church into an art gallery, unaware that Ian and Trevor are raising money to convert the same property into a youth shelter. Carl loses his military school scholarship, and looks for ways to raise money himself to pay for the next semester. He has also locked up the junkie thief in the Gallagher basement for detoxing. Exhausted from the stress of parenting his newborn baby, Brad informs Lip to find another sponsor. Frank teaches parents in Liam's school about the working class, inadvertently arousing a couple of the moms. Debbie discovers that Derek has returned, and is now spending time with Franny. An enraged Debbie takes ecstasy and goes on a road trip with a friend, Duran.
90	6	"Icarus Fell And Rusty Ate Him"	Zetna Fuentes	Mark Steilen	December 10, 2017	1.52[19]
After she discovers one of her tenants dead, Fiona is forced to reflect on her own life, as the rift between her and Ian grows deeper. Carl begins a rehab business in the Gallagher basement. Brad, having relapsed, is kicked out by Cami until he can become sober. When he goes missing, Lip, Eddie, and Youens attempt to relocate him. Debbie has a pregnancy scare after having sex with Duran. Forced to get a morning-after pill, Debbie ends up in jail after fighting with a woman outside the pharmacy. Frank enjoys having his first-ever credit card, only to later learn his store is being closed by corporate. Kevin ponders his sexuality, while Veronica ponders over why she can't resist Svetlana's advances; Veronica realizes she likes to be sexually dominated.
91	7	"Occupy Fiona"	Iain B. MacDonald	Molly Smith Metzler	December 17, 2017	1.58[20]
Ian tests Fiona's patience by organizing the shelter kids and beginning an "Occupy Fiona" movement next to her apartment building. Fiona gives Ian and Trevor another potential location for a shelter, though Ian remains uninterested. With the support of Brad, Lip tries to help Youens for his DUI trial—his fifth drunk driving conviction. The trial quickly falls awry when it is obvious that Youens is under the influence. Youens is sentenced to prison. Fiona meets Ford, an Irish carpenter hired by Nessa. An unemployed Frank goes on a job hunt. Carl gets close to Kassidi, one of his rehab clients, who comes up with a plan to get him easy money. Kevin learns how to sexually dominate Veronica.
92	8	"Frank's Northern Southern Express"	Emmy Rossum	Nancy M. Pimental	December 31, 2017	0.81[21]
Fiona considers moving into one of her apartments, while she tries to get closer to Ford. Frank begins an import-export business through the US-Canada border. Lip interviews new AA sponsors. Charlie reveals to Lip that, while he and Sierra were separated, he knocked up another girl. Lip insists that Charlie amend the situation and tell Sierra about the secret baby. Meanwhile, Sierra reveals that her murderous father is up for parole. Ian confronts a pastor preaching gay conversion. Carl tries to reconcile his job with Kassidi, his new mercurial girlfriend. Kevin starts showing his dominating tricks against Svetlana at work, pleasing Veronica. As she tries to find a new job and some money, Debbie thinks she may be pregnant again.
93	9	"The Fugees"	Jeffrey Reiner	Dominique Morisseau	January 7, 2018	1.65[22]
Frank's business takes a turn for the worse when he is sent on the run through Canada. Ian's run-in with the homophobic minister goes viral on the internet, bringing about some unexpected and new allies. Fiona tries and fails to fit in with Ford's group of friends. Svetlana reveals to Kevin and Veronica how bad she feels about her current miserable life. Debbie finds a new money opportunity with a drug dog. Sierra finds out about Charlie's secret baby and angrily leaves him. Lip visits Sierra and tells her to take Charlie back, but the two end up having sex instead. Fiona and Ford share a kiss. Kassidi, suffering from separation anxiety, attempts to prevent Carl from attending military school. When Carl buys Kassidi a promise ring, she mistakes it for an engagement ring.
94	10	"Church of Gay Jesus"	Anna Mastro	Sheila Callaghan	January 14, 2018	1.52[23]
Ian tries to get a handle on his newfound fame and attention from his "followers", as Frank finds a way to cash in. Fiona struggles with her conscience when Rodney, a roof worker, falls off the apartment roof. Fiona helps Rodney's family by letting them stay in a vacant apartment. Kassidi fakes a suicide hanging to pressure Carl into an impromptu wedding. Kevin and Veronica decide to help Svetlana find a sugar daddy. Youens dies from a seizure while in prison. Grappling over Youen's death, Lip attends the memorial service, but is disheartened to learn he was not the only student to have had a close relationship with the professor. Fiona discovers she is being sued by Rodney's family for $6 million. Debbie gets a welding gig and is injured when a pipe falls on her toe.
95	11	"A Gallagher Pedicure"	Iain B. MacDonald	Mark Steilen	January 21, 2018	1.52[24]
Following the lawsuit, Rodney's family barricade themselves inside the apartment, enraging Fiona. Sierra is terrified when her father gets released from jail. Lip manipulates a fight with Sierra's father; after reporting the "assault" to the police, Sierra's father is sent back to prison. Following her injury, Debbie decides to amputate her toes, as she cannot pay for surgery. When Debbie cannot bring herself to do it, Frank ends up cutting the three crushed toes for her. Unable to get a sugar daddy, Svetlana discovers her nemesis, Freelania, is marrying an elderly sugar daddy. Svetlana ends up kidnapping Freelania. Despite warnings, Ian wants to provide sanctuary to a runaway teen, Blake. A confrontation between Ian and Blake's father ends with Ian exploding the father's vehicle.
96	12	"Sleepwalking"	John Wells	John Wells	January 28, 2018	1.73[25]
With the help of Ford, Fiona negotiates a final offer with Rodney's family and gets them to drop the lawsuit. Frank enrolls Liam in planning a burglary at his rich friend's house, but Liam is having second thoughts. Trevor informs Fiona that there is a warrant for Ian's arrest. Debbie reunites with Derek, who wants joint custody of Franny. Kassidi attempts to keep Carl from military school by handcuffing him in his room; however, Carl escapes and boards the bus for military school. Kevin and Veronica help Svetlana go through with her scheme—posing as Freelania at the wedding. Lip urges Sierra to give Charlie a second chance. Sierra angrily walks out on Lip. Eddie runs away and abandons her niece, Xan, at the bike shop; Lip invites Xan into the Gallagher home. During a protest, Ian is arrested by the police.

