The characters of Shameless have grown in the past nine years. Now that Fiona is jetting off, what’s the situation of the family she is leaving behind?

Fiona has soared away from the Southside, leaving the rest of the Gallagher’s to find their own path going forward on Shameless. No more will Fiona be there to ‘pull a Fiona’ or shelter the kids from the harder struggles of life.

The kids are no longer kids, save for Liam, and even he is making big life decisions. Gallagher’s have to pull their weight and pay their way once they turn ten, or find a friend with a loving grandma and empty bed.

Liam Gallagher

Starting with the youngest on Shameless, Liam is showing he is a capable Gallagher but he wants out of the cycle. Liam has the smarts of Frank and Lip and wants to use his talents properly. Liam could not let Frank robbed his generous friend’s home remember. The Southside Hustle is beneath Liam.

So Liam found out about his culture and started the process of moving on up to the east side bedroom that offered routine, Lucky Charms, quiet sleeping environments, fewer felons, and about 40 odd other things that make living with Tyler’s grandma the best option for Liam.

Until Debbie and the rest of the Gallagher homesteader can accommodate Liam’s demands, he will remain AWOL from the house battles.

A cynic would take time to point out two observations. First, Liam was absent from several episodes this season. Perhaps Christian Isaiah pointed to child labor laws in his list of demands, or the writers just couldn’t find space for him to shine in Fiona’s farewell season.

Also, Franny is the youngest Gallagher, technically. Everyone seems to forget or tune out Franny though, so…

Liam started Shameless as a baby. Now going into middle school, the character of Liam has lots of potential for more Shameless social commentary. (This season was very heavy on the political commentary, wasn’t it?)

However, this move out of the Gallagher house could be a sign that Liam will not feature in Shameless Season 10. At least he made it out of the ‘hood that scare white suburban moms.