Lip and Tami Have Had a Ridiculous Number of Ups and Downs on 'Shameless'

Of all the Gallagher kids on Shameless, Lip arguably has the best shot at getting out of poverty and making a real life for himself. But after countless mistakes on his part, he found himself out of school and battling a substance abuse problem. Through it all, he managed to also find love and have a kid with Tami, who hasn't been his best match, to be honest.

Even so, Lip seems intent on making it work with her, even if she isn't totally on board with staying in Chicago and living a life she doesn't believe is good enough for their son. So, how long can they keep it up? It's hard to say whether Lip and Tami are endgame, but if his persistence is any indication of their fate, they could have a future together.

At the end of Season 10, Tami almost left town with Lip’s son on the grounds that Lip had gone back on their plan to leave the Southside and start their own life together. Instead of leaving, though, Tami stuck it out with Lip and they seemed (mostly) OK. The final season of Shameless could mean anything for their future, though, and it’s time to start taking bets on where they end up.

Shameless executive producer John Wells told TVLine that a big part of Tami and Lip’s storyline in Season 11 is navigating their relationship, living together outside of the Gallagher household, but not too far from it either. It’s an adjustment for Lip that might have some blowback in his relationship with Tami, but there’s a decent chance they’ll work through it.

At the very least, we can all count on Mickey and Ian’s relationship. They have had their share of ups and downs on Shameless, but there’s little chance of them divorcing now that they are finally married. There is a chance that Mickey’s family makes things difficult for them, being that Mickey’s dad has been so hardened against his son’s sexuality, but in the end, it’s hard to imagine Ian and Mickey not coming out strong.

In a perfect world, each of the Gallaghers would get their own happy ending, much like Fiona did, and Kevin and Veronica would succeed with or without the bar. But this is Shameless, where sometimes a happy ending still looks like living at the dilapidated Gallagher house or hustling out on the street with another get-rich-quick scheme. So for now, let’s just hope the majority of the characters end up happy, whatever that means for them.

Kevin and Veronica could find themselves moving on, however. John Wells told TVLine that the struggles of running The Alibi could lead to the two of them leaving.

"Everybody’s sort of dealing with the same things, which is the bar is really struggling," he explained. "So what do we do? Do we sell the business? Do we move someplace else? Do we change our career and our lives? That’s really the big part of their story. Who are they going to be if this neighborhood changes?"

That being said, if the neighborhood really changes and no one is ready to move forward with it, could the Gallaghers (and those adjacent to the Gallaghers) really leave their home? Frank would likely stay put, as would Debbie. But the end of Shameless means the end of an era, and if some characters leave by the end of the season, it might be for the best.

Watch Shameless on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.