Showtime has announced that family dramedy Shameless has been renewed for a ninth season, which will go into production in 2018.
“As challenging as it can be for any show simply to maintain viewers in the current TV landscape, Shameless is adding them in droves,” Showtime CEO David Nevins said. “But it’s no mystery why. The series’ reputation for rich and resonant characters and for deep — and deeply twisted — comedy has drawn not only faithful longtime viewers, but a steadily growing audience. And creatively, the season that kicked off this past Sunday is stronger than ever.”
The renewal comes only a few days after Shameless premiered its eighth season to strong numbers, up 50% from the seventh season premiere and drawing nearly two million Live + Same Day viewers. The show’s solid word-of-mouth and availability on Netflix have turned it into arguably Showtime’s most valuable asset and give it a chance to match, or even surpass, the British series it’s based on’s 11 total seasons. It’s also become one of Showtime’s best launching pads, mostly recently lifting half-hour dramedy SMILF to the best series premiere numbers for any Showtime newbie in nearly two years.
Part of a scripted slate that includes Ray Donovan, Homeland, Billions, The Affair, and SMILF, Shameless stars William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Emma Kenney, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, and Steve Howey.
Shameless airs Sundays at 9:00 on Showtime. You can check out a preview for next week’s episode below.
