Shameless Star William H. Macy Will Guest Star On The Conners
The final episode of edgy Showtime dramedy "Shameless" aired on April 11, 2021, bringing to an end a show that remained one of the premium network's staples for just over a decade. Leading "Shameless" for that entire time was William H. Macy, who portrays central character and patriarch of its core family Frank Gallagher. Showtime seems to have determined that he was so key to the show's success that the network paid Macy $350,000 per episode of "Shameless," rivaling the salaries of some stars of basic cable dramas with far wider reach.
While "Shameless" may largely define the most recent chapter of Macy's career, the actor established himself as a formidable Hollywood star on his own right well prior to the first episode of "Shameless" premiering. Macy's decades-long filmography, for example, includes starring in David Mamet's stage play adaptation "Oleanna," a lead role in the acclaimed Coen Brothers drama "Fargo," playing a former child prodigy in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia," and appearing as a key character in "Jurassic Park III," among plenty of other projects.
Since Macy is done with "Shameless," his schedule is presumably open for him to take on various kinds of acting work with more regularity. Now, amidst what is effectively a new chapter in his career, Macy is currently slated to guest star on the "Roseanne" sequel sitcom "The Conners."
William H. Macy will play Dan Conner's friend from high school
On October 20, roughly a month after its premiere on September 21, William H. Macy was confirmed for a guest appearance on a future episode of "The Conners" Season 5 (via Variety). Macy will portray a character named Smitty, who was once close friends with Dan Conner (John Goodman) when the two attended high school together. How Smitty may have changed since then, and what his present day dynamic with Dan will be like remains a mystery.
Macy is not the first "Shameless" actor to appear on "The Conners." Emma Kenney, notably, plays both Frank's daughter Debbie on "Shameless" as well as Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and David (Johnny Galecki)'s daughter Harris on "The Conners." An IMDb search for shared credits between the two shows reveals 31 common personnel in total, which includes a few other notable "Shameless" actors like Katey Sagal and Ethan Cutkosky.
From the sound of it, Macy will only appear on a single episode of "The Conners," marking a stark contrast with the recurring TV role he maintained across the prior decade. The precise episode in which Macy is cast has yet to be announced, so those interested in this upcoming performance of his may want to keep an eye on future episodes of "The Conners" moving forward.