Summary

• 'The Conners' has seen several 'Shameless' stars make guest appearances, including William H. Macy, Ethan Cutkosky, and Noel Fisher.
• Emma Kenney joined 'The Conners' years before the 'Shameless' finale, playing a key role in the show as Harris Conner-Healy.
• Fans are hopeful for more 'Shameless' cameos on 'The Conners,' with the cast still close and the possibility of seeing even more familiar faces.

Emma Kenney spent most of her childhood on the set of Shameless, creating life-long bonds with much of the cast and her Shameless family. So, when the young actress signed on to play Darlene's daughter in the Roseanne sequel, The Conners, it was only a matter of time before some of her Shameless cast mates started trickling into guest roles on the ABC sitcom.

Emma Kenney joined The Conners a couple of years before the Shameless finale, and her role as Harris Conner-Healy is also her biggest part since Shameless' Debbie Gallagher. While Kenney plays an important part in the Roseanne sequel's storyline, several Shameless stars have popped in to add to The Conners story in different ways.

In the following, we take a look at which Shameless stars have made guest appearances on The Conners and which ones have played a bigger role in the ABC sitcom. We also discuss the possibility for more Shameless cameos on The Conners.

Shameless Star Emma Kenney Joins The Conners In Big Role

When Shameless premiered in 2011, Emma Kenney was one of the youngest cast members in season one of the Showtime series. Kenney remained a main cast member on Shameless for all 11 seasons, appearing in all 134 episodes. Growing up on the set of a hit series wasn't always easy for Kenney, and she has since shared some of the harder times getting along with her older co-stars, specifically Emmy Rossum.

Emma Kenney described her relationship on-set with Emmy Rossum, in an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, as a "sibling relationship."

“We were both so young; I was obviously a lot younger,” said Kenney. “There were times where she would try to be a good influence, and then there were times where she would be blatantly giving me…not the best advice."

"Maybe she was struggling with her own inner problems and taking it out on other people. But we all handle situations differently.”

While Shameless' eighth season was airing, Emma Kenney joined the tenth season of Roseanne as Darlene’s daughter, Harris, in 2018 before it was taken off-air, and she went on to reprise her role in the show’s continuation, The Conners, where she has remained a main cast member since season 1. When Shameless came to an end, Emma Kenney was already into season 4 of The Conners.

Shameless Cast Who Have Guest Starred On The Conners

While Emma Kenney is one of The Conners' main stars, she isn't the only former Shameless actor who has joined The Conners during the past six seasons. Every now and then, some familiar faces appear in Lanford, Illinois to add some spice to The Conners.

Katey Sagal Joins The Conners As Dan's New Love Interest

• Appeared In The Conners Seasons 1-6

While Sons of Anarchy star Katey Sagal was not a main cast member in Shameless, she did play a part in Frank Gallagher's wild antics during Season 9 and Season 10 for a total of seven episodes. On Shameless, Sagal played Ingrid Jones, a girlfriend of Frank's who convinced him to fertilize her frozen eggs and have babies with her. Frank ultimately used his son Carl to make this happen, without Carl's knowledge, and it became a whole Shameless ordeal when Ingrid abandoned her babies.

Besides Emma Kenney, Katey Sagal was one of the first Shameless stars to join the Roseanne sequel. When The Conners began in 2018, after Roseanne’s cancelation, Sagal was cast as Louise Conner.

Katey Sagal's character on The Conners is a former classmate of Roseanne and Dan Conner, who eventually becomes Dan's wife and replaces Roseanne Barr’s character. Sagal appeared in The Conners from the show’s first season until the fourth, when Sagal was involved in a car accident. The role of Louise had to be written out for a while, but as of season 6, Katey Sagal made her return to the show as Dan’s wife.

William H. Macy Joins The Connors As Dan's Best Friend

• Appeared In The Conners Season 5

William H. Macy was the face of Shameless as Frank Gallagher for all 11 season. Macy played the alcoholic patriarch of the Gallaghers. With this role, Macy earned six Primetime Emmy Nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

William H. Macy made a guest appearance on the ABC sitcom as Smitty Cusamano: who was one of Dan’s best friends, Roseanne’s ex and Jackie's high-school crush. Macy's character on The Conners, Cusamano, makes a visit to Lanford and reunites with his old friends after a long time. While Macy only appears in one episode of The Conners during season 5, it was the perfect reunion between Emma Kenney and William H. Macy, who were father and daughter on Shameless. When Macy's character on The Conners appears, Emma Kenney's charcter, Harris, comes with the perfect line, "You look really familiar... I know you right?"

Ethan Cutkosky Joins The Conners As Jackie's Troubled Nephew

• Appeared in The Conners Season 5

Ethan Cutkosky was a beloved star on Shameless, playing the role of Carl Gallagher, one of Frank Gallagher's youngest kids. He was cast in the comedy series at 10 years old and grew up with the cast, especially close to Emma Kenney. So, after Shameless came to an end, it was an easy decision for Ethan Cutosky to work with Emma Kenney one more time.

Ethan Cutkosky made a guest appearance during The Conners season 5 for another perfect Shameless reunion. On The Conners, Cutkosky played Caleb, the nephew to Louise (Katey Sagal's character) and Caleb Goldufksi. He only appeared in one episode, but fans loved his dynamic with Laurie Metcalf's character Jackie so much that they are hoping Cutkosky reappears in a future episode.

Noel Fisher Joined The Conners As Dan's Younger Brother, Ed

• Appeared in The Conners Season 2

Noel Fisher is a seasoned actor with over 70 credits to his acting resume, but he is easily recognized for his role in Shameless. Fisher played the role of Mickey Milkovich regularly from the first season of Shameless until the show came to an end in 2021, with a slowdown in the middle having not appeared at all during season 8.

Fisher's role in the Showtime series was the most celebrated as he played an openly gay young man. Fans on Reddit even admit the worst season of Shameless was the eighth season because Fisher had left.

Fisher joined The Conners with Emma Kenney during season 2 for three episodes in 2020, while Shameless was still airing too. Fisher's character on The Conners was Dan Conner's half-brother Ed Conner Jr. Fisher's character is the son of one of Roseanne and Jackie's friends, Crystal Anderson and Dan's father, Ed Conner. While the character of Ed Conner Jr. did appear during the original Roseanne, Fisher did not play the character at that time.

Will More Shameless Stars Appear In The Conners?

We've seen just a few past Shameless stars join The Conners, but there are still quite a few from the Showtime series who could also have the opportunity to join Emma Kenney back on screen, if schedules and the story allow for it. It's easy to see Ian Gallagher's Cameron Monaghan in Lanford or even Shanola Hampton.

When Kenney was asked if she would want more Shameless cast members to join the sitcom, like The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White, she revealed it could happen, since "the cast are still very tight".

“Yeah, Jeremy's the best. We're you know the cast will always keep in touch. We'll always be a family, and it's great to be a part of another TV family now too.”