‘Shameless’ Actor to Star in New Pilot for Another Chicago-Central Show

Shameless may have come to an end, but one of the show’s most beloved actors is now set to star in a new pilot for another Chicago-centric series. According to Deadline, Jeremy Allen White will star in the pilot for The Bear, a potential new FX show. As fans of Shameless will know, White is most famous for playing Phillip “Lip” Gallagher in the Showtime dramedy that followed the antics and misadventures of a low-income family on the Southside of Chicago.

Deadline reports that The Bear is about a young chef (White) “who returns to Chicago to run the family restaurant.” The series will be a half-hour project produced by Christopher Storer (Ramy), Hiro Murai’s (Atlanta) Super Frog, and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). FX Productions will also be part of the producing team. The Bear was ordered to pilot in March, with Storer writing, directing, and executive producing along with Murai, Calo, and Nate Matteson.

In addition to White, The Bear will also star Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Girls, Netflix’s The Punisher), Ayo Edebiri (Big Mouth), Lionel Boyce (Hap and Leonard), and former Saturday Night Live cast member Abby Elliott. Chef Matty Matheson will appear in the pilot as well and is also a consulting producer. Matheson is an accomplished professional chef who recently launched a new YouTube series called the Stupid F—ing Cooking Show with friend and music producer Benny Blanco.

For years, White play Lip on Shameless, with the show airing its series finale earlier this year. Back in 2018, White spoke with the Chicago Tribune about the show’s longevity, and at the time, he seemed to think it would continue for some years. “You know, I think the show is bigger than any of its characters and that’s why it works. It’s about the place where they grew up — the neighborhood — and all these characters are just a way to let the audience see that.”

White added, “So yeah, I think we can do more — and I think we’re gonna do more. And I think it could be interesting. We’ve been doing the show for so long with this kind of structure of Fiona being mom to everybody, and I think it could be really interesting when that piece is removed to see how everybody reacts. I’m interested to see what they write.”