[Debbie is] crazy, genuinely out of her mind. I would love to see Lip take over a motorcycle shop and really get himself firmly on the ground and become more and more the patriarch for the rest of the family. It could have been one of many things; it was the last thing that pushed him over the cliff, but he was barely hanging on. He eventually returned positive for COVID-19 and died in the ER after the nurses and doctors discovered the DNR instruction on his chest. In the opening of the Shameless pilot, Frank describes Debbie as being "sent by God" and a "total angel." The incinerator then belches out an urn with Frank's name and date of birth and death on it the implication being that he's gone straight to Hell to close out Shameless' season 11 finale. Ive been involved in a number of long-running shows. So, he got a tattoo across his chest that read, Do not resuscitate. Later, he wrote a suicide note to his family and attempted to overdose on heroin. What Happens to Frank in the Shameless Series Finale? | POPSUGAR To make up for slower foot traffic, Kev and V pivoted the business to become a legitimate cannabis vendor, which was enough to keep the South Side's favorite dive bar above water. Bill [Macy] and I had always made a deal that there would have to be consequences for all of Franks abuse to his body, between the drugs and alcohol. Shes that person in your family who, like, just does that. With such an emotional ending to Shameless season 11, it does indeed feel like the right time for the series to end, but it's also comforting to know that, at least in Wells' mind, the characters are still carrying on and their themes will still resonate. Thats an experience many people have had with relatives who have died of COVID. As a commentary on real-life police corruption and brutality, Carl's story highlights the difficulty of trying to be a "good cop" in a system that's broken from the top down. All rights reserved. Shamless Series Finale Here's Where Everyone Ended Up - BuzzFeed Track Covid-19 in the U.S. - New York Times It was a callback to the character's desire in the early seasons to become a writer by having Roseanne sitting at a typewriter, writing a different ending to her story, but it left viewers feeling like their time had been wasted in the worst way. However, at the moment, their lives won't be seen on-screen in a Shameless season 12. Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) the king? According to John Wells, a COVID-19 death is extremely lonely. In the final moments of the episode, we see Frank at the Alibi and hear what he wrote in a note to. Bleak. 2023 TVLine Media, LLC. Whatever you think is right! Shameless season 11 saw proud South Side "barbarian" Mickey confronting the realities of married life as he and Ian move to a luxury West Side condo, start running their own legitimate security business, and even consider the possibility of children. At the time, she called her role "a gift," adding that "the last eight years have been the best of my life. Regardless of what John Wells did, he was never going to make everyone happy. Frank Gallagher - COVID-19 Asymptomatic Testing Program - LinkedIn COVID-19 played a major role on the final season of Shameless, both onscreen and off-screenserving as the primary reason that Emmy Rossum, who starred as Fiona Gallagher on the series for nine. Tami might be pregnant, Carl and Arthur might turn Alibi into a cop bar, Lip might sell his house, Ian and Mickey might adopt a child together, and Debbie might move to Texas. So it became a natural conversation that maybe Frank would actually die of COVID although I have to say, theres so many comorbidities, about anything could have pushed him over. But a trip to Louisville made it clear that a better life was possible there: a political landscape where Veronica could really make a difference; a bartending job where Kev could make a lot more money than The Alibi had been pulling in; and a growing Black community that includes Carol and many of the Fisher family's friends. I like keeping it with the audiences imagination of who would react and how when they finally discover that hes gone.. "Based on what was going on with the pandemic, when we were planning it the quarantines went back into effect between New York [where Rossum resides] and Los Angeles [where Shameless films] and it was impossible to figure out how to get her back. In an interview with TVLine, Wells added that there isnt any hope of aShamelessspinoff for Frank or the rest of the Gallaghers. The series ends with the hope that The Alibi will survive this way but does not guarantee it. Despite much hope among fans, Emmy Rossum, who left the show in season nine in 2019, did not return forthe finaleto reprise her role of Frank's eldest daughter Fiona Gallagher. Its sad. NY Medicaid Patients Win Dental Settlement, Expanding Coverage for 5 In theShamelessseries finale, he woke up and wandered around southside Chicago. So I have nothing but appreciation for all of the things they did for us, but I could have kept doing it. This vacuum may have been why Liam ended up getting closer to Frank in the final season of Shameless. When Lip finds out that his little brother is afraid of being made homeless, he reassures Liam that he can come and live with him, Tami and Fred. Unlike Ian, she was unable to get on a consistent medication schedule, and as such, ended up being largely absent from her children's lives as she flitted from one adventure to the next. It seemed unrealistic to do something about the South Side of Chicago and people living barely above the poverty line and not have anybody succumb to this horrible pandemic. Mickey is still reluctant at the end of the series, but a couple of possibilities are floated: adopting one of the many neglected Milkovich babies or adopting Tami and Lip's second child. Shameless Series Finale: What Did Franks Suicide Note In The Red Envelope Say? But so beautiful.". Thats how people move on with their lives. Their lives continue. It seemed appropriate for Frank. