This Favorite Gallagher Is Officially Returning To 'Shameless' Season 10, But It's Not Fiona

Hope for the future of the Shameless seemed kind of bleak over the past few months, but leave it to the Gallaghers to not stay down for long. Despite two main cast members announcing they would be leaving the show in its currently airing ninth season, Showtime has picked up Shameless for Season 10, and one of those cast members is returning to the family to boot! Yep — Ian Gallagher will return in Shameless Season 10, Showtime confirmed at the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Thursday. Unfortunately, though, Emmy Rossum's Fiona Gallagher will not be a part of the new season.

The revelation that Ian Gallagher will return in Shameless Season 10 comes nearly four months after actor Cameron Monaghan announced that he would be leaving the Showtime series in its ninth season. The episode that was meant to be Monaghan's final episode, called "Face It, You're Gorgeous," aired on Oct. 14. The episode concluded with Ian being sentenced to two years in prison for his erratic and dangerous actions as the quasi-cult leader Gay Jesus, but he happily finds himself locked up with his old flame Mickey Milkovich as his cellmate.

The ending seemed like a fitting farewell for Ian, but now it sounds like we will be seeing more of Ian and Mickey's life behind bars in the upcoming tenth season.

Although Ian Gallagher will be making his return next season after it looked like he was gone for good, the Gallagher clan will still be down a member in Season 10. Shortly before Cameron Monaghan announced his exit from Shameless, Emmy Rossum also announced that she would be leaving the show after its ninth season, and the Season 10 pick-up is not changing her decision. Although Shameless boasts an ensemble cast, Rossum's character of Fiona Gallagher is clearly the centerpiece of the show's characters. Over the past nine seasons, Fiona has acted as the de facto caregiver for her family of younger siblings and the voice of reason for her deadbeat dad Frank.

It is unclear how Shameless will say goodbye to Fiona Gallagher at the end of Season 9, but William H. Macy did recently tease that it is a "genius" send-off, and each Gallagher will get their own emotional farewell scene with Fiona. Emmy Rossum also noted that she knows the door is always open for her to return to Shameless, so Fiona may make a comeback in future seasons.

What does seem clear is what Ian's storyline in the new season of Shameless will be. Since Ian and Mickey are locked up for multiple years, it looks like fans will be getting a prison storyline in Season 10. It will definitely be interesting to see how Ian and Mickey's rekindled relationship might fare now that they are both behind bars.

The Season 10 pick-up officially makes Shameless the longest running series ever on Showtime. The new season will likely premiere in the fall of 2019. Season 9 of Shameless is currently airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.