It's time for Shameless season 9 to say goodbye to its lead star, Emmy Rossum (Fiona Gallagher). The actress' final appearance will happen on television in the episode airing Sunday, March 10, on Showtime.
The dreaded goodbye, however, will not be arriving on Netflix until six months after the season finale on cable. According to Netflix Life, Shameless season 9 will likely begin streaming on the platform by September 2019.
Netflix, however, has not confirmed the exact streaming schedule for Shameless season 9. But based on the show's previous Netflix releases, it might be safe to assume that the September schedule is correct.
Previous seasons of Shameless were made available on the streaming platform following a six-month difference as well. For instance, Shameless season 8 ended its run on Showtime last January 2018, and the episodes became available on the streaming platform by July 2018.
Meanwhile, Rossum told TV Line that her final episode on Shameless season 9 would be "quite moving" for fans who have followed her character's progression. While she's not completely closing her doors to a future guest appearance, Rossum said that she's not sure where that will go for her character because her story has been told with a complete resolution.
Rossum also hinted that her final scene with her TV dad, William H. Macy, who plays the Gallagher kids' deadbeat father, Frank, will come full circle. A lot of things will still be left unsaid given the kind of relationship Frank has with his kids, especially his eldest Fiona. But a lot of things will also be understood, even if there are no words to tell each other how they feel.
The Shameless season 9 finale will also bring a bittersweet moment between Rossum's Fiona and her TV brother Cameron Monaghan (Ian Gallagher). Monaghan briefly left the series in season 8, and his character failed to say a proper goodbye to his big sister.
Ian will be given a final chance to talk to his sister in Shameless season 9 as the actor confirmed he'd be reintroduced in the finale just as Fiona leaves and starts her new life, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Monaghan is stepping up to lead Shameless season 10. Showtime renewed the series last January despite Rossum's exit, as per Deadline. But how will Shameless season 10 go with Ian's two-year prison sentence? Will the show do a time jump or will it focus on Ian's life behind bars? The new season's premiere date has not yet been confirmed on Showtime.
