How Shameless Showrunner John Wells Really Felt About The Finale
The Showtime series "Shameless" became a major hit for the channel over the course of its 11 seasons. Developed by John Wells, who has previously worked on shows such as "Third Watch" and "Southland," the show was an adaptation of a British Channel 4 series of the same name and focused on the Gallagher family from the South Side of Chicago.
The show featured an ensemble cast that was led by Emmy Rossum and William H. Macy until Rossum departed in the show's ninth season. Other cast members included Emma Kenney, Cameron Monaghan, Jeremy Allen White, and Joan Cusack.
The show's ending was bittersweet for many of the fans of the series, and many weren't sure what kind of ending was in store. With the shadow of the British predecessor also looming over the show, Wells recently revealed his thoughts on how the show wrapped up. Here's how Wells really feels about the "Shameless" finale.
Wells drew inspiration from other shows he had worked on for this finale
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner John Wells spoke about the way the show ended. His intention for the ending was for it to always be open-ended, to give the sense that the lives of the characters go on, even though the show itself ends.
"I've been pretty fortunate to do a number of longer-running series and, as a fan, I always appreciate things not being wrapped up," Wells said in the interview, adding, "I want to think what I want to think about the characters, where they end up and what happens with them and have the audience have those conversations with others over drinks. I think that's more fun, personally."
Wells went on to cite the influence of two major shows when explaining his decision to leave the resolution of the characters up to the viewers.
"It's the same reason that at the end of 'ER' we walked away from the hospital in the middle of a shift, and at the end of 'The West Wing' Santos (Jimmy Smits) had just gone into the White House and Bartlet (Martin Sheen) was headed home." Wells said, citing two series he had previously worked on, both of which were on NBC and ran for 15 seasons and 7 seasons, respectively.
"We didn't try and solve anything. Their lives continue. Many wonderful novels end and you're still thinking about the characters and what they do. And that makes me feel good as a viewer and a reader," Wells added.