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Frank, who has the idea the piece is about him, feeds him some seemingly bogus facts about his family's history, including, outrageously, that he was part of the "Chicago 8," and that the. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. "The travel was such a mess that we never got to the point of my actual writing it. Showrunner John Wells admitted to being disappointed by this decision, but he's also touchingly affirmed that Shameless will never really end: "It's a family, and the thing that has worked best about the show beyond being able to satirize things and have some laughs and have some dramatic moments is that these people care about each other and depend upon each other. These books give us a record of our times via the moments best comic minds. John Wells reveals he lost a very close family member to COVID-19. Frank John Cullotta was born on Dec. 14, 1938, in Chicago to Josephine (Montedore) and Joseph Raymond Cullotta, who drove getaway cars for the Outfit, the Chicago-based crime syndicate. It could have been one of many things; it was the last thing that pushed him over the cliff, but he was barely hanging on. Was it important for you that the finale not betray their troubled relationship and that it stayed true to who Frank really was? And Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Mickey (Noel Fisher) have a kid. Liam also tries to make him happy by doing Frank things with him, like scamming strangers for money. Unfortunately, Shameless season 12 really is out of the question, as the show's cancellation was announced in January 2020. All rights reserved. Below, executive producer John Wells talks about Franks death, the shows open-ended conclusion, Fionas absence and potential spinoffs. In Shameless, Frank encounters many near-misses with death, and fans didn't expect the season finale. How to Watch King Charles' Coronation Live in the U.S. Save Up to 70% on Rugs for Every Room at Wayfair's Sale, 'Shameless': Watch Emmy Rossum Slay in This Season 9 Deleted Scene (Exclusive). Showtime felt that Shameless had run its course with 11 seasons and that it was best to end on a high note. 'A boomerang effect': Hank Aaron's death is falsely linked to Covid vaccine So they bring out all of his medical records, they talk about how terrible his health is, and then in the little tag, he has so much alcohol in his body that he blows up the crematorium. Turns out, Frank Gallagher dying alone in the hospital was very much intentional. Frank Cullotta, Mobster Turned Memoirist and YouTuber, Dies at 81 And Bill playing the part was such a huge part of that. How Does Frank Gallagher Die in the Shameless Series Finale? - Vulture 'Shameless' Series Finale: Frank Gets COVID TV Questions - TVLine Did he meet his maker while feasting on a bowl of onion rings with his family? A decade of South Side chaos came to a close in the Shameless season 11 finale. In Shameless season 11, the Frank Gallagher series finale fate sees the character diagnosed with alcoholic dementia, and his mental faculties quickly begin to deteriorate, leading to forgetfulness and confusion. We planned on alcoholic dementia when we were only a few days from shooting when everything shut down in March [2020], Wells began. As it turns out, COVID-19 was. Speaking on Franks fate, Wells told Deadline that it felt wrong to let the man completely off the hook for the damage he has done to his body over the years. Greg Warren dared to go where no comedian has gone before. All of the ideas, though, centered around Fiona coming home after her father, FrankGallagher (William H. Macy), was diagnosed with alcoholic dementia. Ian and Mickey both admittedly had terrible fathers, and their last attempt at parenting when they were living with Svetlana and Mickey's son, Yevgeny ended poorly. So we had always talked about doing some kind of alcoholic dementia story. Bill [Macy] and I had always made deal that there would have to be consequences for all of Franks abuse to his body, between the drugs and alcohol. From the outside, the ending of Lip's story in Shameless might not look like a success, but his final conversation with Ian pushes aside his relentless string of bad luck and bad decisions to assuredly point out everything good that Lip has done. And that makes me feel good as a viewer and a reader. Carl is actually already a father several times over, via an artificial insemination scheme from a couple of seasons ago, so there are now quite a few illegitimate children who could potentially pop up again in his future. After 11 long, entertaining years, Shameless has finally gone off of the air. We planned on alcoholic dementia when we were only a few days from shooting when everything shut down in March [2020]. In 2018, his dentures were destroyed after he sneezed; they fell out and were run over by a car. The episode followed immediately on the penultimate episode's final moments, with Frank (William H. Macy) having overdosed on the family sofa and not one member of the household even slightly. ", Wells noted that, to him, "not being able to work that out"was the "biggest disappointment" of the series finale because "we all wanted it to happen." "We had a lot of jokes for her but we never actually nailed it down. ", While Wells toldTHRthat both he and Rossum wanted her to return, they "caught it at the wrong moment. So, we had to show that there were some consequences, Wells said. Ultimately, Frank's (William H. Macy) past catches up with him as a combination of COVID-19 and the effects of alcoholic dementia prove to be more than he can handle and the character dies.