Why Jeffrey Dean Morgan Left Shameless After Only One Episode

Publish date: 2024-05-22

Jeffrey Dean Morgan appeared in Shameless' season 4 finale as a new character who then adruptly vanished; here's why the actor left.

Why did Jeffrey Dean Morgan exit Shameless after only one episode? Jeffrey Dean Morgan is probably best known at this point for playing Negan on The Walking Dead, having joined the hit horror series during the season 6 finale. Negan's introduction is one of the most infamous sequences in the entire show and featured the gruesome demise of two fan-favorite characters at his hands, but over the years, the show has worked to redeem the former villain.

Negan is far from Jeffrey Dean Morgan's first scene-stealing performance though. He gave a memorable turn as The Comedian in Zack Snyder's adaptation of Watchmen, broke many hearts on Grey's Anatomy as Denny Duquette and played John Winchester on Supernatural. Even in smaller roles, he tends to be the highlight, such as his hammy turn in blockbuster Rampage.

The original UK version of Shameless debuted in 2004 and introduced viewers to the working class, Manchester-based Gallagher family. The show was praised for its great performances - especially David Threlfall as patriarch Frank - and writing, with the series running for eleven seasons in total. Showtime later remade Shameless in 2011 and relocated the action to Chicago, with William H. Macy playing Frank and Emmy Rossum as his daughter Fiona. In 2014, Jeffrey Dean Morgan appeared during the season 4 finale as Charlie Peters, owner of the Golden House Restaurant.

Fiona is given a job at the restaurant after being brought there by her parole officer Gail, with Charlie agreeing to give Fiona a chance, though warning if she shows up drunk or high she'll be fired and reported. He and Fiona later attend a Recovery meeting together but in Shameless season 5, Peters is gone and the restaurant is renamed Patsy's Pies. Of course, it makes no sense to bring in Morgan for such a small part unless it was supposed to be bigger, and Charlie was meant to play a much larger role in the fifth season.

Sadly, as Jeffrey Dean Morgan himself would later explain, his filming schedule for miniseries Texas Rising prevented him from returning to Shameless, despite both productions trying to make it work. When it was clear that wouldn't happen, Charlie was written out and his arc assigned to new character Sean Pierce (Dermot Mulroney), who took over as Fiona's boss and love interest at Patsy's Pies. While it's a pity it didn't work out, Morgan's star would soon rise even further in 2016 thanks to The Walking Dead and his Batman V Superman cameo as Thomas Wayne.

Next: Why Cameron Monaghan Left Shameless (But Decided To Return)

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