Justin Chatwin is out as a “Shameless” series regular, Showtime told TheWrap on Wednesday. There is, however, the possibility of the actor coming back for future episodes in “some manner,” the network said.
Executive Producer and showrunner John Wells leaked during a TV Academy Emmy panel event Tuesday night that Chatwin would not return for season 4, set for 2014.
"He has done great work, but that character was coming to an end," Wells said at the panel.
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Chatwin played the conman-turned-straight Jimmy, Fiona Gallagher’s (Emmy Rossum) love interest who married a drug dealer’s daughter so she could remain in the United States.
At the panel, Rossum referred to Chatwin's exit as "incredibly emotional, like losing a part of your family. I shed a couple of tears in my trailer."
Jimmy was last seen being forced onto a yacht by a thug. The script had him being shot and killed on the boat, but Wells said the filming permit for the dock expired before the scene could be completed, according to TV Guide.