Justin Chatwin Is Leaving Shameless: What Does That Mean For Jimmy?

One of the big cliffhangers from the third season of Showtime's Shameless was the fate of Jimmy, Fiona's boyfriend, who'd gotten himself mixed up with a drug kingpin. He was last seen boarding a boat and we were left to wonder if the repercussions of failing to keep his "wife" from getting deported would be fatal. This latest bit of news doesn't bode well for the character, but all hope is not lost!

THR reports that producer John Wells announced that actor Justin Chatwin, who plays Jimmy in the Showtime drama, will not be returning to the series for Season 4. Or at the very least, that his days as a series regular have come to an end. Does that mean Jimmy's dead? Not so fast! The site adds that Chatwin could return for one or two episodes, which might indicate that Jimmy did survive whatever fate awaited him on that boat.

The more pessimistic speculation is that the actor's possible return for one or two more episodes could come in the form of flashbacks to explain what happened to Jimmy on the boat - so maybe he did die. In a nutshell, this news confirms nothing about the character's fate beyond the likelihood that he and Fiona are over for good. If Jimmy did live, perhaps he decided to head back to med school like he planned, and that would explain his permanent exit.

I liked Chatwin on the show, so it's disappointing that he's leaving. But from a plot standpoint, I'm excited to see how his story is resolved and what kind of impact it has on Fiona. When the series left off, it seemed like everyone was leaving. While we can hope that some of the Gallaghers will find their way back home in Season 4, it looks like Jimmy's gone for good.

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.