‘Shameless’ season 8 renewal in limbo; Emmy Rossum negotiations ongoing

Will “Shameless” receive another season on Showtime? While we are certainly optimistic about its future fate, we will admit that there are some problems that could be popping up that could keep it from happening.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, one of the things holding up a renewal is the status of star Emmy Rossum, who is looking for not only equal pay to William H. Macy, but also more in an effort to make up for the seasons she was paid considerably less than him, despite being at times the focal point of the show. It’s a move that we certainly understand, given that we would say at present that Rossum is even more integral than Macy is to the series and that it will need her in the event that the show wants to move forward. You can argue that Macy was the larger star and the selling point for the show during its early years, but that isn’t the case anymore.

For the time being, our hope is that everything works out well enough so that we at least get one more batch of episodes, given that this would put the show on equal footing with some of Showtime’s other long-running series, including “Dexter” and “Weeds.” One of the reasons why so few premium cable series move beyond eight years is because it starts to get to the point where costs don’t always prove worth the extra boost in subscribers that they provide. Sometimes, numbers are a little more finite, at least per our own estimations, than a regular-cable show where people buy a network as a part of a larger package.

There are a couple of episodes left to go for “Shameless” this year, so be sure to head over here to check out a preview for what is coming up Sunday. What do you think: Should Rossum receive more than Macy at this point or at least get equal pay? Share in the comments below! (Photo: Showtime.)