The Gallagher kids on Shameless will have to try to keep their father in line for at least one more year. The show has been renewed for a third season on Showtime.

Shameless revolves around the dysfunctional Gallagher family. Frank (William H. Macy) is a single father of six children who spends his days drunk. As a result, his kids (Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Emma Kenney, Ethan Cutkosky, Brennan Kane Johnson, and Blake Alexander Johnson) learn to be resourceful and take care of themselves. Others in the cast include Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, Justin Chatwin, Laura Slade Wiggins, and Joan Cusack.

The series returned for season two on Sunday, January 8th. It brought in a 0.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 1.58 million total viewers. That was a 100% improvement in the demo and a 61% gain in total viewers, when compared to the series debut a year earlier. Showtime touted that Shameless is the cable channel’s youngest skewing show with nearly 40% of the audience under the age of 35.

The next three weeks of Shameless have settled in at a 0.7 rating in the demo and this past Sunday’s episode attracted 1.37 million viewers, the highest number since the season two debut. Though total viewership is down compared to last season, Shameless is doing significantly better in the young desirable demographic.

David Nevens, President of Entertainment for Showtime, announced today that Shameless, House of Lies, and Californication had all been renewed. In a statement, Nevens said, “These three shows are clearly resonating with audiences as evidenced by their steady growth on Sunday nights. We are extremely pleased with the creative work being done by the casts, producers and writers — and I so appreciate that each of these series has such a clear and distinctive voice.”

There’s no word on how many installments have been ordered for season two but the two existing seasons of Shameless have had a dozen episodes each. Production will resume later this year in Los Angeles. Showtime hasn’t announced when they’ll air but early January is expected.

Eight episodes remain for the current season and the finale will air on April 1st.

What do you think? Do you like the series? Are you glad to hear that it’s been renewed?

Image courtesy Showtime.