A first look at the upcoming season of Shameless shows that the series will be directly addressing the COVID-19 pandemic by having some of the characters wear protective masks. Despite the exit of a major character, the most recently aired season of Shameless still received positive reviews, making the upcoming Season 11 premiere a highly anticipated event for fans. However, the outbreak of a deadly disease has obviously changed the plans showrunners had for this new season.
Like many other television series this year, Shameless has been seriously affected by the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, and the writers of the show have responded to this cultural change. According to the show’s executive producer, the season 11 scripts were changed significantly to include references to the COVID-19 outbreak. Apparently, this will not just include dialogue referencing the outbreak, but also a visual representation of how the virus has changed the lives of the main characters.
A report from TV Line today included exclusive photos from Shameless Season 11, featuring some members of the Gallagher family wearing masks to protect them from the coronavirus. One photo shows the character Liam wearing a mask and sitting next to the character Frank, whose refusal to wear a mask will reportedly be a plot element of the new season. The first look photos also include an image of Lib Gallagher with a mask dangling from one ear. You can see all of the exclusive photos below.
Shameless is not the only modern television show that has changed thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak. Some series, like The Walking Dead, have had to dramatically alter and delay their filming schedules in unexpected ways. Other shows are taking the outbreak in stride and including the pandemic in their plotlines, as is the case with the hit drama This Is Us. On the whole, showrunners and producers have had to rethink their relationships with their series. During quarantine, the minds behind the CW series Arrow even considered extending the show for an additional season, though it never came to fruition.
Clearly, this is one of the most difficult times to be in the entertainment industry. Every television show poses a challenge, and there’s always the question of whether the show should address the pandemic directly. For a show like Shameless that has always made an effort to address current events, the inclusion of protective masks in season 11 just makes sense.
Source: TV Line