'Shameless Season 9 Will Be Extra-Long, So Get Ready For More Gallagher Family Bonding

Showtime is giving Shameless fans an extra helping of Gallagher family hijinks this year. The cable network announced this week that it is picking up Shameless' ninth season for more episodes than any previous season of the dysfunctional family dramedy. So just how many episodes are in Shameless Season 9, and when can fans expect the Gallaghers to return to their TV screens? Here is everything that you need to know about the upcoming season.

At the Television Critics Association press tour this week, Showtime announced that the upcoming ninth season of Shameless will be super-sized, consisting of two more episodes than all of the past seasons of the show. All eight seasons of Shameless before now have had 12 episodes total, but this year, Showtime is upping Shameless' episode order to 14 episodes, as reported by Variety. With an expanded episode order, Season 9 of Shameless will also follow a slightly altered schedule from past seasons. The first half of the season will premiere on Sept. 9 and air seven episodes throughout September and October. Then the season will go on hiatus for a couple months before airing its final seven episodes beginning on Jan. 20, 2019.

Season 9 of Shameless will also be notable for including the series' 100th episode. The fourth episode of the new season, which is entitled "Do Right, Vote White!," will mark 100 episodes of Shameless when it airs on Sept. 30.

The network also revealed some plot details about Shameless Season 9 at the TCA panel. One of the main stories will take an unprecedented political turn for the show, as Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) campaigns as a politician for the South Side, in an effort to give a voice to the underrepresented working man. Meanwhile, Fiona (Emmy Rossum) will continue working as the landlord for her apartment building, but an risky gamble could threaten her newfound success. Also working hard is Debbie (Emma Kenney), who will fight for equal pay in her new field as a welder before making an unexpected realization.

Season 9 will also find Lip (Jeremy Allen White) where we last left him, still struggling to stay sober, and now the sudden guardian to his coworker's niece, Xan. In perhaps the most precarious position of all, Ian (Cameron Monaghan) will be forced to face the repercussions for his actions as the leader of the suddenly more destructive Gay Jesus movement. And finally, on the academic side of thing, Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) will prepare for the next step of his military training at West Point, and Liam (Christian Isaiah) will hone his ability to balance his South Side existence with his more cushy private school life.

The ninth season of Shameless will officially make the series the longest running original scripted series in Showtime history, and with the expanded episode order for the new season, Shameless does not show any sign of stopping anytime soon.

Season 9 of Shameless will premiere on Showtime on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018 at 9:00 p.m. ET.