'Shameless' renewal news: Showtime's long-running family dramedy renewed for season 8

After a recent behind-the-scene shakeup, "Shameless" has been renewed for an eighth season.

The network announced the program's renewal on Monday, confirming that the family drama will return for an eighth season in 2017. As Rossum revealed last week, production for the 12-episode season starts in May. The season 8 renewal follows a contract issue over equal pay with lead actress Rossum, which was settled last week. After a standoff with Warner Bros. TV, the actress had tweeted that she is glad to continue her stint in the series and that she would be back to work soon. The pickup is no surprise because the season 7 finale ended with a post-credits scene telling the audience to "come back next year."

Reports point out that Rossum's contract dispute was holding up the season 8 renewal, which is expected since "Shameless" currently ranks as the premium cable network's top comedy series. Rossum's camp allegedly argued that the actress should be paid more than Macy to make up for the past seven seasons in which she earned less than her co-star.

Sources claim that the network wanted to renew the show, but could not move forward without resolving the conflict in Rossum's contract. Rossum was reportedly not just asking for parity with her co-star Macy, but more. While the terms of her final deal were not disclosed, it is believed that Rossum had been offered equal pay with the veteran actor.

During the season 7 finale, "Shameless" delivered a season high rating, with 2.12 million combined viewers for its two airings. Compared to the season 7 premiere night's 1.71 million viewers, the finale drew 24 percent more, making it Showtime's most-watched night this year.

"Shameless" is expected to premiere in late 2017 on Showtime.