Showtime announced earlier this morning that the much-discussed drama will be returning for season 8.

The timing is certainly odd, as Emmy Rossum has been publicly picketing for higher pay for the expected upcoming season. Even when Rossum finally closed the deal for her new salary, she Tweeted about her success before the news was official that Shameless would be returning:

Playing Fiona Gallagher has been one of the great privileges of my life. I'm so happy to continue w my SHAMELESS family!Back to work in May!

— Emmy Rossum (@emmyrossum) December 14, 2016

As the time stamp points out, Rossum made her announcement several days before Showtime publicized their decision. However, the network did eventually decide to renew the series for season eight, just one night after the seven season finale on December 18. In the episode, we see the Gallaghers cope (or not cope) with the effects of death. Rossum’s character Fiona looked after Frank (William H. Macy, who has also agreed to return for season eight), but as always, Frank had another plan.

Production for season eight will begin in 2017. The season will feature twelve new episodes. Shameless‘s renewal was not quite surprising, since the series was the most successful for the network and showed no signs of stopping as its latest season was the highest-ranking season to date. Nonetheless, fans can rest easy knowing there’s more to see of the Gallagher family.