Everything to Know About ‘Shameless’ Season 9 Before the Premiere

Shameless season 9 is only two weeks away, and even though the show is hitting the 100-episode mark, there will still be some shakeups to the Gallagher family. It will also mark Emmy Rossum’s last season.

Shameless follows Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) and his efforts to raise six children while battling his own demons. Rossum plays the eldest, Fiona, who was stuck raising her younger siblings after their mother left and because Frank is an awful father.

Showtime already released the trailer for season nine, showing more bizarre misadventures for Frank and his family. In one scene, Frank is revealed to be responsible for an STD outbreak at the PTA group at Liam’s (Christian Isaiah) school.

Meanwhile, Fiona is still trying to satisfy her entrepreneurial streak, Lip (Jeremy Allen White) agrees to take care of his ex’s neice, Debbie (Emma Kinney) fights for equal pay at her construction site job and Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) juggles with being married and in military school. In another scene, Kevin (Steve Howey) and V (Shanola Hampton) realize they need to make their bar less “rapey.”

Season 9 of Shameless starts on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.

Scroll on for a look at what you need to know about the upcoming ninth season of Shameless.

Photo credit: Paul Sarkis/SHOWTIME

Season 9 Is Emmy Rossum’s Last

On Thursday, Emmy Rossum surprisingly announced on Facebook that season nine will be the last time we see her as Fiona Gallagher, the glue holding the family together.

“The opportunity to play Fiona has been a gift,” Rossum wrote on Facebook. “There are few characters — female or otherwise — as layered and dynamic. She is a mother lion, fierce, flawed and sexually liberated. She is injured, vulnerable, but will never give up. She is living in an economic depression, but refuses to be depressed. She is resourceful. She is loyal. She is brave.”

Rossum continued, “I knew it the second I read the pilot script, this was different, this was special. I tirelessly prepped the audition with my coach Terry Knickerbocker. I walked to the appointment in the rain so I looked disheveled. During my third audition, when I got the part IN the room, I literally jumped up and down screaming in joyous relief and disbelief.”

Katey Sagal Will Play Frank’s New Love Interest

Sons of Anarchy star Katey Sagal joined the show as Ingrid Jones, a psych ward patient who meets Frank in a emergency room. Frank instantly falls in love with her.

Sagal is a Golden Globe winner for her role on Sons of Anarchy, but has surprisingly never been nominated for an Emmy. She also has four Golden Globe nods for Married… With Children. She makes a cameo in the Mayans MC pilot as her Sons character Gemma.

Courteney Cox Will Play a Famous Actress Who Challenges Lip’s Sobriety

Courteney Cox will star as Jen Wagner, a famous actress who visits Chicago. Lip is assigned to be her sober companion. Of course, this will not be an easy challenge for him.

Cox is best known for playing Monica on Friends and Gale in the Scream movies. She recently starred on Cougar Town, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

Season 9 Will Be Split in Half

Shameless season nine will follow a format common in the broadcast TV world, but uncommon for premium cable.

The season will be split into two parts, making it the longest season in the show’s run. The first seven shows air from Sept. 9 to Oct. 21, then the show resumes on Jan. 20. The season finale airs on March 3.

This Might Not Be the Last Season

This might not be the last season of Shameless. Back in January, executive producer Nancy Pimental said there is no “end game” and the producers are taking it “year by year.”

“I don’t know if we have an end game as far as, ‘Okay, we’re only going to do this amount of episodes or this amount of seasons.’ We have end game ideas, like a couple little things, for once we know it’s the official end,” Pimental told Entertainment Weekly.

Rebecca Field Has a Recurring Role

Rebecca Field, who starred on Lifetime’s The Client List, will have a recurring role in the new season. She will play Eliza, an assistant manager at Patsy’s Pies. Field also starred alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, and appears in Bradley Cooper’s upcoming A Star Is Born remake, reports Deadline.

Politics Plays a Role in the New Season

According to the official season synopsis, political fervor reaches the South Side of Chicago in season nine. Frank tries to take advantage by campaigning for the South Side working man.

Meanwhile, Fiona tries to use her apartment building success to take her business to another level. Ian (Cameron Monaghan) is also paying the price for his crimes while his “Gay Jesus” movement implodes.

Episode 1 Is Titled ‘My Penis May Have Helped Heal You’

The scene from the trailer showing Frank trying to find the good in sleeping with other fathers’ wives might play a big part in the season nine premiere. It is titled “My Penis May Have Helped Heal You.” Frank has frequently gone from being a good character to a bad one in the series’ history.

“That’s one of the things that we talk about in the writers’ room and with Bill [Macy], because at the end of the day, somebody who is an addict, somebody who is narcissistic, somebody who has a little bit of sociopathic behavior, they don’t change,” Pimental told Entertainment Weekly.

“It’s who they are. And so yeah, do they have moments? Yes, because they’re charismatic and they have the knowledge, but ultimately, there’s always an end goal and an end game that brings them back to their old ways. I don’t think you will ever see Frank changing all the way; it wouldn’t be true to these types of people.”

Lip Gets a Buzzcut

Since season nine takes place during the summer, Lip will have a buzzcut. This was confirmed in the trailer and by TVGuide.

Lip (Jeremy Allen White) is the second-oldest Gallagher child and is now caring for the 10-year-old niece, who he soon looses track of. Nothing goes right for the Gallaghers.

William H. Macy Enjoys Playing Frank When He’s Making Awful Choices

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, William H. Macy said he missed playing Frank when the character is depraved and making awful choices, which is most of the time.

“Interestingly, there’s been twice when Frank couldn’t drink, this season being one of them,” Macy said of season eight. “And as Bill, I missed it. I mean, it was such a part of his character that he was either a littler hungover or a little loopy. He was just always lit up, and when he got sober, I was sad. It made me sad. It was different.”

The Season Starts on Sept. 9

Season 9 of Shameless starts on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime. You can catch up on all eight previous seasons on Netflix.

Shameless was developed for American TV by John Wells and is based on Paul Abbott’s British series.

Although the show has been critically acclaimed, it has oddly not fared well at awards shows. Macy has been nominated for five Emmys and two Golden Globes, but has yet to win. The show’s only Emmy wins came for Eddie Perez’s stunt coordination for 2016 and 2017, and for Joan Cusack’s guest role in 2015.