Still ‘Shameless’: Showtime series will return soon
Q: Is “Shameless” coming back? I saw that Emmy Rossum was involved in some sort of pay dispute over it. – John Hanson, Boynton Beach, Fla.
A: The seriocomic Showtime show’s eighth season is scheduled to start Nov. 5, with Rossum still featured prominently after lobbying for pay parity with fellow series star William H. Macy. That involved her negotiation to be paid more for future seasons to bring her to the same level he had received for earlier seasons, and however it ultimately worked out, it did work out. Newly married to “Mr. Robot” mentor Sam Esmail, Rossum also has become a director on “Shameless,” having done her first episode in that role last season.
Q: A friend told me that Sylvester Stallone is going to be on “This Is Us.” Is that true? – Michelle Scott, via e-mail
A: It is. He’ll appear during the upcoming Season 2 of the Emmy-nominated NBC drama (which starts Sept. 26), playing himself. He’ll be in a movie in which Justin Hartley’s actor character Kevin also appears, serving as a mentor of sorts. The link between Stallone and the series is Milo Ventimiglia, alias the show’s Jack, who played the “Rocky” and “First Blood” veteran’s son in “Rocky Balboa.” They’ve remained friends ever since, and while it would be fun to see Jack and Stallone together given those circumstances, that probably won’t happen due to events in the famously moving timeline that the program uses.