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Shameless

No.	Title	Air date	Rating (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"We Become What We ... Frank!"	November 5, 2017	0.7	1.86[14]	0.5	1.16	1.2	3.02[26]
2	"Where's My Meth?"	November 12, 2017	0.5	1.37[15]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
3	"God Bless Her Rotting Soul"	November 19, 2017	0.5	1.34[16]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
4	"Fuck Paying It Forward"	November 26, 2017	0.6	1.59[17]	0.6	1.26	1.2	2.86[27]
5	"The (Mis)Education of Liam Fergus Beircheart Gallagher"	December 3, 2017	0.6	1.51[18]	0.5	1.42	1.1	2.93[28]
6	"Icarus Fell And Rusty Ate Him"	December 10, 2017	0.5	1.52[19]	0.6	1.40	1.1	2.92[29]
7	"Occupy Fiona"	December 17, 2017	0.5	1.58[20]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
8	"Frank's Northern Southern Express"	December 31, 2017	0.2	0.81[21]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
9	"The Fugees"	January 7, 2018	0.7	1.65[22]	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
10	"Church of Gay Jesus"	January 14, 2018	0.6	1.52[23]	0.5	1.37	1.1	2.90[30]
11	"A Gallagher Pedicure"	January 21, 2018	0.5	1.52[24]	0.6	1.38	1.1	2.89[31]
12	"Sleepwalking"	January 28, 2018	0.6	1.73[25]	0.5	1.27	1.1	3.00[32]

References

1. Andreeva, Nellie (December 19, 2016). "'Shameless' Renewed For Season 8 By Showtime". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
2. Jade, Saura (August 7, 2017). "TVLine Items: Shameless Return Date, DC's Legends Hails Caesar and More". TVLine. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
3. "Showtime(R) Picks Up Eighth Season of Its Hit Series "Shameless"". The Futon Critic. December 19, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
4. Goreshter, Isidora (January 28, 2018). "All good things must come to an end". Instagram. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
5. Goldberg, Lesley (December 14, 2016). "'Shameless': Emmy Rossum Resolves Salary Standoff, Paving Way for Season 8". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
6. Callaghan, Shelia (June 21, 2017). "we're back, babies!". Twitter. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
7. Hampton, Shanola (June 21, 2017). "When you get an email with your first table read of SEASON 8 on a show you've been on since the pilot, you can't help but give God praise!!!". Twitter. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
8. Paolo, Lyn (June 21, 2017). "@cameronmonaghan See you soon..." Twitter. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
9. Petski, Denise (August 24, 2017). "'Shameless' Casts Richard Flood; Merit Leighton Joins 'Alexa & Katie'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
10. Modine, Ruby (June 26, 2017). "First table read". Instagram. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
11. Kenney, Emma (June 26, 2017). "GIRL VS VEGGIE BURGER. a truthful & telling series by @zackpearlman. friday night shoot vibezzz". Instagram. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
12. Goldberg, Lesley (June 22, 2017). "Shameless enlists Jessica Szohr for Season 8 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
13. https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/trailers/891863-shameless-season-8-trailer-and-poster#/slide/1
14. Metcalf, Mitch (November 7, 2017). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.5.2017". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
15. Metcalf, Mitch (November 14, 2017). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.12.2017". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
16. Metcalf, Mitch (November 21, 2017). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.19.2017". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
17. Metcalf, Mitch (November 29, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.26.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
18. Metcalf, Mitch (December 5, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.3.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
19. Metcalf, Mitch (December 12, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.10.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
20. Metcalf, Mitch (December 19, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.17.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
21. Metcalf, Mitch (January 3, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.31.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
22. Metcalf, Mitch (January 9, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.7.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
23. Metcalf, Mitch (January 17, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.14.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
24. Metcalf, Mitch (January 23, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.21.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
25. Metcalf, Mitch (January 30, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.28.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
26. Porter, Rick (November 17, 2017). "'American Horror Story: Cult' triples in cable Live +7 ratings for Oct. 30-Nov. 5". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
27. Porter, Rick (December 7, 2017). "'The Walking Dead' laps the field in cable Live +7 ratings for Nov. 20-26". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
28. Porter, Rick (December 15, 2017). "'The Walking Dead' outpaces everything else in cable Live +7 ratings for Nov. 27-Dec. 3". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
29. Porter, Rick (December 21, 2017). "'Top Chef' premiere more than doubles in cable Live +7 ratings for Dec. 4-10". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
30. Porter, Rick (January 26, 2018). "'Nashville' grows by 400 percent in cable Live +7 ratings for Jan. 8-14". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
31. Porter, Rick (February 1, 2018). "'Assassination of Gianni Versace' posts solid gains in cable Live +7 ratings for Jan. 15-21". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
32. Porter, Rick (February 8, 2018). "'Waco' premiere doubles in cable Live +7 ratings for Jan. 22-28". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Shameless – list of episodes at IMDb