“It is the end of the show,” Jamie Lee told Entertainment Tonight March 3 of the upcoming season. “They've said it from the beginning. It's the end of the show. It's not me announcing any endings of anything.”

Meanwhile, Jeremy Allen—who previously starred in Shameless alongside Emmy Rossum and William H. Macy—explained how he’s kept up momentum going into the show’s fifth and final season, despite previously admitting he hit a wall acting in the Showtime series. 

“There were some years on Shameless where I felt more connected to Philip Gallagher and there were some years I didn’t,” Jeremy Allen told Variety in November 2025 of fulfilling his role in the hit show. “I feel really connected to Carmy.”

What’s more, The Iron Claw actor admitted he felt closer to The Bear’s creator Christopher Storer more so than Shameless showrunner John Wells, considering he started on the former show as an adult. 

“Those were very separate things, kind of the story coming at me as an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old,” Jeremy Allen reasoned, “versus the story coming at me from Chris, who I really consider a friend and a peer.”

For her part, Ayo, who had her breakout role as Sydney when the series premiered in 2022, previously shared how much the show’s longevity thus far meant to her. 

“I just love learning,” she explained during an October 2025 appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, “and so, to be on a show that’s so supportive of that, that gives us that environment that fosters that, it’s really special.”

For a look at all the shows that have been renewed or canceled in 2026, keep reading…